Snow brings out the child in me...

I open the door in the kitchen, and a cold breeze takes away my breath. I quickly regain my senses, and gently set my bare foot outside the door. As my foot touches the ground, I bring it back up, due to the fact that there is snow on the ground. My foot now stinging from the cold, I close the door and walk towards the dining room. I sit down at the computer, assuming that I will some how use that to entertain myself, and get my mind off of the cold, bitter weather. As I sit there, a feeling of guilt consumes me. I slightly want to argue with myself, "Mandy, what is your problem?"...but instead, I follow that little nudge inside of me to go again, and look outside. This time though, I'm a bit smarter. I slip on a pair of pajama pants over the ones I'm already wearing. I go into my Dad's bedroom and get a pair of his old tube socks, and pull them up over my doubled pajama pants legs. I run quickly upstairs and grab a hoodie, put it on, slip on my coat and my snow boots, and I again, open the kitchen door. This time, the cold breeze hits my face, but doesn't take my breath. I was ready this time. I walk out into the yard, and look at the unharmed snow. Snow that had not yet been tampered with, no animals had yet walked in it, no children had yet stopped their way through it, and I just took in the beauty that layed before me. The night before, the same yard had just been a mixture of dead grass and mud, the best that Ohio has to offer around here this time of year. And now, just hours later, I could stand in awe of beauty that only comes a few months out of the year. I stop day dreaming, and realize how foolish I must look. Standing there in the outfit I was wearing. But this train of thought some how led me back to childhood, and for a few moments, I didn't have a care in the world. Before I tell you exactly what I did, maybe you should go get a drink of water, or maybe make sure your sitting down. Are you ready...here it is... I ran out in the middle of my untampered yard, and I threw myself down and made a snow angel! Quite content with myself, I brush the snow off of my body, and go back inside. I get warmed up as a few hours pass by, and I decide to go outside and see how my little angel is doing.. But to my disappointment, she was gone. The wind had blown snow over her, and all that was left was where her head had once layed. I honestly felt...sad...as funny as that may sound to you. I think all of this just goes to prove that when we let the child in us come out to play for a short time, we want to stay there. I would love for my biggest problem to be that my snow angel disappeared. Isn't it good to know though, that no matter what we go through, no matter how hard the wind blows the snow across the yard, God has his angels around us, and they don't blow away, and they don't get covered up? Its good to stop and think about. I also love how God gives us these moments to just relax, and enjoy what he has given us. To think that he makes rain fall from the sky, and out of that same sky, unique snow flakes fall as well. He truly is an amazing God.....and I love when he uses his creation to bring out the child in me....

We sat on the couch in his living room. He was sitting up and I was laying out, my head on his lap. I spread my worn body out on the couch as he put his arm over my back. We layed there together, soaking in a few hours of reality tv...one of the many pleasures of todays society. Durring commercials we talked about the future, our kids, our home, briefly discussed finances, mentioned a few plans about the wedding...things of the sort. Looking back on this, just a few hours later, I almost have to hold laughter inside. Not a heartless laughter, not even a "haha" laughter. But a school girl laughter. Why? Haha...here comes. I love being in his embrace. He has no idea how much I love laying there with his arm around me. It gives me a sense of security, a sense of comfort, and a sense of "I'm right here Mandy..and I'm all yours". Although I know all of that...I need it. Sometimes it's nice to just sit, and let life pass by, and enjoy little things like that. If you are reading this...enjoy your loved ones...sit still long enough for them to embrace you..or maybe you should be the one embracing somebody. Chances are you have no idea what it means to them...I dont think Ryan has the slightest clue what it means to me...God keeps showing me to charish the little things...because its the little things that will stay with us forever. This sounded kinda fortune cookie-ish...but i really dont care. My life is good enough to make it sound that way right now..and I'm going to take advantage of that.