Today's Joy: A Call from a Good Friend. Just got off the phone with the Divine Miss "K". From the moment we met when I moved to Dallas last spring, I was a bit in awe of this glamorous, open woman who can sweep into a room in 4-inch heels & red lipstick and make everyone she meets feel special.

She exemplifies all the things I've come to admire about strong Texas women. And no one has a bigger heart. She gets as excited about her friends' successes as if they were her own. Of all my friends, she lives life the fullest. Look, Mom, no hands! And her faith makes almost any leap possible. She inspires me to be more. And to wear eyeliner. Can't think of a better way to be a friend.

Back Yard, Feb 2008
Originally uploaded by talekinker

Today's Joy: Warmth!!
All right, Reader. I know cold. I'm from Chicago. I've even spent a handful of winters up in New England. I know the joy of a good Nor'easter and relish the occasional white-out (when equipped with the appropriate chains and snow tires). I've been known to do donuts in an unplowed parking lot. Whilst living in the northern climes, I rarely complained about below-zero cold; didn't grumble too much about vehicles getting stuck or ice on the roads. 'If you can't take the weather, move south!', I'd say. I didn't mind shoveling boat-loads of snow, as pictured here at our IL home in 2008. And I always considered myself a hearty, northern girl.

But I have moved on from that phase in my life. Himself & I have braved our first sweltering summer in Texas, and through all the heat and perspiration, I held on, complained minimally--thinking of how lovely the winter would be. What a treat to have 50's & 60's in December. Maybe the occasional 70 degree day. Shoot, even if the temp hung around freezing all of January and February, wouldn't that be a delightful step up from the 30-below wind chills of Chicago?

Yep, I was all ready to become a thin-skinned, hot-house flower. Trouble is, here we are--all thin-skinned--and the temps have plummeted to single digits! We had snow before Chicago did this year! Granted, nowhere near the volume, but still! Everybody is saying this is practically the worst winter in Texas history! I am freezing my unmentionables off in a drafty apartment, ill-equipped for this kind of cold, and driving around on roads where they follow the wing-n-a-prayer philosophy of snow removal.

So....my (hoped-for) joy today is warmth. And hopefully, when I go home, turn the heat up and grab a steaming cup of cappuccino, I will actually find some. Under a blanket. Wearing fuzzy socks. Where are my dad gum mittens?!