Winter Lovin': Alright, already! Twist my arm, why don't ya?

Winter appears to be feeling a little under appreciated.  Winter is reminding me of a child who is certain that he's not getting enough attention and decides to make a complete jerk of himself, just to be sure everyone knows he's there.  Winter is saying to me, "Please love me.  That one half-way winter-lovin' post that was all about basketball didn't cut it."

Ok, Winter.  You aren't gonna get the heck outta here until I try to pull some things I love out of the very depths of my soul about you.  Here you go.  Here are some things I don't mind, sort of appreciate, love about winter. 

*Snow Covered Backyard
This is my Dogwood tree which blooms beautiful white flowers in the spring.  You did a nice job this morning, Winter.  This is lovely.

*Jergens Ultra Healing Lotion
I am stretching here.  I need buckets of this stuff in the winter because my skin gets so dried out that I look like a crocodile.  One time a lady doing my pedicure told me to put Vaseline on my feet at night and then wear socks to bed.  Ummmmm . . . No.  That is disgusting.  I'll take the Jergens.  The smell reminds me of my grandmom who always had it in her make-up drawer.  She also had that pink jar of Oil of Olay.  Remember when there wasn't a choice of Oil of Olay nighttime/daytime/serum/regenerist/anti-aging-money-down-the-drain nonsense going on?  My grandmother was beautiful, just with the pink stuff from Olay and the Jergens.

Ok, yes, Winter.  I see you over there about to jump off the couch.  I'm coming back.

*Bon Jovi  
Again, kind of a stretch.  Bon Jovi is not synonymous winter exactly, but they always come to DC in the winter months.  I have seen JBJ in February three times and in the cold days of March one time.  That's all I need to say about that.

*Basketball Season:
I have discussed this in depth here and here.  There are a few more things that I, as a full time baseball mom, appreciate about my winter vacay as a basketball mom. One hour, give or take 15 minutes - in and out.  The clock eventually runs out and the game is over.  Baseball could theoretically last forever.  No sunscreen applications where kids run away from you as if you are trying to poison them.  No coolers of food and Gatorade and iced-down towels for 5 hour double headers.  If you forget the water bottle, there is a water fountain in the gym.  And, hands down, best thing ever:  INDOOR PLUMBING.

*Hot Chocolate
I admit that I usually just pull out the Swiss Miss microwaveable stuff and add water, but once I was out of it and all I had was this.  And y'all.  You make it on the stove with milk and sugar and you people who actually know your way around a kitchen know this already, but this stuff is GOOD.

*Frito Pie:
I can actually cook this and it's awesome in the winter.  If you have no idea what Frito Pie is, well then, first, let's have a moment of silence for you because that is terribly, terribly sad.  Frito Pie is basically Fritos, covered with chili, covered with cheese.  Some people like onions on their Frito Pie, but that would be introducing an unnecessary member of the vegetable family, so please, people, skip the onions.  (Sit down and zip it, Dr. Oz.  We'll drink your green smoothie or whatever it is in the summer.)  The best way to eat your Frito Pie would be if it was 1986 in Texas and you were in your cheerleader uniform after watching the Fighting Yellowjackets play football and then you drove up to Sonic in Lori Sue's mom's van and the Sonic people just sliced open a bag of Fritos and poured the chili right in there in the bag.  When I figure out that time machine, we'll go do that. 

*Ski Trips in Virginia
I wrote about our first one here and here.

*Dressing up in my JCrew outfit and cutting down a Christmas tree just like this:

*Shoveling the Driveway:
Shhhh.  Do not tell anyone or I will lose my "Whiney in the Winter" Texas Girl Club Card.  Sometimes, especially at night after a long day of being snowed in, your people are playing basketball on the mini-hoop in the basement and shouting about fouls and cheaters and IN YOUR FACE.   Sometimes it starts to smell like wet snowsuits and boy feet and you can't take it anymore.  So you bundle up and go outside  All you can hear are the gentle scraping sounds of your neighbors' shovels.  All you can see is the snow falling in swirls through the light of the street lamps.  You push heavy mounds of snow in methodical, peaceful lines along the driveway and you know that even though you prayed for sunshine and heat, God wanted to meet you right out there in your suburban driveway in the middle of the storm of the century.  He wanted to show you that for everything there is a season.  He wanted to remind you that He is with you right there, right then, under the moonlight.  He wanted to show you that every single thing He does is perfect.

OK, Winter, see now?  I do love you.  You mean just as much to me as the other seasons.  Stop standing on your head begging for my attention.  It's time now, ok?  Those gals on the other side of the world need you.  Summer is about to break up with them and come running back to me.  So, beat it.  Scram.  Be gone.  See ya next time.