Friday, March 21, 2014

Spring Warm Fuzzies

What do you know, as soon as I declaim that spring has arrived and let's all devour free macarons, we have another snow storm warning for next week and macarons now cost money again.

Gotta be honest: it really has been a rough, drawn-out winter. There was no reprieve. And this coming from someone who actually enjoys the seasonal snow and cold.

In college, I had a roommate from Portland, Oregon (she was on a constant quest to correct East Coasters of the proper state pronunciation: Ore-gen, not Or-eh-gone). One morning, I found her staring out the dorm window wistfully, wrapped in a homemade quilt. It was a misty, cool, and grey morning. Quite depressing, really. She turned to me, eyes wide and sparkling and happily sighed, 

"Oh Lu, it feels like home!"

That same feeling overcame me when the temps dropped way, way, way low this winter. There is never a bluer sky than on a frigidly cold day. I love it. It brings me back to my Eagan days, driving along Cliff Road in January wearing sunglasses because the florescent white snowbanks reflected the sun so powerfully.
An NYC cold one

Also, heavy snow fall. Fluffy, pure, powder that makes everything look like a Christmas card, Trapp Farm Park becomes ideal for tubing, and kids rush out to the nearest cul-de-sac to begin construction on an epic snow fort.

That being said, this is the heart of NYC, not the heartland of Minnesota, and that feeling of "home" was quickly replaced by my understanding of what cold and snow mean to this city:
Winter Wonderland? Guess the trash isn't being collected.

Here in New York, you have wind tunnels that make you believe your life is in danger for the one block you must cross to safety. Once the snow melts, horrors are revealed below. Nightmare inducing horrors. Oh, and curb slush puddles. They are always, always, deeper than you could possibly imagine. I watched a women sink down to mid-calf in this doozy.

Basically, 4 months of the experience doesn't give you the warm fuzzies.

So when you beg for spring but the realization hits that there may still be bundling up weather ahead (hey, it SNOWED during my May graduation ceremony), you might as well look cute. These knits easily transition from chilly to brisk, but also lure you out of hibernation mode.

Hoping there isn't a bad word hidden amongst these letters (I love anything letter-themed)

Loving the unusual sleeve length and the v-back:
BR Monogram V-Back Pullover - Banana Republic

In hopes that everything is coming up roses:
Pins and Needles Roses Sweater - Urban Outfitters

Come sail away:
Collection Featherweight Cashmere Sailboat Sweater - J.Crew

A stripe of color cutting through the gray:
Shae Diagonal Stripe Long Sleeved Sweater - ASOS

If you truly wear your heart on your sleeve:

Southwestern flair:

It's all good:

What will you miss about winter? How do you transition to spring?

1 comment :

  1. I have loved being back in the midwest and experiencing seasons again but even I have to admit that I am through with winter this year. Every winter in Texas I would feel the pain for my Minnesota and Ohio friends while I walked around outside in my flip-flops and tank tops, secretly wishing for colder weather. Today as I bundled up in my knee length coat and pulled on my wooly hat, scarf and mittens to take Sandy out for a walk, I saw my flip-flops sadly staring at me wishing I could come out and play :)

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