Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!

The view outside our sliding door. I just shoveled all the snow away yesterday, and it looks like I didn't even touch it! It's hard to tell, but that's about 4 feet of snow.

Global warming is in full swing, as Omaha braces for the worst winter/storms in recent history! Forecast for today, high of -1, low of -25 with windchill reaching near -40! Omaha hasn't seen temps this low in over one hundred years. Snow, snow and more snow! Everyone here seems to be experiencing the winter blues and can't wait for this season to be over. De-icing the car, constantly shoveling the walkways and around the car, driving on icy roads, snow days where everything shuts down, below zero temperatures and the wind that just cuts right through you.

But me? I LOVE it! My recent trip home made me realize that the weather in California, yes is beautiful, but is boring! Come on, the same temperature year round? Where's the fun in that? People warned me about the cold, the snow and the winter here, thinking I couldn't handle it since I'm a beach girl. But after a few weeks in 65 degree 'winter' I couldn't wait to get home to a real winter!

There really is something magical about living in a place that actually experiences the four seasons. The winter is a time to slow down, cuddle up under a blanket while the snow is quietly falling outside the window. A time to relax, and not feel guilty about it. If it's 65 degrees in January, who is going to feel o.k. about lazying around all day? No one. We need times of activity and work, but we can't underestimate the importance of stopping. Pack on a couple of winter pounds and hibernate. It's wonderful. When summer hits and the sweat commences, I'm going to be thankful that it won't last forever. As for this cold weather, it's charming, especially since I know spring and summer are right around the corner. No one season lasts more than a few months, keeping people on their toes. We are at the mercy of the weather, forced to face whatever gets thrown our way.

Yesterday, the snow fell continually all day. Stunning. Clean. Lovely. Today, the wind is forcefully moving that snow all over the place. Tomorrow, more snow. Michael Buble is singing through my speakers. The window shades are wide open. Coffee is sitting next to me. Bundled up, I watch in fascination.

Winter

Fall

Going Home

My visit 'home' has come to an end, and yet it is far time for me to go home. It's funny. When I am here, in California, I refer to Omaha as home. When I am in Omaha, I refer to California as home. California will always be home, but at the moment, I have a wonderful replacement. At any rate, my new home is calling and I can't wait to get back there. It seems like a terrible thing to say to people, 'Geez, I can't wait to get out of here and get back home!'. It sounds like I can't stand all these people and can't get away from them fast enough, so an explanation needs to follow each time I express my longing for home. Then again, it's also a real good sign that I am missing this new home of mine. It shows that I made the right move, (literally!), and a sign of my new-found happiness. If I didn't want to go back, well then, that would not be a good situation!

People were visited. Sights were soaked in. Parties were attended. All in all, mission accomplished. In many ways, this visit showed me that it feels like I never left. That I was here all along. The stores are all the same. My friends haven't changed. And so many other regularities I can always count on. Instead, I feel that I have changed. I am the one with new surroundings, new stories, new friends, all of which go along with my dialogue. Maybe those that I came back to visit are having a harder time adjusting to the 'new' me. This 'new' me that isn't able to be an integral part of the California 'scene'. As a result, I worry about slipping out of my friends lives, not because of hard feelings, but because I am just not around for all the little daily moments. After all, it's the little things that make up life. So, I am fighting hard to stay current on everyone's little moments in an attempt to latch on to my life here. To ensure that I don't abandon this life I have grown up in and built. Let's be honest though. Even if I wanted to 'lose' these people, I wouldn't be able to. And that's the best part about it!

So, off I go. Home. Back to a true winter, full of snow, ice and cold. Time to lock down a job. Time to start living! See you some other time California!