Simple Joys of the Week, January 3rd Edition

Holy snow! It's crazy up here! Where the heck have we moved!? If you want to see some pics of what we woke up to this morning, check out my instagram feed. I'll be adding more pics of snowy scenes throughout the day, but suffice it to say that it is COLD and blizzardy outside ;) 

So how was your week? How was your NYE, your New Year's Day, your first day back to work or school or regularly-scheduled life? I hope it was full loved ones, laughter, and lots of simple, sensory joys. I know mine was, even though I did get a bit sick on Tuesday...

Here's what brought me joy this week. What made your list? 

HEAR: British accents via Downton Abbey
Okay, so after listening to all of the hype for so long, Ben and I have finally gotten into Downton Abbey. And I must admit that although it's a bit high-brow-soap-opera-y, it's really good. Also, it's just fun to have a new show to watch, as we were at a bit of a loss when we'd watched all of Orange is the New Black and the last season of Boardwalk Empire. Oh, and re: Downton Abbey--I can't get enough of their accents. Ben and I walk around the house talking like them now, and it's quite fun, if I do say so myself ;) 

SEE: New Year's Day workshop crowd
Teaching my first workshop on the Cape was a bit scary for me. I was worried that no one would show up, I was worried that it wouldn't go well, I was worried that I would feel like an outsider. But none of these things happened--the workshop was full, I had a blast, and the community was wonderful. It felt so good to teach a workshop here that I've taught in DC for the past two years, and I so appreciated all of the people who came out and brought their amazing energy :) 

TASTE: Whole wheat bagels...OMG!!!!
Okay, so since I was basically gluten-free for all of 2013 (despite some lapses for treats and pizza every once in a while), I hadn't had a bagel in over a year. And I LOVE bagels. Whole wheat bagels, to be exact. So, last weekend, when at a coffee shop that is known for their bagels, I picked some up. I had two this week, and they were divine. As I mentioned in my NYE post, I'm not going back to being gluten-full all of the time, but if I want to eat a bagel, I'm going to eat that bagel. YUM. 

SMELL: Sayde
Don't think I'm annoying, but our new dog Sayde is honestly my favorite smell of the week, and here's why: My friends will laugh at this (they always made fun of me for it), but I have very sensitive nostrils/a very sensitive sense of smell. One of my biggest fears about getting a dog was that the dog would smell, and thus, I would hate petting it and getting my hands all smelly. But guess what? I LOVE how Sayde smells. She smells a bit like popcorn (mixed with puppy love) and I adore just burying my face in her fur and breathing in the scent. I'm smitten! She's amazing! It's true love!

TOUCH: Snow, snow, and more snow.
We got SO much snow last night! It's insane! It reminds me of Snowmageddon in DC, or the great Blizzard of '93 in ATL (haha!). Although we now live in New England, I'm obviously still a total southerner at heart. I ran to the front door this morning, all excited, and was shocked when I couldn't open the door against the snow. Once I did pry it open, the wind was whipping the snow all around and it was crazy cold, but I felt like a little kid who had just heard that school was cancelled. Ben and Sayde were not impressed. [I can't wait to put on my snow gear and go outside and play later this morning!]

If you have a snow day today, I hope you enjoy it. If not, enjoy the first Friday of 2014 and be glad that you have power and safe roads to drive on!

2014 sure has started off with a bang, hasn't it? ;)