Choices

It's another dreary/ snowy/ icy/ sleeting day here in the Northeast. And I know, and I've heard, about the snowfall in Texas; the beautiful snow. I've seen the pictures on Facebook and blogs and via email. And the white, fluffy snow is so, so pretty. The snow we get in NYC, it's not pretty. Today on the crosstown bus I noticed how snow covered the mounds of black trash bags sitting on the corner of 86th and Third Ave. Snow turns black and dogs poop on it and it sits there for days.

There is a huge soccer field visible from our apartment window and the snow usually remains untouched and lovely, until it starts melting. However, this weekend someone marched out onto the field, climbing over the fence, and drew a big ole' peace sign. They also drew a humongous heart in which they wrote, "I LOVE MARD." I argued with Chris that it could have said Marg, but there is no way. It was definitely a "D." So, I hope Mard got to see their Valentine.

We finished our taxes and I was surprised to learn that Chris had more taken out in taxes in 2009 than I made in the entire year. Funny how that works when you don't have a real job. And another benefit of living in NY is the state income tax and city income tax. How do we make it here? I honestly don't know, but I know God has provided each and every month, so I know it's where we are supposed to be. (Although some days I long for normalcy. How the rest of the country lives. But, for the most part I'm happy here.)

I'm looking forward to Spring and a little bit more warmth. I'm not asking for alot- just 50's or 60's. Weather warm enough to run in- instead of on the boring treadmill watching Kathy Lee and Hoda. Weather where I can walk home from church. Weather where I can visit the Green Market and buy something besides root vegetables, apples and honey.

So, I've finished all three bags of my Haribo Valentine's Candy. I love Haribo, have I mentioned that? Here is a picture of me in Austria in April 2008 at a small village festival diving head first into some amazing Haribo (that I can't get in the states!)

I love sugar. I love eggplant and leeks and butternut squash too, but I love sugar. So, it's a choice really, how much of this and how much of that and when and where. Sometimes I go overboard with the sugar, and sometimes I go overboard with the Cabbage!

Yesterday Chris and I stopped at Zabar's on our way home from the Chiropractor. We got some brie, lovely pickles and olives we selected purposefully from large bins, some soup and freshly baked Rugelach which I had never had, but were totally yummy in that cinnamon, raisin, pastry sort of way. We also got a lovely garnish- that I ate with a spoon - made with horseradish and beets. It sounds gross, but I love the way it burns my nose hairs. But hey, I like Fioe Gras too. We ate our Rugelach and shared a decaf coffee at 5:30 as we waited to take the 79th Street bus back across the park to the West Side.

It's a choice we make to live here. And most of the time I love it. I love sharing these adventures with my husband. I like the endless amouts of opportunities and things to do/ see/ learn.

Saturday night was spent with close friends- eating dinner at, where else, but a place called El Paso's and drinking cider beers into the night. Sunday following church, we shared lunch with a big group of friends, and Monday we ran errands and got that one last chiropractor visit in before we head to Tahoe tomorrow. A friend let me borrow the cutest snow wear, so I'm set to hit the slopes. In all honesty, I've only skied ONCE in my entire life and that was 10 years ago so, we'll see if I actually gear up in my borrowed snow bunny attire at all. I don't really know what else there is to DO in Tahoe: a little shopping, a lot of looking. We'll see. And Chris and I hope to get some running in too- since the tempurature is in the 50's & 60's there right now.

I'm glad to be away from work, and away from the "routine" of going and coming and doing. Friday I left work in a flurry of frustration and "this is not fair" ness. I haven't taken a lunch break the past two Fridays. And this Friday we were to close at 4:00- for the long President's Day weekend. At 5:05 I was still here. And very bitter. And I do want all I do to point to a trait, a characteristic of our Heavenly Father. Nowhere in that list of forgiving, accepting, honest, just, patient, peacful, Our Shelter, Our Banner, Our Healer, Our Protector do I find bitter.

So much is not our choice. So many things that happy to us, day-to-day, and within our lifetime are not decisions we can make. Period.

So, I'm choosing to look forward to this snowy vacation - even though it's not a tropical, sunny vacation. I hear Lake Tahoe is absolutly beautiful. I hope to read and write and be still for a change. Be Outdoors in the 50 degree weather on a porch of a cabin in the woods. But first I have to decide which shoes to take, buy one more travel item, stop and get cash at the ATM and paint the rest of my tonails. (Last night I only did one toe- for a trial. You know, to see if it was the color I really wanted to use. Somehow, I never got the other nine painted.)