It’s interesting that our last post (way back in February) is titled New Home, New Memories. It’s interesting that on this blog we (I) have skipped an entire chapter of our time here in Utah. There’s a reason for that. I HATE WINTER! I also, not so subtlety I might add, don’t really like living in Utah. As a result I have resorted to just taking things day by day. I’m in a mindset of killing time here, and I have been in that mindset for some time. Apparently, I have been killing time since at least February, the last time I mustered up the energy to post a blog. I’m kind of a mental writer and I can’t seem to force myself to do it unless I’m in a good headspace. It’s fair to say that during the winter I was not. But, that time is over. It’s the dead of summer, the weather is hot, I have a tan, and the pool is open. Time to catch things up.
So…the big question…how was it? How was winter in the mountain west? In short…long. It’s hard to blame Mother Nature though. We kinda jinxed ourselves. Way back in November Chrysa talked me into going to an event called Pray For Snow. I was immediately suspicious. Why would anyone in their right mind pray for snow? What a bonkers idea! Chrysa assured me this wasn’t some sort of Mormon winter prayer circle or something. This was, in fact, a concert/gear show/ dance party put on by REI and a bunch of other vendors. I ended up having a lovely time. The beer was awesome and the costumes and music were great. But it worked. We prayed for snow and we got it.
Thus began months of me being trapped inside. Ok, trapped is a strong word. I was mostly unwilling to venture out onto the tundra that was the Salt Lake Valley. Chrysa, on the other hand, did what I could not. She did a winter running series, did a snow climb running event on Grandeur Peak, and volunteered for several races. She made friends and did all the things we said we were going to do when we moved here. I didn’t do any of those things. The lack of sun, the literal tons of snow, and the freezing temperatures hit my seasonal affective disorder hard. I spent most of the winter bored, cold, and lonely. Somewhere during this time I realized I needed to distract myself. I decided to go back to the restaurant part time. It turned out to be a good move. I was distracted from the winter blues and I was making more money. Double win!
The winter months weren’t all moping around. Occasionally Chrysa got me out of the house for some fun thing she planned. Early in the winter season we went into Salt Lake City for a viewing of Ghostbusters with live musical accompaniment. We also did a couple winter hikes on the milder days. We even braved a trip up to Park City to go tubing with Julie and her daughter.
Winter had a couple highlights. One of them was Christmas. Usually Chrysa and I have a nice, no expense spared, dinner out. In Huntington Beach we really blew the doors off. I wanted to do something similarly memorable in SLC so I planned dinner and a night’s stay at the Hotel Monaco downtown. It was great! We enjoyed a free cocktail hour, ate great food, had a nice room, and hit up the wine bar. It was just what the doctor ordered.
Inevitably however, as the winter slowly progressed, I grew more frustrated. I think I really broke in March. By then I was ready for some relief. I looked ahead on the weather app and saw only snow and clouds in the future. I needed something positive to help me coast through the coming weeks. So, I declared a spa day! I have never done this before so we were in uncharted territory. After doing some research we found the Grand America Hotel downtown had a couples package. We indulged ourselves. We got a couples massage, took an ill-fated couples shower (the technology thwarted us), enjoyed high tea, swam, and hot tubed. It cost an arm and a leg but spa day really got me over the hump. With any luck we will do another one someday (I want another crack at that shower).
Eventually the weather broke and the sun came out. It’s amazing how much better I felt after the snow mostly melted. Right now I’m in a good headspace. I’m at the restaurant full time. My fitness routine is back on track. Chrysa and I are maximizing our time off together and we have a lot of fun things planned for the future (both short term and long term). If winter was a test I at least passed. I may have gotten a D- for a grade (Chrysa gets an A for sure) but I survived, I stayed alive and I will do it again one last time. After that though, something new. Chrysa and I need new challenges and adventures and we are both in a good spot to meet those adventurous challenges head on.
Next time – Chrysa’s birthday. It deserves its own post.
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