Sooo Happy New Year, everyone! (So what if it’s a month late?) I hope it has been going well and that you have been enjoying yourself so far in 2010.

Things here have been fantastic. It has been a good year so far, complete with a lot of wedding to-dos crossed off of my list (more to come on this!), seeing some new and old friends (and family!), and getting a job in Nashville.

I’ve been getting to know the Music City during the past few weeks, and I love it. I love the people, I love the city’s personality, I love the nightlife, I love the food, and pretty much everything else… The only thing that I’m still getting used to is the weather. Being a Memphis girl, I’ve dealt with the Tennessee winter before, but this Nashville winter has thrown me for a loop.

Y’all heard what happened here this weekend, right? (Hint: I got off work around noon because of it.)

Let me clue you in, in case you didn’t know:

SNEAUX! (This one’s for you, Louisiana friends.)

Felicity had a rough time. And by the end of the snowstorm, she had a good six inches of snow piled on her roof.

Lucy kept watch as her mother plodded around in the snow.

And I wore boots with the fur, quite literally, and an awesome/obnoxiously orange scarf. (Not seen: My awesome fingerless gloves that make my hands so happy when it’s cold outside. Just ask my Hattiesburg friends.)

…

It snowed from Friday morning until Saturday morning. By the end of the storm, we had probably six inches of snow on the ground in some parts, and our parking lot was a glorified skating rink. (Which probably explains why no cab drivers came to pick us up Friday night to go over to some friends’ house. And definitely explains my nerves driving around town last night to and from a photo gig.)

However, it was a beautiful weekend. We all had a great time, despite the snow and treacherous driving conditions, and I plan on making some chicken soup with spaetzle tonight for the boys. Because chicken soup with spaetzle is the best for cold wintry nights.

What did you do this weekend?

Last Friday night, we were all in for a winter-y surprise.

A snowy surprise.

In preparation for the chilly weather, I whipped up a mug of marshmallow lovers hot chocolate and snuggled in to the couch while I watched the state football championship game on TV. (You can see images from the matchup here and here.) The snow was coming down pretty hard in Jackson (where the game was held) by the end of the first half, and I knew it was on its way for us, too.

It was clearly sleeting outside, judging from the pitter-pattering sound on my tin roof, and I snuck a few peeks out the front door before deciding to give up and go to bed.

Later that night, I awoke to learn two things. One, that my power was out because of a blown transformer. (Have no fear, the power people were able to fix it within an hour.) And two, that it had snowed (and stuck!, if only for a few hours) and that I needed to hightail it out of my home to make some images for the paper.

I made my way across town to Southern Miss to find students playing in the snow.

And on my way home, in my little alleyway, I spotted the following photo and had to stop my car, pull out my camera, and make the image:

After the photo was made, I headed back home and crawled into bed a little after 2 a.m.

While it was a busy night, it was a good one.

…

What did you do for your last snow day?

I’ve spent the past few days in Nashville, the town I will be calling my own in the near future, and it has been a lovely time. Since I arrived Saturday evening, W and I have cheered on our Tigers to victory (narrow, but it was still a win), taken engagement photos with a college friend, made red beans and rice before watching the Saints on Monday Night Football and have spent numerous hours playing with Lucy Belle.

It has been a wonderful time, and the weather? It has been PERFECT. A little nippy, but beautiful. Like it’s supposed to feel in the late fall.

I was surprised when I walked out the door this morning to find frost covering the ground and covering my ENTIRE car. (Thank goodness for W’s ice scraper! That thing comes in handy… and I don’t have one anymore since I have lived in Mississippi and Louisiana for the past seven-ish years.)

As Lucy and I poked around in the cold, I found myself marveling at the plants that were frosted over and decided to snap a quick image before leaving for breakfast.

It’s hard to believe that the winter is upon us again and that today is December 1. Where did the year go?

How is your December so far?

We finally got to make a trip to Memphis last weekend to start wedding planning, and I couldn’t help but notice as we traveled from place to place that fall has finally arrived.

I should not have been surprised. I mean, it IS November, but since fall took such a long time to show its face in Mississippi, I was delighted by all the golds, reds and browns that greeted us at potential reception and rehearsal dinner sites.

It was truly gorgeous, and I had a good time snapping images of the fall foliage.

I have always been an autumn fan. It probably goes back to me being a fall baby and the fact that I loved playing outside in the fall because it wasn’t too hot or too cold. Dodger, Leigh and I could play outside for hours at a time. And my love of this season has carried into adulthood, even though there is less rolling around in leaves and playing in the backyard these days.

These days, it’s about the weather and the scenery. It doesn’t get any better than this.

What is your favorite season?