Suddenly it is the tenth day of March and the field that surrounds our house is sprouting green. I am SO ready for spring—more ready than I could possibly tell you!

The beginning of spring means the end of winter, which means remembering what was good about this winter. Here is (part of) my list.

A surprisingly cozy house

After we had painted our house white, last spring, Marshall worried a little bit that it would seem too clean and cold for frigid winter nights. I loved the white, but didn’t want it to seem unwelcoming! Coziness is a must on snowy nights. So we worked to make it more warm and welcoming for the bitterly cold days—and it was! We put most of my plant family in the living room, hung some art in the kitchen, and had blankets easily accessible. We always kept the rooms warm, the lights just slightly low, and a candle burning (my talented friend Brittany has a new candle shop and she kept us well stocked).

We always would read in the evenings and often would end up chatting way too late. And we commented almost every day, especially on the freeeezing ones—isn’t it nice that our house actually feels cozy?! Coziness is even better when it is a surprise, apparently.

(I’m writing this feeling poignantly aware of the winter that is still in Ukraine and how utterly far from cozy or safe so many people are. How can such a paradox exist in one world? Jesus bring peace.)

Christmas in California

Of course this is always a favorite! There’s nothing like getting away from 15 degree temps to the loaded orange trees and green palms of California. And of course the people are the best part—the guys making pancakes on Christmas morning for my whole family that is getting almost too big for my parents house. Cooing at babies and watching their smiles. Coffee with friends and long overdue catchup chats. A family day trip to the ocean that was stormy and delightful even though we froze. The annual photos in front of Mom and Dad’s orange tree.

Christmas.

Can you tell yet what my favorite part of winter is?:D I was looking through my pictures and realized I couldn’t leave out our other Christmases! Marshall and I had two Christmases together because our gifts arrived in stages. I made ribs (now our tradition) and yes, we ate by candlelight. Romantic and chill and so. fun.

And Christmas with his family! We got together the weekend before Christmas since we were in California over actual Christmas day. Their family Christmas is little boy sword fights and a huge amount of laughter and a big pot of shrimp and then everyone curling up in the living room reading their new books. This makes me excited for next year.

The winter light

This one surprised me. Light is so fascinating to me, and I love watching how it changes throughout the year. I guess last year I didn’t notice it very much—our little camper sat in the shade of a bigger shop. But this year the winter light that slanted into our house and around us in the fields was simply lovely—soft and white and sort of chilly but also warm and comforting. We had plenty of grey days, but often the sun would peek out just as it was about to set, and our whole house would light up with soft shadows. I’m so excited for the warmer light of spring—but I’m also so glad for the winter light that came this year.

What were your favorite things from this winter?