Spring has sprung.

Thank God! It's supposed to be in the 70's this week! You'd think, with all my whining about the cold, that I live in the snowy tundra of....Erie, PA? Michigan? But no. Just Virginia. Where it averaged about 55 degrees right up until Christmas. So I suffered through about 60 days of somewhat cold -- but not Michigan cold -- temperatures before I hit my limit. What? You have no sympathy? Fine.

Along with the weather, life in general is starting to pick up. After about two straight months in town without much going on (perhaps a record for us), we've got lots of fun stuff coming up. An informal business school reunion with friends to watch the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament, my 10th year college reunion with my best girlfriends (and no husbands), visits from parents and grandparents, and.......(drum roll)......a trip to Europe in May! Perhaps not the wisest decision since my husband is in his 3rd year of grad school out of 5, meaning we're not going to see a second income anytime soon, but what the hell? If we're broaching the kids thing soon, when the hell else are we going to bum around Europe for 2 weeks? And, God bless our good friend who is getting married in London which kickstarted the whole idea. And, God bless our US Air dividend miles which are getting us to London and back from Venice for "free." You know, this is our second European wedding in under a year. Thank you, friends, for broadening our horizons and allowing us to get drunk celebrate your love in faraway lands.

I'm also feeling great about keeping up on the exercise front. I've been going to the gym 2-3 times a week to do some classes, lifting weights with a friend once a week, and playing soccer on the weekends with a rec team. Just had our first game Sunday.....ow. I am definitely proud that I've been treating my body better and feel marginally in shape for the first time in 2 years. Blah blah, doing it for me, blah blah, exercising because my 10th year reunion is in 4 weeks for all the right reasons. I've also been getting up earlier every morning to make the most of my day. You know, another whole hour to read blogs do work. Really, whatever my true motivations may be, I'm glad that I'm actually doing, instead of just talking about what I should be doing.

So, woo-hoo March, is all I have to say. Hopefully, I will actually have something more entertaining to say after some of these fun things have actually occurred. 'Til then, fill out your NCAA brackets and GO BLUE DEVILS (even though we're not that great this year and may lose in the first round for the first time since '96 and everyone else in the world is overjoyed because of it)!

Blech.

Hey, wow. Look at that last post...that was, like, 6 weeks ago. Ahem.

Do you ever get to the point where your every day looks and feels exactly like every other day? This isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes, the familiarity can be comfortable and easy. Sometimes, there's nothing better than a nice, normal day which includes waking up, doing some work, walking the dogs, doing a couple of errands, going to the gym, making dinner, hanging out with my husband when he gets home, and then vegging in front of the TV until it's time for bed. No deadlines, no appointments, no meetings, and nothing to do beyond the day's basic responsibilities.

And, then there is that stretch in late winter when everyone is hibernating, your husband is especially busy with school, and your work is not exactly thrilling when it feels more like Groundhog Day. Is this Thursday? Monday? Oh...it's Saturday? Great, thank God for the weekend. Working at home definitely contributes to this feeling. When every day pretty much consists of sitting in front of the computer in your pajamas for hours until you finally feel inspired to eat, or shower, or, I don't know, use more muscles than those in your mouse-clicking finger, it's easy to get in a rut. People, I just managed to wear out a pair of slippers that I have had for less than a year. Literally, the fuzz is worn off the inside of the slippers, perhaps because I wear them about 53 times more than any other pair of shoes I own.

Anywho, those are what my last few weeks have felt like. But, there's hope... It's starting to warm up here in the sunny South, my daffodils are beginning to bloom, I got out of the house (and the state, actually) this past weekend to have a girls weekend with my Mom. And, while shopping with her, I bought these. Surely, wearing those with my pajamas, instead of my broke-down slippers, can liven up my days, just a smidge?