But I love it. L-O-V-E IT. It's why I chose to live here. For the warmth. For the lack of snow and bitter coldness. For the sunshine... If there are other things lacking in my life, the sunshine almost makes up for them. It just feels so good outside, especially at night. So much so that we have been taking walks around the neighborhood after dark. It's funny - we take leisurely strolls in capris and t-shirts when I'm pretty sure it's snowing at home and in Utah. What's even funnier is that I got a little chilly the other night when we were standing around outside chatting with some friends. I found myself rubbing my arms and even saying "brrrr" a couple times. When we got in the car, the temperature read 74 degrees. You know you are completely acclimated when you are cold in weather that matches the temperature my parents heat the house to in the winter. And when you break out the winter clothes after the highs start dropping below 80, you know there's no turning back - you're a gonner.
I just have to laugh to myself when I think about it - a girl that was raised in Colorado, went to school in Idaho, lived in Utah for three years, and just spent seven months (majority of which were winter months) in Eastern-freezing-cold Europe. It's just still a little weird to me that I live in Arizona. I have to admit that I really really miss the trees of Colorado and Utah. They are so beautiful in the fall. I find myself getting nostalgic and homesick the most at this time of year. September to November are my favorite months because of of the changing colors and the crispness of fall in the mountains. And I'm not even afraid to admit that I miss snow. But just a little bit. A tiny tiny bit. Not even enough for it to count towards anything, really. It's just the idea of it... snow at the holidays. And then I remember how it really is and I'm right back in the sunshine and palm trees, being happy that I'm not scraping an inch of ice off my car every morning.
Ahhh, the sunshine. I love you, Arizona.
