Winter's Last Stand

Spring has arrived! The sky is blue, the clouds are full and fluffy...and the wind is whipping around this office with a vengeance!

Let me tell you - I took a few more pictures this week...but with a new phone (which I love, please don't doubt that for a minute) comes the realization that for some crazy reason the app I used long ago to upload photos to my blog apparently doesn't exist anymore! I realize that is a first world problem and I need to get it together...but man, that thing was convenient! Oh well - I'll stop whining now and actually write (type) about more important (at least to me) things.

My week (last week...obviously) began a world away in Mississippi. Seriously, sometimes Mississippi does feel like a whole different world from Virginia...that is neither bad nor good...just how it is. We helped my little sister finishing packing up for her trip to Texas and had some BBQ for lunch at one of those hole in the wall, side of the road places...and it was fine. Nothing outstanding but also not terrible and since it was after 1 before we ate, it was food and I was pleased with that. We all parted ways and Lindsey headed for Texas, while we headed for the Birmingham airport.

Now - if you don't yet know this about me - I am (in my family) the genetic anomaly. I'll call it that instead of saying I'm the black sheep...because my Mom doesn't like that term. My family is plane crazy (you can take that both literally and figuratively) and I am plainly not so crazy about planes...because if I don't have a dose of Ativan before climbing on-board a plane, I'll lose my mind. Our flight on Monday evening got delayed...and delayed...and then delayed just a bit more while the flight crew decided to get dinner at the only sit down restaurant in the Birmingham airport. Thanks guys! Once our flight was off and running (flying???) things seemed well enough...until we cruised over a spot of weather and bounced around and I almost broke my Mom's hand with the death grip I was working on it...

True story - this was me on the inside. 

Once we landed, my Dad assured me it wasn't "that bad"...but yea...I'm still not buying it. I always assume when turbulence occurs that we are literally one swift bounce from total cataclysmic death. What can I say - I'm dramatic. It makes life interesting...and that can be both a good thing and a bad thing.

The best part of returning home was going to pick up Watson from the kennel. Judging by the pictures that they posted while we were away, he had a grand time frolicking in the big open yard and he seems to charm everyone he meets, so I'm sure he made plenty of (human) friends...but I was thrilled to go get him on Tuesday morning. He was likewise thrilled to see me, running in circles around the room and hopping around...which certainly makes my heart happy. In his excitement he did almost tangle himself completely around the legs of the sweet girl he brought him out to me...but we avoided catastrophe and made it home in one piece. 

He's probably wondering "where are you taking me now?"

The birthday boy and his goods!

One of the sweetest faces...in my humble opinion.

Tuesday was Watson's eighth birthday and so I rewarded him with some delicious treats and a new harness...which won't snap around his muscular chest. So...oh well for that one. He spent most of the week being impossibly adorable but that's really nothing new, it was just extra endearing to me since I'd been parted from him for a few days. The weather all week was pretty glorious and wonderfully warm; I was able to wear sandals all week long and really, that's a win for me because I love (and own) way too many pair of sandals, so I need as long as possible to have the rotation in effect.

The warmer weather - I have discovered - in Virginia brings out something in me that Mississippi Springs never quite did. It would seem that this climate causes me to have allergies aplenty and this new(ish) development sent me in search of something that I could take to alleviate the pressure in my forehead. The kindly Target pharmacist was ever so helpful, handed over the good stuff and all I had to do was sign some thing saying I wouldn't go home and made meth with the meds. I think we're safe on that count - so to that I say, hallelujah for relief!

I feel your pain little guy....

Sometimes Thursdays are just really hard and you need to sit with your Momma.

The rest of the week was uneventful - except for when I looked at the weather and saw that snow was forecast for Sunday. What a horror that was. I just can't have the first day of Spring being marred with snowfall... But I'm getting ahead of myself. I passed a chunk of Friday night with my friend Katie and her two adorable weenie dogs, Lola and Cooper...we watched a movie and YouTube videos and drank wine and just had a generally splendid time. Her sweet little weenie dogs begged for bites of supper...just like Watson does, but Lola might have had a better sad puppy face. They snuggled a little with me on the couch too and were just generally precious.

A poor sad weenie dog....ha-ha!

Another little weenie dog...just laying around in my lap on Friday night...

Saturday morning - the struggle is real...

The weather adjusted itself a little bit and Saturday morning dawned gray and chilly...and rainy! I was thinking we'd maybe made it out of the woods and wouldn't be dealing with any snowfall but around eleven the rain changed over to snow...and it was thick, heavy and wet. Gross. My Mom and I made a quick trip to Walgreen's and Lantz's Pharmacy in the wintry mix of nastiness and later in the day we all made a Wal-Mart run but for the most part, we hunkered down for the day - nothing actually stuck to the roads (thank goodness) but the snow was such a mess and definitely not the kind of light and fluffy stuff that is fun to be out in! Sometimes you just need lazy weekends though...so I was fine and dandy with just putting on cozy pants, a snuggly sweatshirt and socks and joining my parents as they finished season four of House of Cards.

Winter is making sure to get in it's final farewell in style...

Seriously - talk about a grand finale!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland....hopefully for the last time...

I know what he's thinking...and it's "I thought we had packed my Winter coat up for the season..."

I also ventured a try at Starbuck's Cherry Blossom Frappucino on Saturday - riveting news I know - and also, who doesn't love a cold drink when it's snowing? The irony of the Cherry Blossom frappucino is that it's actually made with strawberry sauce...so I don't even know about all that. However, what I do know is that it was so sweet it made my teeth ache. Yikes.

Pink & Green & sweet as liquid sugar. Whoa.

Sunday was blustery and gray and ended up being another lazy day. Two weeks ago my Dad and I had gone on an expedition in the basement to find my box of Spring/Summer clothes so I could swap out my closet...but we'd had no luck finding them. My Dad was of the mind that things get put in the basement and disappear and while I was inclined to believe him (about some things at least...) I knew they had to be somewhere. Of course, on Sunday afternoon I opened up the closet in the guest bedroom and noticed the large box in the corner of the closet...that happened to be my Spring/Summer clothes. Exactly where we put them last September. Oops. Oh well, at least it allowed me to change out my closet...realize I had way more Fall/Winter clothes than Spring/Summer and also allowed me to liberate quite a few hangars in the process. I figured since Winter had made it's final stand on Saturday, Sunday afternoon was as good a time as any to update the closet - if only because in my mind I'm telling Winter it has to go!

Baths are really stressful and require being wrapped in a blankie like a baby to recover....

I closed out my weekend with pizza, puppy dog snuggles, a bubble bath and reading in my delightfully cozy bed. All wonderful things and a lovely way to end a lazy and restful weekend. 

I'm already looking forward to next weekend - which will be a long weekend since Easter is this weekend! I can't even believe it's so soon this year! I must say though; I'm looking forward to a four day work week, a long weekend filled with friends and plans and of course, hopefully some sleeping late somewhere in there!