It's getting cold out there . . .

We're a few days away from what is being forecast as a major winter storm, expected to have a significant impact on travel throughout the U.S. Here in Alabama, it doesn't take a very big winter storm to have a quite major impact on travel, and everything else.

I was born in Alabama, about an hour from where I live now. We've lived all over the place - both the east and west coast of the U.S. and overseas on three different continents. After years of being told where we were moving next, courtesy of the United States Marine Corps, we get to choose where we live. And we choose to live here, south of the Mason-Dixon line by many miles.

We live here for a lot of really good reasons. Family. Familiarity. Jobs. But one that stands out to me this time of year - especially as we inch closer to freezing water falling from the sky onto our milk- and bread-free home - is that we don't typically have to deal with winter, at least in the same way other people do.

Don't get me wrong, a snowy morning is absolutely stunning. Getting out and driving in a snowy morning is absolutely silly. I don't know how to do it. I can drive through a thunderstorm like a champ. Got a tornado watch? Let me take the wheel. I can drive in adverse weather conditions. Snow and ice aren't just adverse. They're borderline punitive.

So for my cold-weather friends, enjoy this weekend. Bring out the scarves, mittens, salt, shovels, and tire chains. Go stock up on bread, milk, and eggs. I'll give all of your pictures a thumbs up on FaceBook. While I'm inside, perfectly content to watch it all unfold through the front window.