I NEED Some Sun!

Now, I think most of you know that I don't exactly have a tan. My freckles don't even connect when I get too much sun.

But, I need sunny days. In Northern Nevada, where I grew up, there are an average of 252 sunny days per year. The average for Omaha is 214. That is a difference of 38 days. Over an entire month.

Now, that is just average. And I know that right now, the Sierras have been getting a lot of bad weather also in the last month. But this weather in Omaha is driving me crazy.

This is the time of year when the days are supposed to start getting longer. Maybe not noticably, but still. Omaha has been cloudy and foggy for what seems like forever. It has been at least one full week since I have seen sunlight.

I've certainly noticed in myself that my mood has been affected. I have a very short fuse right now. And I have definitely noticed a difference in Madeline's mood.

I think it's time to break out the Jamaica photo album and dream of a tropical vacation that will not happen this year...

You Talked for Three Hours?!?!

This afternoon, I met my dear friend Shannon at a restaurant to just get some girl talk. We ended up sitting there for over 3 hours.

The last three or four weeks, I've been fighting off a horrible sinus/ear infection. I've had to miss several events in that time because I've not felt well enough to attend. So, I've not really had any girl talk since before Christmas. I couldn't take it anymore so I decided no matter what I would meet Shannon today. We both grabbed a snack and a drink and sat down at a table to chit chat for awhile.

Now, I think out of all of my friends, Shannon and I have the most in common when it comes to subjects such as politics and parenting. When we get together, there's usually none of those silent periods. We like to talk.

We met at 2 pm this afternoon and didn't leave until about 5:15. Three hours.

When I got home, Bob was starting to get the steaks ready to grill. It's finally warm enough in Omaha that the grill will stay on. I don't think we've ever gone this long (about six weeks) without having some sort of food prepared on the grill. But, I digress. He asked me if I had stopped to get a few grocery items that I didn't pick up yesterday and I told him No, I hadn't.

"You were at Panera the whole time? For three hours? What were you doing."

Girl Talk.

This is apparently something guys just don't understand. I don't need to be doing something while I'm with my girlfriends to have a good time. Men seem to need something to stimulate the conversation. A football game on TV, poker cards in their hands. They don't just sit and talk.

Now, I can't tell you what we talked about. Sure, I remember a few things. I know we talked about rice krispie treats and that now I need to go shopping to pick up the stuff to make some. I know we talked about crafting, cooking, our kids, our husbands. But if you wanted to know exactly what occupied all three hours, I would be at a loss. It just doesn't seem like we were there for three hours.

But I can tell you that I feel contented right now. It is so comforting to know that I'm not the only mom in the world who doesn't want to take her kid to a restaurant that would take too long to get the food. It's nice to know that know that I'm not the only person in the world who struggles with weight loss. And it's nice to know that if I ever have a problem, I have someone who will listen to me.