It's so cold here that...

• My hands get dry, crack and then bleed.
• We find a way to eat more canned foods and frozen meat because it's too cold to go shopping.
• When you breathe the air, it takes your breathe away, and not in the good sense. It really feels like you might suffocate. 
• 15 degrees feels like a nice day. 25 degrees feels like spring. 35 degrees feels like summer.
• Anything 10 degrees and lower feels the same: super cold.

(Jeremy's car thermometer before leaving for work on Jan 6).

• The only kind of shoes I wear outside of the house are boots. Not because of the snow, folks. Because of the cold.
• Most of the snow is impossible to play in. The entire first two inches of snow is frozen, making it really hard to walk through. And the snow is so cold and dry that it doesn't form into a ball for snowballs or snowmen.
• We spend 15+ minutes getting bundled up for 30 seconds of walking from the car to a building. Worth it? Unfortunately, YES.
• We go too many days without seeing the sun. I've never experienced that before. It's true that you get depressed and completely unmotivated to do anything.

 (It was a sunny Saturday on Jan 18 without too much wind, and luxury temps in the 20's, so we went sledding on a hill in our neighborhood. Notice the snow scattering in the wind? Common sight here. I'll post more pics about sledding later.)

• On windy days, just running from your car into a store makes you look like you've been outside for hours. Your eyes have teared, your nose is running and everything is frozen to your face. 
• If you go outside on a windy day when it's say -10, with windchill at -25, you will get frost bite within 5-10 minutes. That's why this is actually called unbearably cold weather and the government shuts down schools and roads and trash pickup.
• Sometimes, it feels like a dog bit your whole face off. The wind certainly has a way of making things "biting" cold.
• In November, when going into the garage, we have to wear shoes because all the snow and ice chips from the car have melted into big puddles and lakes. 
• In January, when going into the garage, we have to wear shoes because the snow and ice chips stay in tact as snow and ice chips!
• Heating bills suck. I never thought I'd be willing to keep my heat at 63 degrees in the day. But it pays off. When we wear 2 and 3 layers of pants and shirts, plus a bathrobe, it feels a lot warmer, so we survive.

(Here's an example of our common daytime wardrobe to keep warm and cozy so that we can have the heating bill a little lower)

• Taking a shower becomes a huge inconvenience. Even when I blast our space heater to 95 degrees, Dallin and Tanner are shivering in the tub! It's kind of gross; I only shower every other day or more, and I only wash my hair twice a week now to avoid the chills. I can't wait until summer again!
• I even wash my hands less to keep my hands from getting cold and chapped.
• Sometimes, it can't snow. Which is weird because even though the roads are clear and there's no fresh snow, it's too cold to take the boys anywhere. So we're stuck at home- for 3 and 4 and 5 days at a time with no snow to show for it. Ugh!
• I think people go to hockey games because inside the rink is luxury warmth compared to outside. 

(We went on a date to the minor league hockey game in town. It was so fun- and warm- inside!)

• They cancel church. It takes a lot to cancel an entire day of church. We've had three cancellations this winter- none of which had to do with snow. Just cold and wind. And our youth group has been canceled twice so far.
• On TV, the advertisement for the boat and RV show boasted about how warm the indoor event will be.
• We have to keep the gas tanks filled halfway or more to prevent the tank from freezing while it sits in the parking lot while at work or church.
• My hairdryer is used more to warm our bodies than to dry our hair.
• A whiteout occurs. When I heard about whiteouts, I imagined a still day with crystal white snow sparkling in the sun. NOOO. Whiteout means dark clouds, 40mph winds, and snow blowing everywhere all at once, creating a white haze that makes it impossible to drive, walk, or even see the neighbor's house.