Antigua Guatemala

Well everyone, it is a balmy 26 degrees outside right now. Yesterday I nearly got blown over by 50 mph wind gusts while it was also freezing out, so that was pretty special. I know it's technically spring now but it sure feels like winter to me and I am still dragging out the puffy coat, scarves, gloves, and boots every single morning. Will I ever wear sandals again? Stay tuned.

I was so fortunate to escape the cold for a week and visit Antigua Gautemala with my Mom. We stayed for most of the week with some old work friends of hers who have a lovely home and were great tour guides. It is such a beautiful city and we had a wonderful time exploring, admiring the volcanoes, and learning a lot about the history and culture of the city. I have a work benefit that allows me to travel abroad and take a language class, and I am so glad I decided to take a Spanish class. Not only did it make the trip almost free, I had no idea how fun it could be to learn a language without any pressure. Spanish feels very easy to me (because of it's similarity to French) but I obviously have a lot to learn! Also it was great to start learning it while also being immersed in the language. I am trying to learn more now with the amazing DuoLingo app some of my coworkers recommended. 

I taught Mom the finer art of the selfie while we were wandering around some beautiful cathedral ruins. 

Enough Already

I think we can all agree that this winter has been long, and too cold, and just difficult. And New York hasn't even had it as bad as other parts of the country. Traipsing through freezing rain, avoiding huge slush puddles, thawing out my toes every time I come home, and paying a huge heating bill has gotten old very quickly. Yes, it's finally March so the end must be in sight...but it still "feels like six degrees" outside.

I tried many different methods to fight off the winter blues during February. I bought fresh flowers. I visited friends. We went out to dinner. We forced ourselves to take walks in snowstorms because the other option was staying inside all day. But then there were days I chose to stay inside all day. It was just a bit much, especially when you add in the sun setting before five p.m. Rough.

Last weekend Sean and I got a little break from the cold and went down to Nashville for a wedding. Neither of us had ever been so it was fun to explore. We had our fill of southern food and live music. The weather on Friday and Saturday was a little cloudy but in the mid 50-60s which felt pretty much like a miracle. We took a long stroll around Vanderbilt's campus and then to Centennial Park where there is a full size replica of the Parthenon. The wedding was for one of my old high school friends and despite not knowing really anyone else who attended, it was such a lovely and fun celebration and we had a great time. We also managed to have no issues getting back to NYC despite plenty of potential ice/snow storms in the area. Much to Sean's sadness we did not come home with any cowboy boots.

Next week I am sure it will warm up at least a little bit but I am excited to be leaving town for a real dose of warm weather in Guatemala. I am taking a Spanish class while my Mom does research for books and we are both very excited to explore a new place. Poor Sean will be stuck home studying, but that's the price you pay for being a grad student I suppose. :-)