When you are blessed to live in an area with four seasons, you typically receive snow. Most people enjoy a little bit of snow—it is pretty, fun to play in, and it makes cozying up to the fire even more gratifying. But constant, heavy snow can wear out its welcome and pose inconveniences, especially when it comes to driving.

Driving in the snow is a skill that must be mastered if you have a driver’s license and live in an area that receives winter weather. I remember my driver’s ed teacher advising all of us to have our parents take us to a large parking lot when it snowed. Once there, he suggested that we get behind the wheel and experiment with driving in the snow, including purposely sliding to become acquainted with that feeling.

Personally, I received my winter driving chops by living on a street that had a massively large hill. When it snowed, that hill could be a major challenge to navigate, both going down and up. Because it was pretty much necessary to travel on if you wanted to get anywhere, I got a lot of practice. The most intense winter driving experience I received was driving back and forth between Spokane and Missoula when I lived in Montana. Some of the scariest moments in my life came on Lookout Pass at night during December. Talk about white knuckle driving.

At this point in my life, although it probably isn’t my favorite thing to do, I am pretty confident behind the wheel when it snows. However, I was a little worried about how Sidney would adjust. As someone who had only seen significant snowfall when she traveled out west with me, she had no winter driving experience. But now that we are embarking on our third winter living in Spokane, I can say that Sidney is a pro driving in the snow.

The first time Sidney saw significant snow was when we visited Spokane for the holidays back in 2014.

To be honest, the learning curve wasn’t that steep for her. From that very first winter we lived here, she picked it up with ease. That says a lot considering all the slide offs you see on any given snowy morning from cars driven by lifelong Spokane residents.

So it might come as no surprise that as the snow fell at a rapid pace this morning, Sid and I were both on the roads in the wintry mess. Thankfully, we didn’t have to do much additional driving besides going back and forth to the gym. Because of the significant snowfall and gusty winds, both school and daycare were closed, granting Sloan and Beau a snow day.

Would Sid and I prefer to drive on clear roads? Absolutely! But one of the tradeoffs of living in a four-season climate is occasionally driving in the snow. I am glad we are equipped to do so. Don’t Blink.