I LOVE getting sunflowers:]

growing up arizonan.

There are many things that are different about your childhood when you grown up in ARIZONA, particularly the Phoenix part.

THINGS YOU MISS OUT ON:

• snow, and winter as a whole.
• fall, and leaves and trees in general.
• spring, and flowers for the most part.
• snow days.
• daylight savings time.
• humidity.
• public transportation. that works.
• scarfs, boots, mittens, gloves, sweaters, snow pants..
• worrying that you will be too cold in your halloween costume while trick-or-treating.
• thinking of hot drinks and food as a cold weather thing.
• playing/ being outside (if you are not in a body of water) in the summer.
• naturally green grass.

THINGS YOU GET TO EXPERIENCE THAT OTHER KIDS DON'T:

• riding your new bike outside on christmas morning in just your pjs. and not being cold.
• huboobs.
• monsoons.
• heat advisory days, when you can't play outside.
• being a six hour, or less, drive from the beach, snow, and another country simultaneously.
• falling on/into a cactus at some point.
• wearing flip flops all year long.
• not having a day of swim lessons, but knowing how to swim by age five.
• feeling cold when it is 71 degrees outside.
• summer starting in March and ending in October.
• putting an ice pack on the seatbelt/carseat when you go into a store, so you don't burn yourself. again.
• planning your halloween costume so you are not hot while trick-or-treating.
• leaving your chapstick/crayons in the car and coming back to a colorful glob that mom is really angry about. 
• frying an egg on the sidewalk.

these lists could go on forever...

how I deal?

this is how.

when days are long and the world hardens my heart.
baking brings me back.

fitting that peace is there.

normal?

(molly took this, trying to attack her reflection of course)

question: when do things get normal again?
or is this the new normal?
if so, it is not a new normal I enjoy very much.

this is me.

I think coffee is comforting and relaxing, particularly when it is from my favorite huge france mug.

Even though we don't have a pool, when I am home alone I am often in my swim suit.

I find growing up and being done with college terrifying.

Lately, I want to be a high school home economics teacher, or open a bakery.

I constantly feel so young and so old simultaneously.

Sometimes it is hard to be happy, but I am determined to fight that and be happy anyway.

"you just have to try to accept it."

PLEASE one more person  post all over the electronic world about how wonderful it is to be back at concordia with all your bestest friends and hashtag another really cute joke about how senior year is going to rock and how silly the new freshman are. oh, and tell me again how happy you are with your new girlfriend. and how much you really like her.
#gettingoldandturningintothecynicallonelyoldcatladyblows.

to see what you find..

"we've got a lot to learn."