A Year of Firsts

The year is almost over. December snuck up on me and I'm left wondering how so much time passed without me noticing. It seems like just yesterday Spencer was starting medical school and we were hunkering down in Wisconsin for the second snowiest winter there in recorded history. Now, we've yet to see a flake (which is good) and we're living in hot and sunny California. The weather is messing with my sense of the seasons since I'm not used to it. Everything is turning green and rainy--it's the complete opposite of what I'm used to. Instead of getting blisteringly cold in the winter and hot and green in the summer, we get blisteringly hot in the summer and warm and green in the winter. Weird.

This past year has held a lot of firsts for us. First mean change and change is hard. There's a saying that goes something like "nobody like change except wet babies." I think that's pretty accurate, but it's hard to grow without change. The last year or so has resulted in a lot of growth because of all the changes we made. Though it's been hard a times, I think we are in a better place now than we ever were before.Some of the major firsts/changes we experienced over the past year are the first time neither one of us has been in school, the first time we bought a house, the first time I've been in a non-musical calling at church, and the first time Spencer will have to work on Christmas day.We adopted our first dog. It's our first time living within driving distance of the beach, the mountains, and the desert, and it's the first time I've lived in a community with a pool. The list could go on and on, but you get the point. We experienced a lot in 2011 and you probably did, too.

May we always remember the firsts brought on by 2011, and here's hoping for many more firsts in 2012!

Blizzard!

So this is crazy late, but back in February we were getting slizzard by a blizzard. School and work were shut down--which has only happened about once or twice in the past 25 years. The amazing thing was that by the end of the day, they had done a great job of clearing out most of the snow in the area so you could get around. Here's a few pictures:

This is a snow pile at the end of the parking lot where I cut through to our neighborhood.

This is a house down the street. Look how high the snow pile is!

This is the parking lot at work. You can see all of the snow piled up--it's almost as high as those houses!

 

This is a view of our driveway. The snow was in drifts so it was deeper in some places and others had nothing at all.

Well, it's 2 months late, but at least you can see why Wisconsin winters are so crazy! California here we come!!

Wisconsin Weather

Wisconsin's weather never ceases to amaze me. A couple of weeks ago we were hit with a monstrous blizzard that closed schools,the highway, and even the Medical College of Wisconsin (though they did wait until 5am to make that decision). Amazingly, by the afternoon many places around Milwaukee were navigable and life returned to (fairly) normal the next day. Then we had a week of sub-Arctic temperatures. With wind chills well below zero, it was bundle up or be frozen. Last week we had record highs with temperatures approaching 50 degrees and nearly all the snow melted. In fact, you couldn't even really tell that we had even had a blizzard a few weeks ago because there was grass everywhere and everything seemed like Spring--right down to all the mud. Today Wisconsin decided it was winter again. After snowing all morning, it's now decided that it's time to dump sleet/freezing rain on us. So much for seeing the grass again! But seriously, the Midwest's weather is crazy and you never know what you're going to get from one minute to the next. To quote the local weatherman (I think I've quoted him before), "If you don't like the weather in Wisconsin, just wait a few minutes."

Can it be warm yet? Like, for more than a week?

21 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 17 & 18

This is somewhat of a catch up post as I spent my evening lounging, then shoveling snow like mad until almost 10. After that, I think I pretty much fell asleep sitting up talking so I'm not really sure if I had remember to post it would have even been coherent. Long weekend, anyone? Unfortunately for me, no. I will be at Osborne Family Chiropractic tomorrow morning doing another open house. Wish me luck!

Side note: if you are still looking for holiday gift (for yourself and others) I am marking my BeautiControl inventory waaay down. I'm cleaning house for the new year and trying to downsize in case we have to move. I'll post more details in a separate post...and who knows, maybe even in a separate page if I get creative enough!

On to the gratefulness. I'm grateful that Milwaukee always has a "White Christmas". It's my favorite Christmas flick of all time and nothing says Christmas more than a fresh blanket of newly fallen snow. I'm grateful that all that snow is reflective and white. At night it seems to catch the street lamps, the moon, and the Christmas lights and turn the darkness we usually get into a warm, but still night-like, glow. It's a great thing to see in a place where dark comes at 4:15--almost an hour before I get off work.

I'm also grateful today because my final paper/project/whatever was approved and successfully submitted which means I get to graduate! No, I'm not completely done, but I only have one paper to write now! I'm grateful that while the process was long, it wasn't really all that hard. I'm also grateful that I was gifted with the ability to write with ease and a faculty advisor that always got back to me right away so I could get done quickly. It's great to be done (excluding that last little push) and I'm grateful I don't have to worry about it or obsess about it any more.

Pumpkins Already?

I have to admit, even though fall is my favorite season, I am not emotionally ready for it to be fall yet. I blame it on the fact that this year we never really had a spring and our summer seems to have lasted for-ev-er. But, a few days ago I noticed the leaves were changing color already and that my toes we cold and that my usually joyous trip on the scooter to church had left me shivering and seriously wishing for warmer layers.

Side note: Is it just me, or has this year both seemed to last forever and taken no time at all? A few months ago we were 3rd years and it was a hot, sticky summer. And then the farmer showed up in August with a pumpkin and we have somehow finished all but our last 5 weeks of rotations for the year 2010. Seriously, where did the time go and why won't it go any faster when I want it to??

