get up, get out

it's officially spring and the weather these past few days couldn't be more fitting.

i'd like to say i've been waiting all winter for today, but the truth is, we were blessed with a rather mild last three months. of all the seasonal transitions, i love this one the most. i love watching things come back to life after a few months of winter and i find it always awakens a bit of myself as well.

i'm a "stop to smell the roses" kind of gal and this time of year, that's exactly what i do. for me, it's a sensory/memory overload:

• the daffodils remind me of my grandma beale's garden from my childhood
• the morning birds take me back to my quiet home in NC (which i'll happily be visiting in just a few weeks!)
• the lighter spirits during cocktail hour conjure craziness of spring breaks past
• and most of all, that extra hour of light reminds me to not just get out, but stay out to enjoy it all.

when i first moved up north, i wasn't aware of what a HUGE deal spring was until i went through my first winter. i'd always taken the pollen-soaked 75-degree march days in NC for granted. but now i see that spring is a calling, a begging almost, to come back to these places of life - wherever and whatever they may be for you. and each year, on this day, i gladly return.

*for you, a favorite that always reminds me of my last spring in NC