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The Wonder of it All

I am a Florida girl and have always been a Florida girl. Even when life has taken me elsewhere, my heart has still yearned for the warm breeze and white sands. That is not to say I haven't appreciated and enjoyed the places we have lived. And, thanks to the U.S. Navy, we have lived in some awesome places:

  • Monterey, California-where we watched the otters frolic in the Bay. 
  • Seattle, Washington-where we walked down Queen Ann's Hill to go to Sonics games or the Space Needle.
  • Yokohama, Japan-that allowed us easy access to Tokyo.

The common denominator on all of those places is that they were not in cold weather climes. Except for a brief stint in Rhode Island, the Hubster kept me happy by requesting warm locations. Although moving is hard, I made a conscious effort to embrace all of the places that we lived. It was hard sometimes, I am not going to lie. (And the Hubster may have varying opinions on how well I did). But, I like to think that I was fairly successful in keeping a positive attitude. Today, I look back on most of those places with fond memories--sorry Mississippi, you will never make my favorites list.

I admit, one of the hardest parts of being in the Mitten for law school is the cold weather. I don't like cold, don't like wearing coats, don't like wet shoes--but happiness is often a choice, and I am making the choice to appreciate the differences. For example, in September, I enjoyed that I wasn't sweating after a long walk along the Red Cedar River. On campus, I enjoy seeing the black squirrel and tree varieties that are new to me. At the grocery, I appreciate new tastes like Vernor's Ginger Ale. And today, the cold gave me the chance to see snowflakes with all of the angles and lines--just like I have seen in pictures. I could have been so disturbed by the cold and wet socks that I missed it--that brief window when the snow came down in these perfect forms. Being in the cold allowed me the chance to see and also to take pictures of these perfect little works of art that I will remember on those days when the snow is just wet and clumpy.







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