It's snowing right now - the first real snow of the year. We had a little dusting on Christmas eve but that's really all we've gotten. Dustings of snow.
Until now.
It has been coming down in large flakes all day, covering the earth in a blanket of white. That is what I love about winter time, and probably the only thing I love about winter time. Even though I'm cold and I wish I was back on island time, that crisp, freshly fallen snow sure is glorious.
It finally feels like Christmastime to me. Which I find a little funny since Christmas was two days ago. I still have my Christmas cd playing in my car and probably will for a couple more days at least. Getting into the holiday spirit before Christmas is just something that my bones don't know how to do. The commercialization, the buying of gifts and shopping, shopping, shopping with the 18 million other people who are rude and inconsiderate and only thinking of themselves really just sours my mood and takes the jolly old elf right out of me. What is there to be happy about when you can't go anywhere without someone acting childish who shouldn't be acting childish?
And so, once Christmas is over and there is no stress of buying a zillion things for your family with enough time to wrap everything and stick it under a tree is really when the Christmas season is at its best. There's snow, we still have decorations up, and people are back to their daily grind. I really quite enjoy this side of the holidays, truth be told.
Plus, every one's a little nostalgic since it's the end of the year and all that jazz. Reminiscent and some such things.
You know, 2014, you were alright.
With every January comes a little change. And for three years of my life it was painful, agonizing, starting over again just like the leaves on the trees kind of awful change. But Jan 2014's only change for me was the beginning of a new semester at school. It brought a fluctuation of students through my classroom door and ushered in an era of new projects. Mostly, though, January solidified an ending to 2013, which was just a completely weird year for me in all reality.
In February was my first real Valentine's Day celebration with my favorite guy. He also had a birthday and my students made some pretty rad art that got entered in a contest at the University of Idaho. So, actually my absolute least favorite month of the year turned out alright.
April brought with it spring break, the first warm day of the year (it got to 63 degrees so I broke out the shorts), and prom. Hashtag prom2k14. I was a chaperone and, guys, if you get the opportunity to chaperone prom - just say yes. It will blow the fun you had at your own high school prom out of the water. Trust me on this one.
With every year there are ups and downs and May was my down. The school district laid me off due to budget cuts and I suffered a quarter-life-crisis of a what-the-hell-do-i-do-now kind. I ended up being fine, but this felt like a huge step backward and a giant relief all at the same time.
The beginning of summer vacation was a little tough for me. I cleaned out my classroom and said goodbye to all my students and I tried very hard not to cry very much. And then I didn't work for almost the whole month of June so that I could try to enjoy the summer while everyone else told me that I needed to find a job and quit being lazy. It's like they don't appreciate adulthood or something.
In July my little brother got fricken married. Just, I couldn't hardly believe it. But it was the awesomest, I mean, really.
August is always my favorite month and this year it helped me discover that I am a true chalkboard artist, which led to a whole different career path than I had originally intended, and also introduced me to my subtle Russian accent.
Pumpkin cookies descended upon us in October, along with everything else you can possibly add the flavor of pumpkin too. But this year I discovered the best, most perfectly cake-y, chocolate chip-y pumpkin cookie you could possibly dream up, so, winner winner chicken dinner is what. I made them twice.
There's just something about November that makes me introspective. Maybe it's Thanksgiving. Maybe it's the crispy fall air. Maybe it's that this year we were still having 80 degree days in October so November was when everything actually started to feel like autumn. Who knows. Whatever it was, it really helped me to remember my choice to be authentic this year, and to remember that this is my life and I am the boss of me.
And then, as the big finish to the year, the finale of sorts, I took a trip to the British Virgin Isles with Nathan. This marked a first for me in several different categories. It was my first real, actual vacation in a long time. It was the first time I got to meet Nathan's dad. It was the first vacation Nathan and I have taken together. It was the first time I got to sail on the open sea. It was the first time I got to snorkel. And it was my first visit to the caribbean, so check that off my bucket list, please.
So now, it's time to sit down with a big glass of eggnog and watch it snow in big chunky flakes. Happy Christmas and the like. 2014 has been solid and 2015 is right around the corner. Hard to believe how fast the time is flying by these days.
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