I Can't Feel My Face...

It''s Monday...but I am actually typing this post from the comfort of my house...because today is; of course, President's Day! The stock market is closed today, which means my office is closed today and there is something beyond delightful about knowing when you go to sleep on Sunday night that nothing will wake you up but the sunshine...or well...maybe not exactly the sunshine but you get my point.

It's also a snow day here in Northern Virginia - a snow day that is bringing more snow than I believe was originally predicted. It's certainly nothing comparable to the Blizzard of 2016 but the snow started last night and it just keeps floating down from the heavens...

Watson - he's master class in the art of sleeping. 

Monday dawned bright and early last week; granted it always dawns bright and early if you ask me, but I guess that's just the joy of Monday. The forecast was calling for snow on Monday night and all day Tuesday, so we were at work all day hoping for a snow day...and making sure we had everything that would be needed on Wednesday ready in the event of a snow day. This worked as a natural jinx because...of course...as luck would have it, it really didn't do much of anything at all.

Absolutely delicious lunch - oh my goodness. Grilled cheese & chili! 

I had plans to meet my friend Trish for lunch on Tuesday and I wasn't too bothered by the fact that the predicted downpour of snow didn't arrive. The drive to work on Tuesday was quite interesting though - I experienced quite the gamut of weather while making my way from Point A to Point B. I left the house in the midst of sleet; driving along listening to it "plink" off the windows and bounce along the road. Halfway between home and work, the precipitation turned to freezing rain and lashed against the windshield for a bit before...turning into snow that whirled and whipped around the car and onto the ground.

The snow fell for a couple hours but it was much too warm for anything to stick - the cold(er) weather was to follow the snow. At 10 AM everything had a light dusting of powder and by the time Trish arrived to go to lunch at 11:45, you'd have never known a single flake of snow had fallen. Ridiculous weather indeed. We ate at Firefly Cafe, which happens to be mere steps down the sidewalk from my office and I couldn't resist their special: Grilled Cheese and soup in a grilled chese bread bowl. Healthy - not in the slightest. Delicious - oh so very. 

What a difference an hour makes...

I can't feel my face - literally. I think I should adopt it as my theme song for walking in frigid temps.

Despite the plummeting temperatures in the evening, I did my best to get outside as soon as I got home and walk...walk...walk! I am usually bundled pretty well from head to foot, with only the tips of my fingers and my face exposed to the cold - but I usually can't feel my face...or my legs by the time I finish. The cold doesn't seem to phase Watson, he powers along like a champ and loves every minute! I walked on Monday when it was 33. I even decided to brave it and walk on Tuesday when it was 29. I had to bow out on Wednesday though when the frigid temps (courtesy of the snow/sleet/rain storm) were peaking at around 20 by the time I got home. I can't walk in my normal athletic attire in that kind of cold...and walking in a down parka from L.L. Bean that drapes to my ankles didn't seem like a good choice either.

I ended my walk on Tuesday evening with a pounding headache - brought on by the cold, I have no doubt. I explained to my sister that the human body was obviously not made for exercise in the cold. My argument was that in the heat, your body sweats as a method of cooling you off. In the cold, your body just sends messages to your brain that say something along the lines of "you idiot - get out of the cold - your brain cells are freezing...just like your butt!" She tried to argue for shivering but I shot that down. No thanks. I can't wait for Spring.

Reading...reading. This book = so good.

I've completed my Nationals arsenal for 2016. Now I just wait for the games to start.

The rest of the week passed without incident - it was cold. So cold. On Friday my boss got wind of my co-worker's jaunt to Starbucks and volunteered to treat the office to coffee - something that no one in my office would ever turn down, even at 3 in the afternoon. I was underwhelmed with Starbuck's Molten Chocolate Latte...it almost tasted like...well, burnt chocolate. I drank it though because caffeine is one of my favorite things in the world. I lived pretty wildly on Friday night too - I came home with a pounding headache, put on sweat pants, took meds and laid in the recliner and watched The White Queen. A real rager - right?

Coffee is my favorite.

Friday night flurries....

Saturday arrived and it was the coldest day on record so far this year - with the wind chill, it felt like 0 outside. Good times...good times. I piddled away most of the morning before riding to Wal-Mart with my Dad to guide his grocery buying experience and then - after an email prompt from Old Navy - cruised across town to see about getting a pair of jeans for free.

Old Navy is sneaky though. I arrived in store and was met with a giant sign letting me know "all famous jeans are buy one/get one free" and directly to the left of the table was a table filled with jeans. I grabbed a pair...perused the store and got a couple other things...tried it all on, took my purchases to the counter and watched the jeans NOT ring up buy one/get one free. I asked why (I mean - it was the only reason I'd braved practically sub-zero temperatures to go shopping) and was politely told it was only the "famous" jeans stocked on the wall. Well excuse you - talk about poor marketing! I replaced the un-famous jeans with a pair from the wall of fame and went on about my business. Shame on you Old Navy for trying to pull one...shame.

Sub-zero style!

Watson isn't entirely sure what purpose roses serve....

Sunday - aka Valentine's Day - was cold still, but not quite so frigid as it had been on Saturday. I met my friend Margaret for the later service at church (the reasoning behind that being that it wouldn't be as cold - which I was fine with, because = sleep late) and then had lunch with my Mom. I took myself to the movies to see "How to be Single" because that seemed like an appropriate thing to do as a single person...on Valentine's Day. The movie was funny and a lot more touching than I'd thought it would be. I ended my evening doing one of my favorite things: a solo Target run. There is something really calming about just roaming the aisles, taking it all in and looking around.

Trying to be festive with my hot pink heart scarf. 

Watson settling in for a Sunday evening nap.

The snow started around 9:30 and I went to sleep knowing I would wake up to a world of white...and I also wouldn't wake up until I wanted to. Not a bad way to end a week.

Here it goes again - more snow....