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I have been right smack in the middle of one of the biggest snowstorms to hit the D.C. area in modern history, and feel it is my duty as a reporter to provide an inside look at how the boys and I have survived the blizzard.

I said "the boys and I" because Ron was on a business trip to San Diego and missed out on the actual storm. He was "snowed out" of the area airports and returned to almost two feet of snow.

As I write, the forecast is calling for perhaps 8 to 15 more inches of the fluffy stuff to come down between noon today and tomorrow night.

I would be more specific about the timing, but can’t quite remember what day of the week it is. I lost track of the days by Saturday morning, which I assumed was Sunday.

Today is either Tuesday or Wednesday, which doesn’t really matter so long as I know that school has already been canceled for both days.

Students and teachers alike were elated last Thursday afternoon when the announcement came that Fairfax County officials had decided to cancel school on Friday before the first flake of snow had fallen.

Some of my co-workers are beginning to worry that we will be teaching on the Fourth of July, but I have decided to go with the flow and adapt Jimmy’s view on the whole unexpected snowy vacation.

"I look at it this way," he said. "It’s a lot more fun to have a surprise break!"

And it was lots of fun going out on Friday morning when the snow was not sticking to the roads yet. We joined the hordes of people who headed to Wal-Mart on a last-minute run for milk and bread.

I had already stocked up on staples the day before, so this trip was purely for fun.

Still, I grabbed up some last-minute snack food to keep the boys going hungry and plenty of chocolate to help me fight off any potential case of cabin fever that might set in.

I decided it was time to make a getaway once I caught a glimpse of panic in the eyes of other shoppers. Right after almost getting stampeded on the cereal aisle, I called Jimmy’s cell phone and told the boys to meet me at the checkout area.

What seemed like two hours later, we were walking out of Wal-Mart with a bunch of stuff we never needed in the first place, which I suspect is what most of the other shoppers had in their bags.

The big snowfall came overnight and continued for about 24 hours straight. Now, it is I-don’t-know-how-many days later, and I have gone outside only to take pictures.

Snow is beautiful to look at from inside a warm house, but going out and playing in the cold, messy stuff is another thing altogether. However, I shocked the boys with a promise to go sledding today, and had better keep it.

Frozen fingertips and toes will be a small price to pay for the look on their faces when I actually go down that big hill … So long as Jimmy or Tommy agrees to help me limp home if necessary.

Glory is still a snow-loving dog despite being a native Californian. Her favorite thing to do is go out in the snow and just sit there for an hour or two.

I can promise you I won’t be doing any of that, but I am going to make an effort to get my sunshine-loving self out in it today just so I can say I was a part of the blizzard of 2010. I’m not sure if watching through the window really counts.

A mother of three boys, Pam Zich has been married to a Marine for 19 years and currently lives in Springfield, Va.

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