Icicles and Irreplacable places

I am going to pretend that last week, and the week before it did not happen. Though, for as badly as my kids think they did, while it wasn't great, I've seen much, much worse and it was the first time most of them have ever marched in front of people, so they did well.

It is cold. Bitterly cold for October, balmy for January. It is 23, feels like 18. Windy. Icy. I woke up this morning to ICICLES on the trees, and Kostya's chain was iced over. Poor puppy didn't know what to do about the slippery sidewalk. Tried to eat the icicles on the bush. I hate turning on the heater in the living room/kitchen (I don't have central anything) because it runs on gas and gas is expenisive. I have a space heater for the back two rooms, plus lots and lots of blankets and layers. I am wearing two pairs of pants, wool socks, a t-shirt, a long sleeved t-shirt and a sweat shirt. Joys. I walked to the grocery store today. It smelled nice out. Crisp. I like it, minus the part where it makes me unable to breathe. For the past 3 weeks, I have used my inhaler more times than I have used in the last 3 years. Averaging probably twice a day. It's pathetic.

Kostya, Ophelia and I spent all of last night and most of this morning/afternoon watching Grey's Anatomy and Law and Order in my big chair. All three of us. Its pretty adorable. Kostya and Ophelia are getting along really well. We'll see how they like it when I catch that kitten outside. And you can bet I already have names picked out for him.

I try really hard not to compare this place to Iowa. Because its not. I wanted out of Iowa, and I got out. In my giant list of things to accomplish in my life, getting out of Iowa ranked right up there with going to college. See? This is right out of one of my journals. The date on it is 1/29/2002. I added to it when I actually graduated from high school, then again randomly when I felt like it.

Places I want to go, things I want to see, and stuff I want to do
1. Graduate from high school
2.Go to college
3.Make all state next year
4. Go to Australia
5. Be a veterinarian (I'm gonna x this one out cause I worked at CC)
I can do that.
6. Move out of Iowa
7. Live in Washington or Oregon
8. Be in a military band (I did try out!)
9. Marry a certain individual who will be unnamed. What can I say. Lets turn this one into...
10. Get married someday
11. Have kids (we'll see)
12. Own a horse
13. See the northern lights
14. Learn to ride english
15. Learn to fly a plane
16. Live on a farm
17. Go skydiving
18. Climb a mountain
19. Be able to find things in a telescope (this is why I took astronomy)
20. Be a band teacher
21. Enter a contest (it was an art contest for the ARPU but my sister
and I took first and second)
22. See the Mona Lisa
23. Go to all the Smithsonian museums
24.See a triple crown winner
25. Go to the kentucky derby
26. play in a symphony
27. See the Aztec temples
28. Go scuba diving in Australia
29.Visit Ireland
30.Publish something (I've had two of my poems published in a magazine when I was in college)
31. Speak fluent Italian (I took the classes and still want to!)
32.Go hangliding (I was pretty adventurous)
33.Make my own clothes
34. Touch a whale
35.Go on the tallest, fastest rollercoaster
36. Win something
37. Write a song
38.Be able to play Moonlight Sonata
Added later
39. Sell a painting
40. Enter a painting in the Iowa State Fair
41. Graduate from college
42. Practice every day (haha)
43. Learn to play Norma
44. Pay off that stupid student loan
45. Live in Italy
46. Go to the Uffizi
47. Visit the MoMA
48. Stop biting my nails
49. Be happy
50. Get a dog
51. Stop drinking soda
52. Get Dad tickets to a game
53. Make symphony band
54. Learn to knit
55. Learn to play double bass
56. Learn dressage

I suppose I could add more to it, like, be debt free and make some friends, and get a second job. But I don't feel like it.

But I miss Iowa. That place I wanted out of so badly. I don't really have any friends here, there is no one my age, at least, no one my age that isn't married or doesn't have kids. Whatever. I'm going to go take a nice hot, long bath. That always helps.