Back to the Daily Grind

Today was the sad day when I had to go back to work :-( I'm so grateful to have had two full weeks off! but it's still hard to go back after all that time. I always get a little down after the holidays. It seems like not much is going on this time of year, the days are still very short, and in Ohio we're lucky if it reaches 30 degrees during the day. Everything outside looks completely gray and just sad. Most years I struggle with a little bit of seasonal depression until about April. I have to think of ways to make this time more enjoyable, or just more bearable.

So this post is going to be dedicated to the top ten things about winter (post-Christmas). I need to look for the positive right now!

#10. All new shows and season premieres beginning in January! I'm pathetic, but I can easily get addicted to TV shows. Tonight alone I'm DVR-ing 4 shows: The Bachelor, Jon and Kate Plus 8 (I just can't get enough of Aaden!) , The City, and another show that I'm too embarrassed to name. I'll just say it's on ABC Family, and my sisters-in-law got me embarrassingly hooked to it. lol. By the way, I don't usually watch 4 hours of TV a night, but all the good shows ended up on Monday.
#9. Sled riding, ice skating, and snow tubing. I don't get to take part in these activities too often, but when I do, it sure is fun! I guess I couldn't do that if I lived in some warm climate like Florida. Hopefully someday I'll be able to add skiing to my list! I've never been, but would love to go to one of the beautiful ski resorts nearby.

#8. Winter clothes. I love nice, warm, comfortable hoodies, sweaters, jeans, coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. I'm always cold, so warm clothes work for me. I hate it in the summer when I have to wear shorts and a tank top outside when it's 90 degrees, and then I come into the air conditioning and freeze my butt off. AND I like not seeing tons of body parts in my face everytime I go out from girls who like to push the limits for modesty in the summertime.
#7. "Winter" foods/drinks. It would be weird to drink hot cocoa or eat potato soup in the summer. And these are two of my favorite things to eat and drink. 'nuff said.

#6. Bowling. My friends and I seem to go bowling a lot in the winter because, well, there's nothing else to do. We can't swim or play outdoor sports, so bowling is about our only option for physical activity. And we have fun doing it, even though most of us suck.

#5. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Presidents Day. Since I'm a teacher, these holidays = two four-day weekends for me! One in January and one in February. Long weekends are SO much needed for me at this time of year to relax, sleep in, and have fun with friends.

#4. Snuggling with Luke ;-) Our gas bill has been through the roof lately, So we keep the temperature at a pretty chilly 65 degrees most of the time (at least that's chilly for me! I'd like it to be at least 70 degrees all the time if I had the choice). Plus our house is OLD and very drafty. So Luke and I are almost constantly snuggled up under a cozy blanket when we're just chillin' (LITERALLY. haha) around the house. So it's nice to be close and comfy with my hubby when we're watching TV or movies.

#3. Parties. My friends also tend to have a lot of parties this time of year. And by "party" I mean good food, usually playing a Wii or Rock Band, playing board games, chatting, laughing, and thinking up new, creative ways to entertain ourselves. None of us drink, so when I say party I guess I'm usuing the term loosely :-P But we have fun when we're together, and seem to spend a lot more time together this time of year since it's so boring around here!

These were taken at our last party, New Years Eve:

Yay, Apples to Apples in the spare bedroom of my cousin's house...pretty much every room was packed full. They had too many people in their little house!
And Jenga! I lost :-/ I don't have steady hands!
And of course some Rock Band. You really CAN have fun without alcohol!
And finally, a pooped out puppy who had too much partying!

ANYWAY, you get the gist of what our parties are like. You know you have awesome friends when you have fun no matter what you do.

#2. Valentines Day. Being a hopeless romantic, I love this holiday! And I'm looking forward to it this year, because I already told Luke he's taking me out to dinner and to see "He's Just Not That Into You." PLUS, it's during one of my 4-day weekends. Double Whammy!

And Finally....

#1. Snow Days! There's nothing better than hearing the phone ring at 6:00 on a snowy morning. The only reason it would be ringing at that time would be if someone from the phone chain at work was calling to tell me there's a snow day! I just love being able to jump back in bed, sleep in late, and spend the extra 7 hours doing whatever the heck I want! That's one of the great things about being a teacher.

All right, well I feel a little better now, and I little bit more ready to take on the next 3 months. Because springtime in Ohio is really just the month of May, and maybe part of April if we're lucky! Winter will definitely be hangin around here for a while. But I think I can handle it this year!

I'm excited, because tonight I get to enjoy #3 on my list: a party! Tonight is Ohio State's last game of the season, and we're having a bunch of people over to watch it in our newly finished Ohio State room (I told you in my first post that my husband was the biggest Ohio State fan you'll ever meet, and I wasn't kidding! The room really is scarlet and gray, and Ohio State-themed. Pictures to come soon).

Bring it on, Ohio winter! :-P