Floriday....a Florida Holiday

In the fine tradition of the more well-off residents of Michigan, I am heading to Florida for a few days to soak up some sun, so as to be able to make it through the rest of this snowy winter. My Seattle sister, her husband, and their two daughters will be travelling there for a conference for my brother-in-law's job, and I will be staying with them on the beach. I can't wait to see the girls. The last time I saw them was at our wedding in October, and at this age children develop so quickly. The 3 year old is already talking so much more than a few months ago, and I can't wait to talk about first grade with the oldest! I bought a swimsuit at Nordstrom, a store that caters to the snowbird. I hope to have some cute pictures to post next week! Bon voyage...

I'll take you, mock spring, you tease.

With the temperature a balmy 45 degrees today, I was able to downgrade my bundling and comfortably leave the house in pants, a short-sleeved t-shirt, and hooded sweatshirt (go Bears...). Seriously, if I was in Vegas I would be complaining about how cold it is and wearing more than a sweatshirt, but here I've come to understand and live and breathe the theory of weather relativity. It's amazing how quickly I got used to the cold...save for a year and a half in Oregon, everywhere else I've lived has been downright balmy at least seven months of the year. And now...flip the seven months to chilly and you're there. And I love it. I have been in Detroit for three winters now, and deep into the February month of the first two years I caught myself wistfully imagining the feel of the Vegas sun baking my skin (my freckled, skin cancer-prone skin). This year I didn't even think of the heat until writing this, and even then without an ounce of wist!

I love the weather, though it really does make for miserable driving. I love the snow. And I love snowshoeing, a hobby the Husband and I picked up after he gave us snowshoes for Christmas. Even the ice, though treacherous, is incredibly beautiful. Stalactites of ice decorate the eaves of our roof, with those hanging low breaking off with the sound of shattering glass when I forgetfully swing open an outside door.

Nothing more to say tonight. Just happy to be happy about the weather. And just hoping, as much as the winter is beautiful and welcome in its time, that spring brings its own happy stuff...though I can tell you I've lived here long enough to know when I am being teased by Mother Nature and her 45 degrees...

Just Checking In

...or really, just phonin' it in. As in, I am not putting any effort or forethought into this late night post. I did double duty today, working my two incredibly different jobs today. I'm tired. What's new? Snow, snow, snow.