But I digress...again, as usual. Despite fall being my favorite season and totally not being ready for it, I am enjoying with greater anticipation than years past the Christmas holiday. Perhaps it's because we will be visiting my folks this year or perhaps it's just because for the first time in a long time I've been playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving (but only on Sundays when the congregation is exiting because I don't think they are really listening to me and I want to see if anyone says something). But some how, despite that anticipation, despite the fact that I've broken out the needles and re-declared my love of all things woolly, and despite the fact that my coworker has turned the office into a veritable fall festival, I am still not ready for pumpkins, falling leaves, cool nights, and jackets--my most favorite of clothing accessories. At any rate, I guess (along with everyone else), it's finally time to say "Welcome, fall!"

Goodbye Monsieur le Soleil.

When we moved to Milwaukee, it was August. I remember it especially well because it was unusually hot and sticky for Milwaukee, rained all the time, and made moving a real chore--especially since we were moving into an un-air conditioned apartment. I was also struck by the by the number of people that seemed to revel in the great outdoors--even in all that heat. I wondered how they could stand it and retreated to the quite cool of my bedroom (complete with window-box air conditioner). However, after living here for a few weeks I no longer marveled at the blistering heat, but at the dramatic decrease in sunlight we experienced.

At the peak of summer, Milwaukee gets about 15.5 hours of sunlight. By the end of July, we're down to just 14.5 hours. By September--a mere 13 hours which really starts to be noticeably. By the dead of winter, we get just under 9 hours of sunlight. That is extremely noticeable. Especially when you consider that Utah and Virginia get about 9.5 at their low. However, Milwaukee also seems to get more cloudy days per year since it is always snowing so that loss of 1/2 hour really starts to take a toll. In fact, I distinctly remember last year when the weather reporters kept a running total of "days without sun." I think we were up around 50 days in a row or so when the clouds finally parted and let a little light through.

And so, with those facts on my mind (and the fact that every morning for the past week has seemed oddly sunless), I began to bid farewell to the delightful embrace of sunlight. I will enjoy it as much as is humanly possible until it fades, but for now: Goodbye monsieur le soleil. You've been a swell pal this summer. See you next year.

Snow Day

I looked out the window,
and what did I see?
Snow was piled up
as high as could be.

Spring had brought me
such a bad surprise
Snow flakes falling down
before my eyes.

I could take a scoop full
and make a treat.
A snow-filled cone
that wouldn't taste sweet.

Too bad it had to snow
Cause now that all I see
is snow flakes falling down
on top of Milwaukee!!

Dear February,

I hate to break it to you, but I think you may have a Napoleon complex. You may be the shortest month, but you certainly are packing a punch. Like the famed French figurehead, you may have started off well, but your rein of terror was quickly felt. You began so nicely, too, it's hard to believe that such a little month would have such a big bite.

Your first week started off so nicely. I had a much needed haircut (and it turned out well!!) and made a new friend in the process. I had spas booked. I was looking forward to helping write the script for the Ward Roadshow. And I had plenty of time to all of those nagging things done like taxes and laundry...or so I thought.

Imagine, dear February, my dismay when things started going awry. Spas cancelled. Having creative differences with people at the Roadshow planning committee resulted in being booted from said committee. Friendships were tested. Some passed, but some failed. Our water heater broke. The basement flooded. Our stove and fridge sat in the dining room for 3 days. We ran out of food (well not really, but out of food I wanted to eat). I attracted several other passive-aggressive people. And then the office manager told me I had to move from my nice, light, roomy cubicle to a smaller, dusty, dark cubicle. And then I tried to compensate by replacing my beloved Hurley (RIP) with a new hamster, only to find out that no pet store around here carries regular hamsters.

So now, in your third week, please cut me some slack. Please find some way to be kind for the rest of the month. Open your cold, wintry heart and let some sunshine in. But if for some reason you can't, let it be known: I will not be broken. If you won't back down, neither will I.

Sincerely,

Megan

Weather

Those of you who've read our other blog know that I post a lot about the weather. Let me just make this brief....I love it right now!! Fall is my absolute favorite season of them all! There is nothing more amazing than the changing of all that green into glorious reds, yellows, and oranges. That's probably why I didn't like living in Utah as much. It was too brown.

On a side note, now is the time of year that has me nostalgic for being a student. Though I guess I'm technically still a student since I'm doing an online master's program, I'm not a student in the back-to-school/summers-off sense. I miss buying new books, paper, pencils, and back-to-school outfits. I miss that exhausted feeling you get when you switch from sleeping 'till noon to waking up at dawn to catch the bus. I've been working full time now for almost 2 years and this year I'm especially nostalgic this year for college and thus Utah. I miss crazy roommates (who'd have thought?), walking to campus, the mountains, weekly devotionals, dorm life, meal plans, football games, and the proximity of the temple. I miss the testing center (I worked there), Dr. Hatch's lab in the Widstoe Building, the Wilk, mountain biking, swing dancing, and my in-laws. I don't miss taking tests, but I do miss studying. Ah well. At least we are all still students of life.