NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

Unfortunately, our first NYC winter is still not over. We received at least 4 inches of snow today. But, it was beautiful. I have not yet forgotten how much I hated not having a "real" winter back in Texas - I guess we are getting exactly what we asked for! With Bentleigh being *so* young I have not had the opportunity to get out and explore the city (as much as I hoped to) in the midst of winter, but nonetheless we definitely learned a couple things about winter up north...

Winter gear is truly the key to happiness. People up here were breaking out their down and fur parkas long before it was actually cold. But up here winter is more than a season, it's a state of mind. That's the biggest difference between New Yorkers and Southerners in the winter. A Southerner doesn't have true winter gear, so when it does get cold, everyone still insists on wearing a hoodie and shorts (because it'll probably be 80 degrees tomorrow, amiright?!).

Mid-October hits and every New Yorker is prepared for the possibility of snow and will break out all their snow gear. I have to say the state of mind works! Starting in November I haven't left my house without my knee-length insulated jacket (thank you, lululemon), tall Hunter rain boots with wool socks (thanks, mom!), fleece lined leggings, over-sized wool scarf, and gloves (with the iphone touch finger pads). If I wore all these, everyday, I never got cold. It was when I *thought* it was warm (oh, you know... really sunny, or it's MARCH) and I could forego one of these items that I realized I was stupid and lost my New York state of mind.

We also learned it takes forever to get anywhere up here in the winter. To be fair, the Bacon's, as a family unit, are not always the most punctual (I blame Ben and Bentleigh). Now add getting on snow gear to get out to the car, loading car with baby + stuff, digging car out of snow, driving in snow, finding parking that won't get you stuck in snow, unloading baby + stuff, walking to destination. The struggle is real, y'all - which is why I haven't left the house in 7 days (luckily Whole Foods is in walking distance!). I sometimes get a little stir crazy inside, but that quickly dissipates when I see Ben walk in with icicles hanging from his nose.

And, as many of you know, working out is super important to me. Unfortunately, this too has been affected by winter. Most New Yorkers hunker down in their high rise or underground globo-gyms/boutique studios, but with my love for CrossFit and running it's been tricky. I can typically get out to a CrossFit box 1x a week (no outdoor boxes in NY!), run with baby B a couples times a week if the snow has been cleared, and the rest of my workouts are unfortunately confined to the space of my yoga mat in our living room (burpees, anyone?).

Next winter will be different - Bentleigh will be able to (clumsily) toddle through the snow. Touch it. Feel it. Maybe even help us build a snowman. I can't wait!