Winter doldrums!

The simple truth is that I am completely tired of winter.
Its amazing in the fall when all the leaves have vacated the trees and the grass turns brown, how natural and even exciting the first snowfall can be. I rush to the window to see the tiny white flakes falling from the sky as if I had never seen them before.  Gently blanketing the dormant ground.
Suddenly, I catch my breath in the midst of enjoying the new fallen snow and think, Dear Lord this is going to be here until April!

Fall, that was 6 months ago!

I long for my patio time in the sun.
I miss my patio rest after my morning run.
I miss long walks with my dearest friend Laura.
I miss pool time with friends.
I miss the warmth of the sunshine on my skin.
I miss the smell of fresh cut grass.
I miss iced coffee that feels refreshing.
I miss my bike and the long rides through St. Paul.
I miss being able to walk to my car and not run creating a wind chill.
I miss taking my dog for a walk.
I miss opening my windows!
I miss seeing people driving convertibles with the top down. (although if it hits 50 this will happen!)
I miss grilling, or even just the smell of someone else grilling down the street!
I miss spontaneous bonfires on cool evenings with friends and neighbors.

While I miss all these things I cannot help but think of how spoiled I have
been these last 4 months.

                                      December we were blessed with a free trip to Aruba!!!

           February we took our daughter Kelsey on her graduation gift cruise to the Bahama's

                                  Just last week I was blessed with a trip to Arizona for 5 days.

So I really have nothing at all to complain about and that is not what I am doing here. (OK well maybe that's not entirely true.) I do miss summer and everything warm.
Winter does has its advantages though. As I was blogging this very post I found a huge spider in my downstairs bathroom! It was DOA which makes me wonder if one of us brought it back in our suitcase from our recent travels! AHHH!!
As much as I hate spiders it gave me  fresh hope of Spring as well as a new appreciation for winter and ALL that it lays dormant for 6 months!
Funny how a silly spider can put all my thoughts into perspective. I am thankful for where I live and that I am only 3 hours away from anywhere warm that I want to go for a winter get away.
Holding on to the Hope of Spring but flushing the spider! I will enjoy 31 degrees today from the sunshine stream inside my home!