When I decided to attend school in the Northeast, I did my research. Fortunately for me, Maryland is one of the milder states in terms of weather in this tundra that you all call a region. HOWEVER, nothing could've prepared me for Northeast weather.

In my lovely, wonderful, perfect Colorado *adoring sigh*, the weather actually feels like 80 degrees when the temperature is 80 degrees out. It is sunny, yet not too hot; the air is fresh and crisp; there is hardly any wind; the universe is in alignment. So you can imagine my surprise when I walked out of my dorm on the first week of school, optimistically wearing a light t-shirt and shorts, only to be met by unpleasant humidity and undesirable wind. So I suffered through the humidity and wind only to learn that it does not, in fact, get better.

I can remember when my mom called me and told me that Denver had gotten its first snow. It was early October, and they got a light 2 inches of powder overnight. It was a beautiful sunny day although it had snowed all night. This naturally made me homesick, but I got myself really excited for what all of you Marylanders had been advertising as "real snow."

AND THEN... The first snow came.

I had been looking forward to this for so long that my sweet mom even sent me to snow toys to play with when it came. I jumped out of bed on the morning that I had been waiting for... only to be disappointed by what would be classified as "light frost" in Denver. All my local friends looked at me condescendingly and said "pretty crazy, right? We got all that in just one night." When I finally went outside, I realized that it was outlandishly cold. And THIS was when I learned the difference between humid cold and dry cold. In 30 degree weather in Colorado, jeans and a medium weight jacket would suffice. In 30 degree weather on the east coast, minimum 3 layers are required to survive the 10-minute walk to class, AND YOU CAN'T EVEN PLAY IN THE SNOW. In Colorado, the school would never be canceled for less than 8 inches of snow. In Maryland, school is canceled at the threat of snow. And then alllll the northeast natives look at the newcomers with an I-told-you-so look on their face and say "you cold?"

For my closing argument, I will just say in Denver, even with 8 inches and negative temperatures on Monday, it could be completely melted and 60 degrees on Tuesday. Marylanders like to complain about their "unpredictable" weather just because there will be a 12-degree difference throughout 48 hours.

All I'm trying to say is.... Y'all ain't seen nothing yet if you haven't experienced Colorado winter. It is a beautiful winter wonderland, and you'll never want to leave. (Mom and Dad if you see this, please consider this your bat signal to buy me a ticket home so I can ski)