Missing the Seasons

When we moved to McAllen, Texas there was a good deal of shock. There was culture shock and there was weather shock. IT WAS SO HOT. I'm not a huge fan of being hot, especially when I'm pregnant. Pregnant and hot is a combination that is not great.

McAllen was a place were snowbirds Winter Texans would come to avoid the cold and the snow. We missed the snow but I realized after a few years that it wasn't the snow that I missed the most. Sure, I missed the snow, but it was the seasons and change in weather. I missed all of this because our memories are tied to the seasons.



In the fall we think about going back to school. We think about the leaves changing and the fact that the holidays are right around the corner. We remember our moms putting us in turtle-neck shirts and bundling us up. We remember the smell of burning leaves and wood. We remember dressing up on Halloween and not really knowing if we would have to cover our costumes up with a coat or being able to go trick or treating without it. It may be so cold it could snow or it may be just right.

In the winter we remember the excitement of the possibility of a snow day. There is nothing like the possibility of a snow day when you're a kid. I tried to explain this to my students in McAllen once and they were very confused. There is close to no chance that school would just be randomly closed because of weather. They closed school once when we were in McAllen because it got down to 31 degrees. I went shopping. Winter brings back memories of hot chocolate and soup after you come in from playing in the snow. Winter holds the memories of Christmas. I could never quite get used to Christmas at 85 degrees. Most of all Winter reminds me of falling in love. Nate and I met in college in Wisconsin, We fell in love wearing hoodies and coats in the cold of November. All of that snuggly clothing and the cold reminds me of our early days and how sweet, naive and young our love was.

Babies

The spring is such a time of renewal and refreshment. It's so nice to not have to brace yourself for the cold when you walk outside. It's nice to see the flowers blooming and and trees turning green again. Spring reminds me of Easter and the fact that school is almost over for the year. Oh and most importantly the return of baseball!

The summer holds all kinds of memories of swimming in my grandparents pool, popcicles, vacations. It reminds me of being at home in the summer and watching multiple episodes of ER on TV during the day. Binge watching before it was cool. It reminds me mostly of attending, volunteering and working at camp. My experiences at Lutheran camps were some of the best of my life. I made great friends and had an awesome time. It really was a fantastic part of my life.

It was goofy and wonderful.

Don't get me wrong, there are things that I miss about the weather in McAllen. I will miss not having to think about what to wear or how to dress Zoe. I knew that it would always be hot, so I could always dress according to the summerish weather. I will miss the ability to visit the beach almost year round. We almost never went but we had the option. I will miss that I could take Zoe to the splash park almost year round. It was a great way to get out of the house and she loved it.

All that being said, I'm excited to make new memories with the seasons here in Illinois and I'm also excited for the memories we will make with Zoe and the new baby.

We've already made some memories with the snow and cold. We had snow a little over a week ago and an ice storm this past weekend.

Snow!

The Baby and I were sporting our Ice Storm 2017 shirt. Ice ice baby!

Icy trees!

That's all for now. God is good.