Spring has sprung in Seattle! After months of and months of this:
We now have this:
And this:
YES. Finally. It's actually a month early this year, but who cares. We'll take it. Spring is gorgeous in most places, but it's a stunning display of color in the Pacific NW. And such a welcome sight after the dark and rain of winter.
My apologies to our people east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon. I know you are still have having winter and cold, cold temps. But just look at those photos and know that spring is on its way to you, too!
To be fair, the temperatures here have not been exactly tropical. This past week it's been in the 30s in the morning, which is pretty cold by Seattle's standards. Today, however, is a glorious, no-clouds-in-the-sky day, and I believe we'll see 60 degrees. I'm obsessed with the weather because the difference between a rainy day in Seattle and a sunny day in Seattle is HUGE. The blues of the water, sky and mountains, the greens of the trees, the multi-hued plants and herbs that grow everywhere, they all make this place a veritable cacophony of color. When the weather is nice in Seattle, I feel like I''m on vacation every day. It's just that beautiful.
It doesn't get so cold here in the winter that things die, so the grass and plants retain their green color even in the winter. I guess maybe that's why we see daffodils blooming in January. They are the harbingers of spring - we always see them first. The flowers in our yard have been blooming also. The first picture above is of the trees in the front yard. So, so pretty.
And it smells so good in Seattle. The trees and plants smell wonderful, but add the ocean scent to that and it's like paradise.
Perhaps the colors are little brighter and the smells a little sweeter this year because as of today, Shawn has SIX WEEKS left of school. SIX WEEKS. We are beside ourselves with excitement. Shawn's academic achievements have been no less than amazing, also. He's remains on the President's List (I guess the Dean got sick of him on his list), and received this message from the President of Franklin U.
http://video.franklin.edu/Franklin/deansList/presidentsListVid03.html
I think if you cut and paste that link into your browser, you'll see a video message from the President. It's a little weird, but very cool.
And speaking of weird and cool, Lorelei has her own blog!! Check it out! She posts pictures of our lives and posts random stuff on there. Here's the address: http://loriawesome.blogspot.com/
We have had a rough January and February. We were all sick with some nasty virus or sinus infection or something. I mean, ALL of us were sick. Even the dog.
Poor Gretel. She had a nasty skin infection. We don't know what started it, but she's finally responding to treatment, so there's that.
Poor girl.
Shawn is the last one of us to get sick, and he's finally starting to feel better. But we were all laid up for pretty much the whole month of February. Ugh.
My strategy for getting through the winter months is jigsaw puzzles and bourbon. It generally works, but not when you are too sick to work on a puzzle and bourbon doesn't sound good.
It did not stop us from celebrating Valentine's Day, though. Lorelei's class had "Pajama Day" on the Friday before Valentine's Day. Here's what Lorelei wore:
Ah, to be in 4th Grade.
Then, on Valentine's Day, I took Lorelei and friend rollerskating. It was a BLAST as usual.
She's getting quite good.
After Valentine's Day, we celebrated Shawn''s birthday. We didn't do too much, just made him some tacos and tiramisu. He's easy to please. We know that by the time Shawn's birthday rolls around, winter is almost done. So that's a good thing. Of course, it also marks the beginning of Birthday Season in our families!
Otherwise, all is well in the Emerald City. We are keeping busy with our jobs and schoolwork, and I've taken up yoga. Shawn says it's the only hope I have of controlling my road rage directed at Seattle drivers. I'm giving it a try. It can't hurt, right?
And we are counting the days until we go back to visit! I'm starting to dream about Ohio, which is a sure sign I've been away too long.
Until then, wishing all sunshine and spring breezes!
