warm and fuzzy

Right now I am exceedingly thankful for:

1) the amazing 2 hour walk I took on the beach this afternoon in the very, very chilly air. My hands went numb, my nose ran, my cheeks flushed and I loved every single second of it (I'll go into more detail about my lovely, spiritual, nearly transcendental beach walks in another post).

2) my brilliant warm up idea for when I got home. After a while on the beach I sort of stopped feeling the cold, but the second I got off the beach I just could not shake the feeling of chill right down to my bones. I guess a two hour walk on a cold, windy beach without adequate layers, not to mention any kind of gloves or ear protection will do that. So the moment I got home I made some hot chocolate (sugar free, so sort of not a cheat on the diet, or at least I tell myself that) and then ran upstairs and jumped in a scalding hot shower. I hate super hot beverages, so by the time my shower was over the hot chocolate waiting for me on the bathroom counter was the perfect temperature (and full of chocolatey deliciousness to boot)

3) my warm and fuzzy, not to mention inadvertently matching, ensemble I am wearing right now as I sit sipping my hot cocoa. My warmest flannel pajama pants (Old Navy men's pajama pants are the absolute best. I love my pj's baggy and women's pajamas pants are usually not baggy enough for my liking and waay to cutesy. I feel like you grow out of cutesy pajamas when you turn 8). I'm also wearing my favorite long sleeve, US Open Series tennis t-shirt and the fuzzy, navy socks I got when I was bumped up to business class on my flight to India.

So basically I am feeling very warm and fuzzy right now, and I love it. I love how cold it is outside and how the air smells like winter. I love wearing pea coats and bundling up. I love the smell of leaves burning that seems to permeate the air the second the temperature drops. I love the sight of breath in the air, and blasting the heat in a frigid car. I love that you can never feel warmer or fuzzier than when it's cold outside.