Remember when you were a little kid, and you’d actually wake up on time for school… just so you could huddle next to the radio and listen for your school to be called on the list of snow days? With winter’s doom impending and temperatures dropping faster than The Situation’s pants, we can’t help but cross our fingers and pray.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Are snow days something you never grow out of? Or, in college, do they prove that miracles really can happen? Here’s how our anticipation of snow days has evolved since grammar school.

Then: A snow day meant a day off from times tables.
Now: We don’t have to finish copying someone else’s MiniTabs before Stats lab.

Then: We would make a beeline to the street and get all the neighborhood kids together for a snowball fight.
Now: We don’t have to brave arctic winds to walk to class and sit through lecture with snotsicles hanging from our frostbitten faces.

Then: Since we were already up at the crack of dawn, we could take advantage of the snow day and start building a snow man as soon as we got “the word.”
Now: We can go back to sleep for about six hours, and wake up just in time for happy hour.

Then: Snow days meant putting on snow pants and trekking to the biggest hill in town for a full day of sledding.
Now: Snow days mean putting on our beer coat and trekking to the bar for a full day of boozing.

(Note: I love how college students use a blizzard as an excuse to go to the bar, yet even when school isn’t canceled, we deem it too treacherous to walk to class.)

Then: For some unfortunate children, snow days meant driveway-shoveling duty before the parents got home.
Now: After the storm passes, we have to shovel our cars out from behind the snow banks the university plows have inevitably created throughout the parking lot.

Then: We could spend a whole extra day working on our vocabulary exercises!
Now: We could start that research paper that was due three days ago… but who are we kidding? Those episodes of Law and Order SVU aren’t going to watch themselves!

Then: We had an excuse to drink hot chocolate for breakfast.
Now: We have an excuse to drink a thirty-pack for breakfast.

I think it’s clear that snow days are one of mankind’s greatest inventions. Honestly, snow delays and cancellations are one of the top reasons to attend a university in a colder climate. I feel bad for those of you who are earning degrees in Hawaii, Florida, California, or any other season-less state. You will never experience the joys of the world’s most beautiful Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card: the beloved snow day!

Want mas? Don’t worry, there are plenty more faves where this came from.]

Remember when you were a little kid, and you’d actually wake up on time for school… just so you could huddle next to the radio and listen for your school to be called on the list of snow days?

With winter’s doom impending and temperatures dropping faster than an eight ball at Amy Winehouse’s flat, we can’t help but cross our fingers and pray… Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Are snow days something you never grow out of? Or, in college, do they prove that miracles really can happen? Here’s how our anticipation of snow days has evolved since grammar school.

Then: A snow day meant a day off from times tables.

Now: We don’t have to finish copying someone else’s MiniTabs before Stats lab.

Then: We would make a beeline to the street and get all the neighborhood kids together for a snowball fight.

Now: We don’t have to brave arctic winds to walk to class and sit through lecture with snot-cicles hanging from our frostbitten faces.

Then: Since we were already up at the crack of dawn, we could take advantage of the snow day and start building a snow man as soon as we got “the word.”

Now: We can go back to sleep for about six hours, and wake up just in time for happy hour.

Then: Snow days meant putting on snow pants and trekking to the biggest hill in town for a full day of sledding.

Now: Snow days mean trekking to the bar and putting our liquor jackets on.

(Note: I love how college students use a blizzard as an excuse to go to the bar, yet even when school isn’t cancelled, we deem it too treacherous to walk to class.)

Then: For some unfortunate children, snow days meant driveway-shoveling duty before the parents got home.

Now: After the storm passes, we have to shovel our cars out from behind the snow banks the university plows have inevitably created throughout the parking lot.

Then: We could spend a whole extra day working on our vocabulary exercises!

Now: We could start that research paper that was due three days ago… but who are we kidding? We probably won’t.

Then: We had an excuse to drink hot chocolate for breakfast.

Now: We have an excuse to drink a thirty-pack for breakfast.

I think it’s clear that snow days are one of mankind’s greatest inventions. Honestly, snow delays and cancellations are one of the top reasons to attend a university in a colder climate. I feel bad for those of you who are earning degrees in Hawaii, Florida, California, or any other season-less state. You will never experience the joys of the world’s most beautiful Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card: the beloved snow day!

Every now and then, you wander across those stories that make the tears well up in your eyes; stories about amazing people doing amazing things that you can’t help but admire them for. Nigel Hearnden is one of those people.

Nigel Hearnden and Anne Hearnden were your typical storybook married couple, the kind that you never hear about anymore. For 29 years, they loved each other, were there for each other, and supported each other. And when Anne was diagnosed with cancer in August 2001, Nigel was with her every step of the way. With her amazing strength and her loyal partner ever at her side, she went through 20 months of chemotherapy, three invasive operations, and overcame three different types of cancer: Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bowel cancer and liver cancer (twice).

Tragically, despite her many victories and accomplishments, Anne unexpectedly died in November 2005 from a heart infection.

Nigel and Anne had planned to go to Rome for their 30th anniversary. But even though Anne isn’t with him, Nigel is still making the journey. On foot.

Nigel began his journey on January 27th in Gosport, Hampshire. Since that time he has walked 856 miles, and plans to reach Rome on May 16th, which is three years to the day he was last in Rome with Anne. On top of all of this, he is raising £50,000 – $98,766.77 in USD – for the various charities that Anne supported. He has already raised £7,557.00 – $14,927.92 – to date.

Nigel has a LiveJournal where he consistently updates, putting his heart out for the world to see and telling his readers about his progress, his ups, and his downs. His story is a powerful reminder about the endurance, the dedication, and the love that the human race is capable of.