By Rondi Sokoloff Frieder
In January, I realized I needed new tires for my car. The original factory-installed set was wearing thin and it was time to upgrade. Since I drive back and forth to the mountains every week, I was particularly interested in finding a brand that performed well in the Colorado snow and ice. My husband did some research and found rave reviews for the Michelin Cross Climate+. 
They’re apparently made of a softer rubber and have a unique tread that’s designed to literally push the snow out of your way. They sounded perfect, so we ordered them.
Every February, the CCIRA (Colorado Council of the International Reading Association) hosts its annual conference. I love this conference. I loved it when I attended it as a first grade teacher, and I love it now as a volunteer for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (RMC-SCBWI). For three days, I host a table of local authors and illustrators who share their books with teachers and librarians.
I also moderate a panel of these incredible local celebrities! 
The enthusiasm for literacy at this event is off the charts. Renowned speakers from near and far regale attendees with innovative ways to teach reading and writing to children. Close to a thousand teachers and librarians gather in workshops and banquet halls to discuss their struggles and triumphs in the classroom. And everyone, I mean everyone, is newly inspired.
For the past seven years, CCIRA was held at a hotel, five minutes from my house. It was one of the reasons I agreed to take on this volunteer position. But this year, the venue had changed. My drive would now be a little over a half hour. Except… here’s the thing… it always snows during this conference. Always. It might be a light dusting or a full-out blizzard. There was no way to know what would happen. But the snow rarely affected me. I LIVED FIVE MINUTES AWAY. But this was no longer the case. And as the conference drew near, I began to worry about my commute. Finally, I decided the best thing I could do to alleviate my fears was to reserve a hotel room for Wednesday and Thursday nights.
On the Sunday before the conference, there was good news. The forecast for Wednesday and Thursday was for sunny weather and unseasonably high temperatures. I was psyched, elated, energized! I canceled my hotel reservations. The roads were predicted to be clear and dry.
On Wednesday, I drove to the hotel in record time, set up my table, and greeted my fellow exhibitors. On Thursday, the sky was a bright blue and I got to the hotel without a glitch. Sun poured into the Exhibits Hall through floor to ceiling windows, creating a cheerful mood. Teachers and librarians stopped by our table to chat. Our authors and illustrators pitched their gorgeous books, handed out door prizes, and posed for photos with their adoring fans. My panel of fifteen authors and illustrators wowwed and zowwed the crowd with lyrical readings and articulate answers to thought-provoking questions And when I drove home that night, a colorful sunset dipped below the majestic Rocky Mountains.
But when I woke up on Friday, the weather had shifted. A gray haze loomed over those very same mountains. Snow was predicted for later in the day. After lunch, scattered flurries were spotted through the windows behind our table. Many of the exhibitors decided to leave early to beat the storm. I decided to follow suit and began packing up. Only by the time I was finished, the storm was in full force. I trudged to the parking lot and had to use my scraper to push off the three inches that already accumulated. And when I pulled up to the door of the hotel to load my boxes and bid farewell to my fellow exhibitors, there were hugs and exclamations of “See you next year!” and “Drive safe!” I scraped the additional snow that now covered my windshield, put my wipers on high, and merged onto the packed highway. The traffic was horrendous – a sea of cars and trucks moving at a snail’s pace while fat flakes flew at us like white bullets.
Only something was different. I felt unusually secure on the road. No sliding, no skidding, no getting stuck. I crept along, slow but steady. It was the tires! The zigzaggy Michelin Cross Climate+ tires really did push the snow out of my way. I was going to be okay. I would make it home. Don’t get me wrong, it took me almost two hours. But I got there without a problem, thanks to my new tires. So, you may ask, will I attend this conference again next year despite its distance from my house? I will! But I’ll also reserve a hotel room for Friday night – just in case there’s an even bigger storm!
