Life to the EXTREME!

Someone has to do it? OK...if SOMEONE has to, it might as well be ME! OK..... I'll do it!

From the tundra of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I sit typing today in my wool socks. Do you know that I have NEVER owned a pair of wool socks until 2008? How in the WORLD did I ever go an entire lifetime not knowing about such a wonder? I have to admit that I simply can not WAIT until the end of the day to adorn them. I some times wear them several days in a row! Dress socks, fuzzy socks, ankle socks, tube socks, slipper socks, hold NO candle to wool socks in times like these. I even slept in them last night.

Wool socks paired with my slippers act as the barrier that will prevent even the slightest draft of cold air to possibly penetrate these soles made for walk in. Sweatshirt, long sleeved t-shirt, and velour pants complete the ensemble designed specifically for days when it is minus 40 below! YES, you heard correct....MINUS 40 below zero.

Even after warming the van for 15 minutes before heading out this morning, it still felt like I was driving a block of ice down the street. When it is this cold, it seems that EVERYTHING is frozen in place. There is a glistening and rigidness to world around me.

BUT! There is always HOPE! In exactly 23 days and counting, the wool socks will be traded for well manicured toes and sandals. The sweatshirt and pants for a swim suit and shorts as Milo and I await our much anticipated trip to CABO! Anticipating that there will be no adverse weather to delay or even prevent us from arriving to our destination. A destination filled with sun, sand, pina coladas, nightlife, warmth, and relaxation! I CAN'T WAIT!

Now if you have been following the plight of Mr. and Mrs. Japenga, you may be wondering, 'If they are on such a strict spending budget, why would they treat themselves to such an extravagant expense?

Fortunately months and months ago the tickets were purchased, the reservations made, and the funds set aside for this exact moment in time! One that has been long coming for JUST the TWO of us and NO ONE else! We even looked into the option of cancelling only to find that the 'extra' cash we had set aside for spending money would be used towards cancellation fees and all those free points we cashed in....GONE!

Therefore, it became a what we termed, a NO BRAINER!

Although I am completely enjoying the cozy comfort of my home right now, the crackle of the fire, and the EXTREME delight in WOOL socks, I must admit I am counting the days! For a little warmth, yea may be? For 7 days and 6 nights ALONE with my husband of 18 years? YES! I will spare the details!

For me to have a balanced life, I most definitely ENJOY the EXTREMES, the socks and the sandals, the warm and the cold, the pina colada and the hot chocolate, the sand and the snow, and even minus 40 to the 80!

Like I said, SOMEONE has got to do it!

Stay WARM!