Winter Activities

Life is Good: everything is relative, right?

This meme sums me up in a nutshell:

I stole it from my cousin's Facebook feed. You can find it at facebook.com/EightiesMusicForever

It's true. This is me with a capital ME. I grew up in Kansas, where it snowed a couple of times a year and only enough to soon turn brown and slushy and then melt away. And I still complained and swore I would move somewhere warm "when I grow up".

And I did. Atlanta was warm in the winter and hot in the summer and I enjoyed ever (sweaty) drop of it. And then I got an offer for a job from a guy who was doing big, creative things in a very cold and snowy place. So I took the offer and told myself it would only be for a year.

Well, the job was good for my resume (reel). And so I stayed. And then Grant finished his Ph.D. and moved up here, too. At our wedding, we told everyone that we would start looking for jobs somewhere else as soon as our honeymoon was over.

But that didn't happen. I went freelance in a city full of opportunities and Grant took a position where he could grow and grow. And then my belly grew. And then it grew again. And all of a sudden, we still live in Minnesota and with two kids.

This place has been good to us, but I still grimace and grunch about the winter. Some winters have been mild and we've muddled through. The past couple of recent ones have been painful.

Including this winter. Last week, the first two days of school after the winter break were canceled because of the sub-zero temps. We kept the little boys warm and inside for most of that time. So after a week of that, 25 degree weather felt downright bearable. And this weekend, when it hit 40, it almost felt like summer!

We had a great weekend. We ate out. We walked around. We went sledding. And even walked on Lake Harriet. That's right. Not around, but on Lake Harriet. After those brutally cold temps, the ice is definitely safe enough to take more than a few steps out.

Below, the big kid with our goddaughter, the daredevil! She even held on to the edge of his sled and went down the hill on her stomach!

And our foray onto Lake Harriet. The proof we were on the ice is the bandshell in the background!

Typically, I would frown at forty degree weather. So I thought I should document this. Me, smiling in under 70 degree temps.

I have a few phrases that I use quite often. One is "Everything is a phase. Including the good stuff." I'm pretty sure that this is my own invention. And it is true. This moment is just a part of a stage in life. So if it is rough, don't worry. It won't last. And if it is great, enjoy it. Because it can't last. We, especially our children, are in a constant state of change.

I also often say, "It could be worse!" And, wow. The past week really proved that to be true. So the next time I frown about temps below freezing, I will (attempt to) turn it upside down, knowing that the temps could be below zero.

And, if I have to, I will look at the picture above.

Warmly (well, kind of),
Susie