Over IT

Pack me up and send me some place warm and stat! We officially hit high of 0 degrees and low of - 15 today. Usually I love the cold and love when I see those single digits... but... This is how my night went last night.
11pm- climb into bed to shut my eyes.
1130- turn up the heat
1230am- why am i so cold... double up on socks, hoodie and layer pants
2am- wake up to my uncontrollable shivering. turn heat up.
3am- still cold. Crank up my heating pad. can't decide if its better use on my feet or face.
430am- WHY AM I STILL COLD. check thermostat... 45 degrees... in.my.house.
5am- Give up on any sort of sleep. head to starbucks, they're always open:)

Let's recap--  my heater in my house broke. Michigan broke our record cold this time of year and it is 45 degrees in my house. Wonderful.
 My night in a nutshell folks! Hope you're all staying warm!

Survival tips.

I must admit I was a little... Well, a lot naive before moving to the cold. I truly was excited the first time snow fell and the first time we hit the teens in temps.
Now the honeymoon stage is OVER. Don't get me wrong, I still love the cold and get giddy every time it snows and actually am disappointed when it starts melting. However there are a few things that I despise about the cold.
I am not a morning person. In fact, I am the last person on earth you want to be around when I first wake up. Being here has forced be to wake up earlier than my normal throw something on and race out the door.
Now I get to encounter a whole different experience, which is the following:
1. Bundle up, coat, hat, ear muffs, gloves and something warm on my feet. 2. Start my car. pray that it starts, let it begin to warm up. 3. Use my snow broom to sweep snow off my car. 4. Scrape ice off my window with my ice scraper( my least favorite part) 5. Shovel snow out from underneath my tires so my car will move. I learned this the hard way; snow is soft but ice is not... Don't try to drive over thinking it will melt... It won't! Ok back to my sob blog...
Then I am on my way. Still cold and still can see my breath. Not to mention being a cautious driver... Roads could be slippery! The good thing, is that we have snow plow trucks that drop salt so the roads will not be bad... Love those workers!
Well, there you have it- survival tips for the cold. You're welcome:)

Texas

Visiting Texas was great! I was able to see family, friends, dogs and got two of my best( mal and erin) down to Houston for a quick visit.i felt like I was there a year and everything seems to be the same and in order... just how i like it:). When you move way up north; you begin to miss things... Like the friendly texans and their ability to make a conversation with anyone about anything! I can walk into a shop alone and come out with a few friends... someone who went to school with your dad or taught your mom. Don't mis understand, Michiganders are very polite, they are also very blunt and honest, if they don't like you... The end. There is no fake to the sort. On the other had; if they do refer to you as "friend",they will go out of their way for you 100%. Another perk about Texas would be the crime rates; let's face it, Detroit is raking top 5 on crime rate. I am in and am surrounded with safe neighbors and neighborhoods; but, you can't avoid some of the *not* so safe streets. Lastly, the good ole country songs. I'm not much of a country fan, however, there are times when I like to respect my roots and jam to some Tracy and Garth. And in Michigan to will not b able to walk into just any pub and find some " I'm from the country" playing!
With all that said; I am thrilled to be heading to the place that I call home. So long hot nights, lemonade and flip flops; hello snowy days, hot cider and winter boots!
Shalom

Mexico

I'm back! It's been awhile; but I've been to Mexico and the good ole Texas!
I flew out of Detroit to Houston; then woke up and flew from Houston to Mexico for a little vacation.
We had a wonderful time, stayed in a beach condo overlooking the water... Beauty! Our days were very busy, traveling to different beaches, checking out the shops, eating at the local spots, swimming with dolphins( some of us swam with sting rays)... Not me, I'm not a fool ha! And of course soaking up the rays! One of my favorite days was at an all inclusive beach... Food, drinks, snorkeling, canoes, water trampolines and family.
It was so relaxing and a well needed vacation. We were also fortunate enough to have Rach as our translator!