Post Solstice

Greetings from what seems like the longest winter ever already. How can it be that winter solstice was just on Saturday? I've had feelings of weather-related claustrophobia over the last few days. I'm trying my best to just be in each snowy/icy moment and embrace them for what they are, a chance to slow down and change up my routine. The worst part of the winter weather we've been having, the kind that makes traveling dangerous, is that I feel so isolated from other people. I need to be around people!

What do you do when you're feeling trapped by bad weather?

We were lucky enough in Grand Rapids to get not one, but two icy storms this weekend! I chipped through the ice to freedom Saturday morning. Then again Sunday evening so I'd be able escape to work this morning. While out in the elements yesterday, I enjoyed the smell of fresh doughnuts wafting over from the local bakery. Not that made the tedious chore of snow/ice removal a bit more enjoyable!

I managed to get out on Saturday for a long stretch of errand running that included a nice respite at Rowster for a latte and some Christmas card writing. Sitting in coffee shops has always been one of my favorite things to do. How great is it to be sipping something that warms from the inside out, listening as the constant coffee prep sounds and smells waft through the air? My favorite coffee shop activities include writing and people watching, if I'm not visiting with a friend.

Movies also figure prominently in my life when there's terrible weather. I finally saw "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" this weekend and loved it! Totally cried. It was great!

I've also been getting ready for my brother and my niece to visit the day after Christmas. They'll be staying at my house and I'm pretty excited to host them. Tonight I've been doing laundry, getting their beds ready - I completely rearranged my guest room to make it more cozy for them. In the last year or so the guest room had become something of a catch all room - lots of laundry that never quite seems to make its way either upstairs to the bedroom or downstairs to the laundry and the ironing board and iron always out and ready. I'm thinking the only thing the room needs now is a rug - my entire house is hardwood floors (save for the bathroom and kitchen, which both have tile). Do I dare brave Christmas eve shopping in search of a rug? Heck, I just might if the roads aren't terrible.

So, whatever you've been doing to make it through the season, Happy (late) Solstice and Merry Christmas, a little early. Truth be told, thoughts of that turquoise water and white sand beaches are also helping me get me through.