I’m not any kind of authority when it comes to winter fashion, or any fashion for that matter, but I feel the need to discuss our winter wares with you…only because the amount we’ve collected in a few short months never ceases to amaze me.

But first, a history…

Growing up in Oklahoma, I encountered a stray snow storm here and there, mostly ice though. We had winter coats, boots and mittens whose patterns would appear in the cold snow for these instances. Clearly, I was always on the cutting edge of fashion when we went outside to play.

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I still strike that pose when coming in from the cold, and, no, you can’t have these coats. Sorry – they’re vintage now and a little too small to boot.

Plus, these coats would have nothing on my Lands’ End dream coat—a Christmas gift when I was 13. I introduce to you “Old Blue.”

If you can believe it, I wore this coat for over 15 years. Allll the way through high school, alllll the way through living in Baltimore, and alllll the way through grad school in Cincinnati, whose winters were much fiercer than anything I’d encountered before. And, in full disclosure, I still own the coat and sometimes wear it when I’m home for Christmas—usually just to get a few eye-rolls.

When we moved from Florida to Virginia, I was fully prepared to take Old Blue with me. There’s nothing wrong with it. I’ve kept it clean and in good shape…and the fact that Lands’ End STILL makes the same coat, in the same color, I find it hard to believe it looks *that* outdated. But Joe gently encouraged me to get a warmer, higher-quality coat from the Columbia Outlet when we moved. After all, we were going to freeze our buns off after so many years in tropical climates. And we did. It felt bitter cold all winter long, even though it only snowed on us two, maybe three, times TOTAL over two years. #wimps

Needless to say, when we found out we’d be moving to Utah, we went into panic mode. You’d be amazed at the amount of clothing and winter accessories we’ve acquired since last May. Here’s just a sampling:

We’ve got…his & her bomber hats • his & her snow pants • below-zero gloves for her • fleece-lined mittens • tech-touch gloves for him • Yak-Trax Pro (for walking on ice/snow) • pant covers for walking in deep snow • new Columbia trench coat with omni-heat (a gift from Joe when I told him we could move to Utah, haha) • multiple pairs of Columbia base layers • fleece-lined pants for her • wool socks (and lots of ‘em) • omni-heat stadium coat • winter boots for her (found at the Columbia Outlet on Spring Clearance for $24, originally $200 – amazing) • winter boots for him (NorthFace Outlet) • face guard for walking the dog and looking scary as hell

And this isn’t even everything! Most of these items we found at Columbia Outlets, or were gifted, and can now all be found next to our back door in a crazy heap. It might look crazy, but when it’s actually negative 14 degrees and you’re standing outside waiting for a dog to pee, you want to put on anything and everything you can.

Speaking of Bells, we’re not the only ones with new winter gear. Our friends told us about these MuttLuks boots that have worked perfectly in keeping her precious paws clean, dry and salt/snow-free. How much do I want to put her in one of these snow-suits? She’d hate my guts, but she’d be #totesadorbs.

It wasn’t always a walk in the park, though (no pun intended). Here she is putting them on for the first time.

Don’t be concerned by those long locks. She had to wait to get a hair-cut until her sutures were removed and healed. This has since taken place:

Here she is exploring the snow last week. Welcome to our Winter Wonderland.

So, the moral of the story is this: As long as we’re living in Utah, we encourage each of you to buy stock in Columbia. I’ll be sure to give you a Martha-Stewart-wink if anything changes.