Ahhhhhhhhh

I am

so.

freaking.

excited.

about the weather outside right now (my sympathies to those in the northern areas who may still be sporting a parka today)!

I stepped outside of my apartment today and felt the tremendous warm breeze, and it took me several moments and head turns to find a patch of snow on the ground. I eventually found some, but the point is I had to look for them.

I am wearing a wrap dress that Mama bought for me two years ago, and leggings that Ma & Pa bought for me last month.

P.S. LOVE that my parents have a hobby of buying me clothes. I have no idea why they have this hobby, but when they lived in California they would mail me dresses and such, and on their recent Chicago vacation they decided it was appropriate to celebrate Mom's birthday by hitting up H&M and Filene's basement to pick out duds for me.

Footwear? Flats, without socks.

Yessssssssss.

I went for a run last night, and while I had to wear bulky sweats instead of shorty mcshort shorts, I was running outside which is what counts.

Oh, and did I mention the sun is shining? As in, visible, not hidden beneath a blanket of clouds?

I used to love winter. As in, preferred it over summer. By far. I'm serious.

But I'm done with that. Bring on the sun. Bring on the springtime rain (because I really loooove rain--hey, don't act surprised at this complex personality that is mine. You're not the one that has to possess it).

Here are some reasons/theories why I've made the switch. I know you may not care, but I'm telling you:

1. In the summer of 2005, I was about to spend a semester in southern Africa. So I told myself, "Self, you better get used to heat, and go ahead and embrace that which is summer. Because you're about to live through about seven months of it." And it worked. I successfully made the mental switch. The only problem is it stuck pretty well, and I returned to the Midwest, who is not on the same wavelength.
2. I've discovered in my adult life just how much the winter gets me down. It's not so much the early sunset, it's just the confinement. I mean, I love coffee shops, and I like to be home by 9pm (11 on weekends), but when you feel you must be at home or a coffee shop because it's too blasted cold outside, it's just aggravating. Put that track on repeat for four months and you have one cranky--and often sad--Bailey. One reason I love the rain, ironically, is that it forces everyone to come inside and spend time together. There's less chance of feeling left out of social events and more chance to bond. But the rain stops after a day or two or three (again, my apologies to Oregon/Washington/UK residents). The only way to stop winter in mid-January is to hop aboard Delta and visit Tampa.
3. I generally prefer winter clothing over summer clothing, but I've also discovered in my adult years that I am pretty prone to being chilly year round, so I can layer cute sweaters and fun socks anyway. I pretty much always have a wrap with me in summertime movie theaters and restaurants. Duh. I'm an 80-year-old trapped in a 25-year-old's body.
4. Winter is approximately 1 million times more fun when you are a child than when you are an adult. Let's explore this, shall we?

• Children: Winter=sledding, unscheduled days off from school (which can lead to, if you're really lucky, school night sleepovers), hot chocolate, hot tub (in our former residence in Colorado, anyway--ahh, I miss that thing. Moment of silence, please), Nintendo, hopping in a car and being driven to the movies, etc.
• Adults: Winter=scraping ice off your car, brushing snow off your car, shoveling, going to work whnen kids are out of school, putting on hats, gloves, scarves, extra socks, and remaining cold anyway, not sledding, not playing Nintendo, driving in your cold car, either no day off from school or being stuck in your apartment for three days without any siblings to play Nintendo with, etc.

Okay, so I think you get the point. Sunshine=content Bailey. Winter=crybaby. Yay for the transition.