I don't get it . . .

I just can't get used to Colorado weather. I often feel ill prepared, it's chilly, so I overdress and then it warms up, or vice versa - it's warm, I under dress, and then the clouds blow in and the temperature drops. "Layers" is what the locals keep telling me. I'm not really a layers kind of a person. I'm a planner. I like to be prepared. I check out the weather forecast, plan my outfits accordingly, and wear them. We've had beautiful weather here for weeks, it's been in the 50s and 60s and sunny. I was sure winter was over, no more snow, when last week happened. It got chilly and was overcast most of the week (which isn't too common in Colorado, we get lots of sunshine), and then there was snow. Thursday a storm formed over Colorado and it snowed. We went up to the mountains that day to take my family (aunt, uncle, and cousins) and it was really snowing. Some places in the mountains got 1-2 feet of snow. It was nice because the snow was so soft, and Chae enjoyed snowboarding in the fresh powder, but me not so much. Visibility was so bad, and it was windy. Goggles or no goggles, I just couldn't see, which made me fall. On the plus side, falling on fresh powder doesn't hurt, it's really soft. I felt bad for my family, having come from Florida to this sudden cold front. Turns out it's what they wanted - to see lots of snow, so I was glad for them. I think God did them a little favor, and answered some of their prayers. My cousins had never seen this much snow, and had a blast. By the time we got home that evening, most of the snow in the area had melted. That's Colorado for you.
Anyway, back to the weather. So Sunday it warmed up again - 60's, yesterday was in the 70's and today is a whopping 80 degrees. So, you may ask, is the snow over for the season? Nope. Not so much. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40's with pm rain/snow showers. Aye, aye, aye . . .

Happy Spring!

Spring is in the air . . . actually it has officially arrived (although some of you reading this blog may not yet be experiencing it). Yesterday, March 20 was the first day of spring. I think it's called the vernal equinox. It was a beautiful day here in Colorado, a perfect welcome to the new season, 66 degrees, sunny, with a slight breeze and birds chirping. It was so difficult not to get caught up in it. I leisurely sipped a cup of tea yesterday morning, while sitting in our window nook and lazily daydreaming out the window, before beginning my day. I think Kiera was jealous. She loves to bask in the sun, and wanted to be in my place. She kept whining. It was so difficult to pull myself away, but alas, there were things to be accomplished. It was such a hammock day. We don't even own one, but I envisioned myself laying in one and lazily reading.

I actually heard my first birdsong of the year on Tuesday morning around 6 am. I was so unaccustomed to the sound, (I had forgotten it, seems like it had been so long since I'd heard it) that it took me a while to realize what it was. To my content, I realized that this song signified that spring was on its way. After a while it did get annoying, especially since it was so early, but I had to get up anyway. I must admit, however, that I do love the sound. It seems to bring so many promises of newness and life with it.

I feel much happier when the weather is warm and the days get longer. I feel like I can be more productive. Although I enjoy the beauty of the winter, the cold and darkness make me want to just cuddle under the covers. The days have been getting longer, and after daylight savings, the sun is setting much later. The days of sundresses and flip flops seem not to distant from now. Of course, I must remind myself that although it is officially spring, the weather can turn just like that and we could get more snow. I don't doubt that, especially here in Colorado. The weather can turn so fast. I was watching the TV at the gym yesterday, and while we were enjoying beautiful weather down here, it was snowing in the mountains.

My favorite part of spring is that morning when you realize the earth has been reborn. It seems to happen almost overnight. One minute everything is dead, and the next thing you know, you're driving somewhere some spring morning and you look around to see that everything is adorned with blossoms. It is as though nature has dressed itself in fine garments. No not nature, but its creator. At least that is how it happens to me. Of course, it is still too early to see that here. This will be my first spring in Colorado, so we'll see how it goes. If only spring could last a little longer.

For those of you who think Colorado is unbearably cold, I have to say that this winter was not bad at all. We get lots of sunshine, and the sun here feels so much stronger. I don't know why. Some people say it is because we are higher up, but I'm not sure (Denver is called the "Mile High City" because it is 5,280 feet above sea level). On a sunny day (which happens more than 300 days a year) it feels a lot warmer than at the same temperature on the east coast. It is also dry here. No humidity, which makes for very clear skies. We can see for miles. We can even clearly see Denver (high rises) from here. The winter has been mild, with spurts of snow and cold here and there. Actually, when it's really cold, it doesn't snow. Since sometime in February, we have had many days of 5o-60+ degree weather, with intermittent spurts of snow. The snow however melts so fast. It can snow one day, and be gone by the end of the next. Many of you know that I am always cold, but I haven't really had issues here. I think that over time my body has also regulated itself. So please, don't be scared to visit ;).

Hmmm . . . My little sis is studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the semester. Since it is in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are opposite from ours. She got there during our winter and their summer, so I guess, they must be transitioning to fall now. So Mara, what's the weather like there now? Still hot?

Same Old

I have nothing really to talk about. I just thought I should post since it's been over a month. It's already March and I have posted nothing this month. I just didn't want to bore everyone with the same old stuff (still job hunting and working on the house). Here are a few recaps, but remember, nothing exciting:

• We just got windows (today) installed in the two spare bedrooms. I'm excited, now they will be much warmer. They had the original single paned aluminum windows, which weren't very energy efficient. The other windows in the house had been redone or are double paned.
  
• I finally heard back about a position I applied for back in January in the financial aid office of a local community college. I worked in the financial aid office of my own school all four years and enjoyed it. I had to take two assessments (along with the other candidates) on Tuesday. One test was "Administrative Basic Support Skills" and the other "Interpersonal/Personality Skills." The tests were not difficult, just very random. I have no feel for how I did and I haven't heard back yet. The hiring manager may decide to administer another test, or pick the top 3 candidates and continue on with the rest of the process (interviews, I imagine). I would love the job, and it's so close to home (10-15 minutes - no commuting in the snow), but we'll see what happens. It's in God's hands. In the meantime I've been revamping my resume, changing it from a chronological one to a functional one. I'm worried that the breaks in employment might be scaring away potential employers. They probably think I can't hold a job for more than 6 months. That's what happens when you follow a military spouse overseas and live in each location for less than a year.
• I know I promised to post pictures of our bedroom, but there are still changes I want to make (build padded cornices for the windows, and change the shades, the current ones were left by the previous owners and don't match - the room is now a pale orange and the shades are light blue, great quality shades, very energy efficient, too bad they don't fit elsewhere in the house). We had our bedroom furniture delivered a few weeks ago. I was so excited to finally have bedroom furniture. I was able to free up a lot of room in the closet, but I think I was most excited about having a nightstand. In Italy I used a box leftover from when our household goods were delivered, and here I was using a dresser which was not by the bed. It's so nice to have the alarm clock near me and not have to get up and walk over to the dresser to turn it off. It's also nice to have a place to put my glasses and reading material. I want to be able to change/fix the last few details so that the room will come together, right now it looks a little miss-matched. I would hate for everyone to think that I have awful taste. It may be a while however, the bedroom projects seem to be at a standstill. There are just so many things to do around the house and everything cost $. I also need Chae for some projects, but he just started a Finance class for his MBA which has been consuming much of his time. It seems to be his hardest class yet, and the most work he's had for one class thus far. We haven't even been snowboarding on the weekends, which says a lot. If it was up to Chae, we'd be on the slopes all the time.

Well, guess that's all there is to say for now.