2014: A Retrospective.

It’s the fourth day of the new year, so I should probably post something, right? I’ve got it! Let’s take a look back, all the way to the beginning of 2014.

Did you notice that I didn’t post yet about resolutions and goals and stuff? I’m not ready to write about them yet. You’re just going to have to wait on that. I’m sorry, I know the anticipation is killing you.

Nathan turned seven. I could write one of those posts about how I knew from the moment I met him I’d love him forever (true) or how I can’t believe he’s already seven (also true). I could tell you about how every year we tell him it’s the year he has to start going backward, so instead of turning 7 he went back to 5, but there’s not much to tell more than that (except to say he’s not really into that idea and he hasn’t believed it since the year he turned 4 – or when we told him he was 2 again. That year was fun.).

We celebrated his birthday on the first, because the second, his actual day, he had to go to school. It occurred to me that much of his life he will spend his birthday returning to work or school from holiday time off and that’s pretty unfortunate. But then I remembered the he will hopefully spend much of his life with the day before his birthday off from work or school, so I felt less sad. I mean, I rarely get May 23rd off, so really, who is winning out here?

We had a major snowstorm overnight between January 2 and January 3, causing a snow day for my child yesterday. It was not a snow day for me and I spent the better part of the day grumbling about Facebook statuses wherein everyone was all excited about a day off. I work from home. As I pointed out to friends, unless it snows in my hallway, I can’t claim a snow day and not work. Then I said please don’t ever let it snow in my hallway, because with my luck, we all know that’s a possibility. My point is that a snow day with my son means that I’m spending half of the day explaining the concept of cooperation. Clearly I’m not explaining it well, in case you’re wondering.

I don’t think it’s record-breaking or anything, but it’s downright stupid cold outside today. The overnight low was somewhere in the ballpark of zero degrees. I was so cold that I went to sleep last night wearing yoga pants, PJ pants over them, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt, three blankets, and my robe over me. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be a high of 44, so I may just stand outside doing one of those Julie Andrews spread-armed twirls, reveling in the relative warmth.

But I’m not going to complain about the cold because I think it’s fair to say that everyone is sick to death of people living in areas with unpleasant weather complaining about the unpleasant weather. I know I am. I’m almost as sick of it as I am sick of this damn seasonally appropriate weather.

I have to take down the Christmas decorations today. That is a most loathsome task. I hate putting them up, which makes me a grinch. I hate taking them down, that just makes me seem normal. Either way, I’m probably going to be grumbling and swearing later today about the fact that none of the stuff seems to fit in the boxes the same way we packed it up last year.

So, that’s it! That’s my year in review!

Happy New Year, dear readers. I really am hoping for an exciting year and I will share it all with you soon. In the meantime, go check out the moonshine grid where other people wrote stuff and then posted it.

 
Featured image credit.

26 thoughts on “2014: A Retrospective.

  1. Candice (@Candice_KS)

    I’m with you on every step of this. It “rains” in our kitchen regularly (leak from upstairs) so snow would really almost not surprise me. And I love winter, but this painful cold is not my thing. I’ll be doing twirls in the 44, too. And I took our decorations down yesterday and literally couldn’t fit everything back in. It’s like our decorations ate too much holiday food. (Or maybe it’s the new ornaments I buy at Target every year.)

    1. michellelongo Post author

      We always end up with more stuff each year and I keep trying to fit it into the same bins. You’d think we’d know better!

  2. Vanessa D.

    I try not to complain about the cold, but it is really cold. In my defense some years we seem to escape the worst of winter here. In true Canadian fashion we always expect to be slammed twice as hard the following year.

    1. michellelongo Post author

      Last year was pretty mild and this year we were slammed with 4 storms in the last month and now this terrible cold. It’s up and down between the teens and 40s for the next 10 days. It’ll be March soon, right?

  3. jenbrunett

    We got the snow too! It shouldn’t be surprising where I live but when it dumps, holy cow. Then the -6 windchill is just awesome, too… Not! lol Happy New Year!

    1. michellelongo Post author

      Ugh. Minus 6. Today was in the high 20s with little wind and lots of sun. It felt like a spring day after yesterday’s awfulness! Happy New Year to you!!

  4. Natalie DeYoung

    Haha. I feel EXACTLY the same way about taking down the Christmas decorations, like everyone else I guess. That’s why I’ve been putting it off…well, that and the working from home thing.
    You know what I’m hoping? I’m hoping for some unseasonable warmth for you in the coming weeks. Come on, Mother Nature, bring it.

    1. michellelongo Post author

      I really don’t like decorations in general, or things, since they just collect dust and then when you move them you find all the dust that was hiding behind and around the decorations. See? I am a grinch. And the glitter. It was everywhere! The stuff is gone now and I don’t have to look at it until December. Except we have the Easter decorations… and Halloween… πŸ™

    1. michellelongo Post author

      Thanks! I love to shroud my complaining in silliness so it almost looks like I’m not miserable. πŸ™‚

  5. Stephanie Scott

    I am happy to see someone else who relies on the layering theory to combat cold weather though you have temperatures that make your attire seem far more reasonable. Love your post!

    1. michellelongo Post author

      Normally it’s in the 20s-30s at night around here and the only difference is one less pair of pants and no robe. I tend to layer up under most circumstances! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

  6. Stacie

    That’s quite a lot for 4 days! Do you still have to work if it snows in your attic? I will never stop complaining about the cold until I’m back in CA.

    1. michellelongo Post author

      Yup, still working with attic snow, though my office is right underneath where the snow came in.

      Now I’m singing “Don’t Stop Complainin'” to the tune of “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

  7. cynkingfeeling

    The only Christmas decoration (notice the singular) we had was a table-top, pre-lit, pre-decorated tree. It’s still on our counter. You would think with only one decorative item, I could manage to put it away.
    Not yet.

    1. Michelle Longo

      I would probably leave one small thing out forever because I imagine it would be less in my way. The tree is big though and I’m so thankful to have my living room back.

  8. Lala Rukh

    It was nice reading all about your year in review. I sensed a feeling of sadness while reading your post I don’t know why. I guess may be because I don’t know your back story as I am new here. You know its my biggest wish to see a snow fall and I haven’t seen it all my life. We don’t have snow falls here and we crave for rains !! Hope the rest of your year be a happy one πŸ™‚ Love xx

    1. Michelle Longo

      Thanks for the sweet comment πŸ™‚ I wasn’t sad, just being silly about all the things that annoy me. I can imagine that I’d want to see snow if I never had. I’ve been dealing with it all my life, so now it’s just annoying. It is pretty when it first falls, but we’ve had 4 storms in 3 weeks, and it’s still early in the season. It’s just doing what it’s supposed to do though, so I shouldn’t complain. Thanks for stopping by!

    1. Michelle Longo

      I can’t even imagine being where it’s 40 below. I’m could cry thinking about how cold it will be tomorrow. I won’t though, because frozen tears are the worst.

    1. Michelle Longo

      We joke every year that we are going to take them down on Christmas Day. I’d do it, too, if I had any energy left at the end of the day. Maybe next year πŸ™‚

Comments are closed.