Effing Winter Wonderland, my ass...

Growing up in Montana, one question I often get from people is "What brought you out to Washington?" My stock answer is as follows:

Well, when I was looking at colleges, I made a decision early on that I wanted to go somewhere outside of Montana. A lot of my extended family lives in Spokane, so I decided to check out what was available in Washington. By random luck I happened to find Western Washington University's website and I just kind of fell in love with all the pictures of the quaint little college town. When I came to visit in December, I knew that it was the place I was going to attend school. So, I moved to the Pacific Northwest and I've been here ever since, and I love it!

It's all true. But there is one little piece of information that I often leave out, simply because it makes me sound/feel like a wuss...I hate snow and really cold weather!!!! "But Ashley," you must be thinking, "it still gets pretty cold in Washington and we do get snow and a lot of rain. If you wanted nice weather, why didn't you go to California or Arizona or somewhere sunny?" Well, I don't really like super hot weather, either. Honestly, the Vancouver summer temperatures actually get a little too high for me-thankfully we have a basement apartment that keeps pretty cool in the summer...and in the winter, I'm finding out. So, while this whol Arctic Blast thing we're having isn't anything new or unfamiliar to me, that doesn't mean that I like it! Or that I want to go play outside too much. The upside of icky weather, to me, is the excuse to stay in, cuddle up with someone on the couch and watch a movie (that would solve any problems of a cold apartment). Unfortunately, there is no one here to cuddle with me! I can't drive anywhere-living at the top of a poorly plowed hill is practically the equivalent on living on Mars (although I think I'd probably get more visitors if I lived on Mars-you know, because they're always looking for life on Mars)-and few people are willing to brave the roads to get to me. Long story short, I've got cabin fever, and while my roommate is more than willing to brave the outside weather to walk up to Wal-Mart or Fred Meyer, I am not-I can barely keep my feet warm inside! Am I a whiner? Yeah, sort of. Am I upset to be missing 2-3 days of work? Not really. Am I ready for all this snow to stop and melt away? Heck yes!

I don't want to end this post on a completely negative note, so I'd like to exercise my optomistic bone. While previous posts (including this one) may not support what I'm about to say, hopefully actual interaction with me will confirm that I am actually a pretty positive person. I've been thinking about that lately. Even though it's really easy, and sometimes satisfying to throw a little pity party and remark on the minor setbacks I've experienced in love and life, I have found that at heart I still look to the future with hope and anticipation. I do believe that things will turn out just fine in the end. I have no delusions of perfection, I know that life will never be exactly what I plan, but I know that in the end I will be happy and I trust that all those bumps in the road will actually create a better story than I could ever write for myself. I always thought that this was how most people viewed the world, but I'm continually finding out that many people (even ones that I know well and love very much) don't have the same faith. Not everyone finds that silver lining as quickly as I do. It has made me grateful for that little knack that I have, and it's inspired me to develop it. So, if anyone needs to spill an icky situation to me and is ready to let it go and look forward to what is still possible-give me a call...or just leave a little comment and I'll call you-unless I'm too busy wallowing in my own self-pity/hermit mess.

Oh, and in case I don't post before then...Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.