I, for one, love the snow. Always have. My earliest memories involve me and my three younger brothers playing out in the snow every winter and only stop when we are forced to by our parents. Even then, a few times we managed to sneak out and play for a while longer before one of us would scream too loud at an incoming snowball and give it away.
Those were the days.
My husband of four years, Evan Peters, also loves winter. In fact, that's the reason we are spending this years winter break in Aspen, Colorado as at this time it is covered in deep snow. The cold doesn't bother us.
When contemplating winter in more depth though, I always think about a new beginning. In the winter, snow covers the earth, hardening it, while it rests from growing over spring and summer. The trees sleep, animals sleep, all awakening in spring for a fresh start and a new begining. After the snow melts, there is new life again... new animal babies, new leaves, new flowers, green grass, children playing outside. It's all about wiping the slate clean and preparing for a new begining in the spring.
"I bet I can make a better snowman than you" Evan spoke with a smug grin plastered in his face, snapping me out of thought.
"Nah, I am way more creative than you!"
"Oh you going there?!?!" He chuckled, trying to act seriously - it failed.
"Yeah I am"
"Prove it" He crossed his arms across his chest.
"I will" I exclaimed taking a few steps away from him so I could set to work on my masterpiece. Stacking, sticking, smoothing, I moulded the snow to the perfect shape. Looking over my shoulder after about ten minutes of hard grafting, I realised that Evan had almost completed his snowman unlike me. My excuse - like always - is that the longer it takes, the better it is.
"Dammit" I heard him yelp after a heavy thud. Turning around, I was greeted by my husband laying on the floor - over the snowman - with his hand in a huge pile of snow. Originally the head.
"I win" I beamed smugly, proud of my creation. "Told you I was more creative!"
"Shut up" Evan muttered whilst picking himself up off the ground. After taking a photograph of my snowman to post on Instagram later as well as a constant reminder to Evan how I beat him, we hiked up a big hill that had trees on the top. As it was getting towards evening, we wanted to watch the wintery sky for a while before heading back to the chalet we are renting.
The soft fat flakes of a gentle snow fell upon my upturned face like angel kisses. I laughed and stuck my tongue out as we had once done in childhood. Surely one or two flakes must have danced into my mouth but I could taste and feel nothing. Reaching the top, we stared back across the fields we have wandered. Children with their parents are having their final sled down the hills and adding eyes to the snowmen they were building. Everyone playing in the snow with their colorful coats, hats, mittens, gloves and scarves reminded me of sprinkles upon fluffy white frosting. Evan and I laid down in the snow facing the sky.
All was deep blue shadows and as my eyes looked upward, my heart leaped with awe at the nearness of the stars. Moonrise brought light cutting coldly on the frozen black water of the lake in the distance. I could see swirls of snow being swept across the forbidding yet beautiful starkness of the imprisoned waves.
"Look! That cloud looks like a cat's head" I cocked my head to the side pointing to a cloud as Evan's eyes searched the sky.
"Oh yeah but the one next to it looks like a music note" he chuckled. I agreed. Picking out the shapes in the sky, we created short stories of them. My favourite was about a moose (yes there was a cloud-shaped moose) who travelled across the sky in search of an apple (a different cloud) but the apple noticed and rolled away. Tragic huh?
"What a beautiful sight" sighed Evan as the sun set, mixing the sky into a blur of pinks and purple before quickly fading to black.
"I wish we could stay like this forever" I smiled, snuggling into him.
"So do I" he planted a soft kiss on the top of my head. "Woah" he exclaimed, his mobile phone lighting our faces up. "We have been laid here for almost two hours".
"No way!" I didn't believe him until I saw the digital clock for myself. "We should really get going". My husband nodded in agreement. Grabbing our red sled, the pair of us climbed in with me at the front leaning my back onto Evan before setting off down the hill. Zooming, everything went a blur as we hit optimum speed. Such an easier way to reach the bottom.
Wandering back through the fields where children once played, something suddenly smacked my spine. Spinning, my husband stood a few meters away looking suspicious. Quickly, I dug into the ground - collecting ammo - firing the snowball back at him.
This was war!
Snowballs flying everywhere, some hit and miss, I scarpered away leaving the worn out sled for him to carry. Big mistake. After running for roughly thirty seconds, I created another snowball to throw. Letting it go, Evan quickly picked up the sled and used it as a shield. Tired, I surrendered. I suppose I should let him win in order to allow him think of himself as manly.
"I win" Evan grinned.
"Yes.. Yes you do" I muttered defeat.
"What's my prize?"
"Hm, not sure" I pondered.
"I have an idea" he raised his eyebrow - biting his bottom lip seductively - before picking me up bridal style, carrying me back to the chalet, leaving behind our sled for some lucky child to use...
