This moment.

the usual bliss ♦ January 30, 2013 ♦ 9 Comments

Update: Winter and I made up.

Yesterday, I resolved to stop looking ahead for happiness and try to enjoy every bit of life in the moment.

Even when that moment is 15 degrees with icicles.

Within minutes of hitting “publish” on that post, I was bundling up in my cozy snow gear for a date with Jack Frost. Cholula graciously agreed to chaperone. We are lucky to live adjacent to miles of open space, so we didn’t have to go far to find the perfect spot for a snow hike. (You may remember another visit a few months ago, when I attempted to go running and Cholula met some rather large cows.)

Despite how popular this area is for dog-lovers and cross-country skiers, we were alone on a Tuesday afternoon. The layer of snow muffled every sound, except the crunching of my snow boots as we ventured down the road. It was quite peaceful.

Toward the northeast, the sky remained dark and ominous, but we had patches of sunshine and blue sky over us occasionally. Cholula forged ahead, happily exploring but never going too far. She turned around every few minutes to make sure I was still within sight, still following her. She is simply adorable.

At one point, we both stopped to gaze at a cluster of houses along the river, smoke puffing from one of the chimneys. I think Cholula and I shared the same farmhouse pioneer daydream right then. She’d make a great ranch dog.

We stopped for a snack before turning back toward home. Cholula had a few tasty treats shaped like veggies (so cute!) and I munched on teensy Satsuma tangerines from our dear friends on Four Elements Farm. Like a gentleman, Winter offered a gift- but instead of a bouquet of flowers, he gave us a sunny patch for snacktime. There was something fabulous about enjoying a handful of California sunshine in the Utah sunshine.

Cholula encountered a friend on the way back- a feisty, pointy-eared thing named Bo. As we got closer to the end of our walk, the sun warmed me enough to unzip my jacket. Cholula sensed our fun trail time was limited and had a crazy burst of energy.

Back at the car, I thanked Mr. Frost for a lovely time and agreed to see him again soon. Cholula gave me a few thank you kisses and then gazed out the window, probably thinking about the two ducks in the river she didn’t chase.

Later, I went on another date- this time, with my husband. As we devoured a delicious dinner, we talked about his upcoming job opportunity. Dessert was shaped like cute little snowballs, reminding me of my wonderful day. I told John all about my fabulous date with Old Man Winter. And you know what? He wasn’t jealous at all.

We clinked glasses to ‘living in the NOW’ and dove into the coconut snowballs. Right then, I realized that THIS moment was the best. There was no better moment to be in.

*Disclaimer: I reserve the right to sing a different tune during a blizzard in April.