Brrr

45 degrees yesterday afternoon, out with Barkley, wearing my down puffer winter coat I used to live in all winter long in Minnesota. The hearty Midwesterner has officially been replaced with a California weather wimp. I can no longer scoff and "those" people that think 45 degrees is cold when they do not know what it is like to step outside and have your nose hairs freeze. And now, I am one of them. It's ok though, at least I can appreciate it being warm enough that my nose hairs aren't frozen.

Side note: I watched a woman through my rear view mirror in the car behind me pick her nose and eat it, not once, but continuously for the duration if the red light. I almost wanted to jump out of my car and knock in her window to give her my free Jack in the Box nuggets coupon (clearly, she must be hungry) but I didn't because I was embarrassed that I watched her for the entire red light. True story.

Cozy

The nights have been much colder than any other winter we've lived in California (my lovely friends living in the Midwest can make fun of my any time, I know, "wimp" should be tattooed to my forehead) but it's a damp cold, and even though it's still 40 degrees, it's a "bundle up under a blanket, with a sleeping puppy on your lap and drink some hot tea" kind of cold (it doesn't help that we are pretty sure our walls are lacking insulation and our windows are about as useful as tissue paper in blocking the wind).

My tea obsession these days is Ginger Peach - decaf - it takes me forever and a day to fall asleep as it is, I don't need a caffeinated beverage to aid in those inabilities come bed time. I love this flavor, it also brings me back to my college days as my roommate used to enjoy this flavor a lot. Side note: I also bought the vanilla almond tea flavor of this same brand. One sip and I felt as it I had just drank a bottle of sunscreen. While I love that scent in sunscreen, I couldn't handle it in beverage form, so I'll be sticking to the Ginger Peach.

Hope you are snuggled in, staying warm and enjoying a good drink tonight.

Ps - Thanks Kerri for the mugs that you gave us nearly 4 years ago exactly... They are definitely our favorites :)

Because after 88 hours...

...of sub-zero temperatures, you have got to find out who is colder than you...

Here are my fun with winter temperatures facts courtesy of Ecoworldly.com.

The coldest inhabited place on earth was in Oymyakon, Russia in 1926 with a recorded temperature of -96.2 F. However, this place pictured here is also vying for the title and I think it should be the winner since it's town sign is held in place by mammoth tusks. If it weren't so cold, I just might think of visiting. People that live through miserable cold are just that much cooler. (talk to me next year however, after I have lived in California for a year and ask me how I deal with MN cold) Guessing I'll be a huge wimp and not nearly as interested in visiting a place with mammoth tusks.