Plan for happiness

I feel overcome this morning. First, it is Monday. I never like Mondays. Mondays are always long days catching up on weekend e-mails. Long because I've deviated from my 9 to 4:30 sleep schedule all weekend and trying to shove myself back on it is usually disastrous (like last night...didn't sleep very well). Second, Primary Program practice was SO LONG yesterday. We went straight through TWICE with NO BREAKS. I thought I was going to die, worse than the kids. But BouBou had it worse, because he sat next to a nice boy, but a boy who has bad behavioral issues, so the kid was stroking Jeff's face half the time and telling him about all the video games he plays. I dismissed Jeff to Priesthood meeting after the first run-through. Not much of a treat, but at least he got away from the deja vu!

Third, and the main source of my feeling overcome, is this weather here in Houston. I have complained before, I know. But I have every right to, and until you come down here and see what I mean, well, you'd better not tell me to stop.

Up until yesterday, it was still 90 degrees here. We have had a few nice days, lower in the 80s, but mostly it is hot.

But yesterday, oh yesterday, it was the most blessed rainy day. We need the rain so badly. I need the rain. Watching the strings and strings of water pelt the dirty ground was so soothing. We went for an afternoon drive and I loved hearing the wipers swish and feeling the small vibrations of the rain rocks on the car.

And the temperature. Oh, the temperature. It was so nice out. High 60s. I deservedly wore a jacket. It was humid but the raindrops were cold.

It was so cold in our apartment this morning. I thought it was cold outside because we left the patio door open to let in the outside air. But I didn't know a little night elf had woken up hot and saw that I was hot (out of the covers, allegedly) so he closed the door and turned on the ever-roaring a/c. And I woke up and it was cold but cold because of the a/c not the outside.

There have been a few other times while I'm sitting at work. I look out my window and I think, It looks so cold outside. I hope it is cold outside. And then 3:30 rolls around and I walk outside only to be disappointed with the hot sun, hot air, hot car, hot world.

Meanwhile in EVERY OTHER PART OF THE NATION people are wearing scarves and boots and blazers and cardigans and opening windows to smell crisp cool air and I look at the design blogs and style blogs talking about fall and what to wear in fall and how to decorate for fall and I lament my existence in this hot, hellish Houston because those things won't start defining Houston until January, MAYBE. Oh Houston. You don't even cool off at night. Our a/c hasn't been off since March. You offer no reprieve.

I am making great efforts these days to focus less on certain obsessions of late. Crossfit, paleo, Whole30s (finished one last week, starting a new one this week to really heal my acne and persistent acid reflux) namely. Jeff and I are committed to not eating out for the next 30 days (he is doing this Whole30 as well). We are trying to de-materialize our lives in a number of ways. Control spending. We save a good portion of our income. Sometimes I look at people's blogs and all the cute stuff they have and I think, "But how do they afford it?" Numerous weekend trips, new clothes all the time, eating out, buying cutesy decor for their homes, and how? And why? I am so happy Jeff and I save and save and save and even though it would be nice to have everything I've ever wanted from Anthro and J.Crew, it's just not worth it to me. Someday I will be happy on our little farm, doing WODs in our home gym and eating pastured eggs from our pastured chickens and growing tons and tons of heirloom vegetables that we will eat and can and sell at the farmer's market. Okay, maybe not all that, but we will live off the land as much as we can and prepare and save and plan for happiness.

I like that. Plan for happiness.

Despite Houston, despite the fact I still want to throw up from the cold, delicious glass of chocolate milk I shouldn't have drunk last night, I am so, so happy.