Snow: A beginner's tale

Up until a few days ago I have had three memorable experiences with "snow".

I say "snow" and not snow because about 2 out of those 3 times some bubble buster had to break my heart and tell me it's sleet. What ever.

Experience number one:

I'm two or three years old, my family, minus my unborn sister at this stage, is driving back from Durban. We hit snow somewhere in the middle. I remember white, I remember my dad making a snowball and I remember crying because of the unnecessary pain that snow causes little two or three year old hands.

Experience number 2:

I was in primary school, and the snow came down hard. Which should have been my first clue that the "snow" was in fact freaking sleet. My memory of this basically involves a very painful snowball.

Experience number 3:

A few decades later I wake up to white windowsills and a silver car turned snowmobile. I wake up my roommate so we can go frolic about in the "snow" that fell early. We built a snowman...FINE ... a sleetman, (8cm tall). I slipped and fell on ice, in front of my neighbours, my then single and handsome neighbours...

Soooo you'd imagine the excitement a southern hemisphere snow-less African like myself would feel when she knows she's about to experience real snow. Super excited, and all this at Christmas time too. What a treat. Just like in the movies, but I could do a whole other post on 'the just like in the movies' American experience.

First real experience: Road trip to Missoula, Montana.

At first I took a million (now) boring pictures like this one.

But truly the magic didn't wear off fast. I've been around old snow, on the Alps of course, but the delight of new, fresh, fluffy, sparkly snow is an experience nobody forgets.

First snow experience excitement dance, right before first snow excitement snowball attack.

I'm still to be in actual falling snow... which better happen North West America!! No pressure. I'm still to build that SNOWman, debating the whole snow-angel thing, is it really that awesome? I like to have that option.

One experience involving snow I can tick off my list is hiking into a forest for 2,5 km taking all my warm clothes off and jumping in a hot-spring. Check.

Hot-water springs in middle of nowhere Idaho.
You'd think the 2,5km hike back would suck, but no, because it looks like this:

Walking back was surreal, I tried not to get too caught up in taking pictures or stretching my limited writing brain at how to "capture this magic". No none of that, just doing my very best at being in those beautiful moments.

Now for the snow to hit Spokane(current and month long location btw)... Why I ask you with tears in my eyes would the weather look like this, and not snow???

You got distracted by the 'jello wrestling' too huh?

(To be fair, there is has been way more sunshine than cloudy days, I just somehow needed to work in my picture of the 'jello wrestling' sign)

Anyway, I think I have a few new top snow experiences for next time I'm searching for small talk topics.