Ten reasons I love winter in Utah

1. Actual weather conditions. Not the pansy steady 80-degree stuff you can always count on in places like San Diego, CA. We have real weather: rain, snow, sleet--and a wind that'll blow right through you. It's the kind of weather that makes one appreciate an occasional vacation to places like San Diego, CA.

2. Driven snow. I used to think of it only as the snow flyin' in those white-out, white-knuckle driving situations, but the product is that beautifully drifting snow that seems too perfect to have been formed at random.

3. Extra refrigerator space. Yeah, I like storing my 2-liter soda bottles, a crockpot full of soup--or whatever else is too big or bulky to fit in my fridge--just right outside my kitchen door on my deck.

4. Cold clear water. Every summer I secretly lament the fact I don't have a water and ice machine handily provided in my refrigerator. Every winter I enjoy glasses full of ice cold water right from the tap and I am perfectly content with what I have.

5. The sense of power and pride I feel when I do the math and realize that while shoveling my walks and my driveway I have single-handedly moved literally tons of snow. You go girl!

6. White mountains. Face it. The Wasatch Front mountain range is spectacular. But those majestic mountains are even more awe-inspiring when they are dusted with white and set against a clear blue sky or the tempestuous black and grey clouds of a winter storm.

7. Slippin' and slidin'. Yeah, I'll admit it. As long as none of my impressionable kids are in the car and there are no all-seeing and all-questioning officers of the law nearby, I love to take a corner just a tad too fast and catch a little skid. But don't worry, I also keep an eye out for pedestrians and the friendly neighborhood mailbox.

8. Simple things: Stephens Gourmet Hot Cocoa, black leather gloves, wool socks, performance fleece, hot showers, down comforters, vinyl windows, a crackling fire and the proximity of other warm bodies--just to name a few.

9. The exhilaration of perfect powder. Although its been far too long since I have hit the slopes myself (this will date me, but I used to schedule my classes for M, W, and F only so I could take advantage of those $10 lift tickets at Park West, Solitude and Alta), I can still appreciate that we are blessed with the greatest snow on earth. I love seeing my kids get a rush from a great day of snowboarding. And someday I just might get brave enough (and rich enough) to tackle my favorite--the moguls--and play in the powder again.

10. Contrast. I am always amused by the fact that in the fall when it cools down to 65 we get goosebumps and go grab a jacket, but in the spring when it warms up to about 45 we do somersaults in our shirt sleeves. I'm sure that little quirk is completely lost on those poor people from San Diego.