Climate Control

Dear Future Husband,

In order to avoid waking up in the early stages of hypothermia this morning, I put a little space heater in my room last night. Mornings are especially hard for me anyway, but downright near impossible to function when I'm cold. Brittany woke up to see me sitting literally two feet in front of the little space heater, which I had set to blast me with 80 degree air. She just looked at me and said, "Really, Marlys? Really??"

Yes. Really. :(

If you know me at all by now, future husband, you must know that I am perpetually colder than everyone else around me, and I LIVE for the days when the temperature is 80 degrees or more - which, in Minnesota, is about two, maybe three months out of the year. The rest of the year is pretty depressing for me.

I adore summer, and all things tropical. I love beaches, palm trees, big exotic flowers, tropical fruit, and basking in the sun when it's hot enough to make my skin tingle. I love being able to run outside in shorts and a t-shirt without getting goosebumps and shivering. Being outside is like being in a relaxing sauna, or an ongoing hug that warms me to the core! Few things frustrate me more than coming in from a gorgeous hot day and stepping into a frigidly over-air-conditioned building. I would rather stay outside and sweat. Long, hot days are very fulfilling to my soul, followed by balmy nights sitting around a bonfire, roasting marshmallows and gazing up at a sky full of stars.

Summer has just passed, and cooler temperatures have set in now. I love many things associated with fall: the beauty of the colorful leaves, raking, hot apple cider, pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving... but I can't shake the fact that fall is one big DUN-DUN-DUN for me.

Fall taunts me, saying, "Heh heh heh, Marlys, you think it's cold NOW?? Just you wait! Pretty soon my friend Winter will be here, and he will make you bundle up in even more constricting layers of clothing just to survive, but no matter how many layers you stack on, your tiny body will never produce enough heat to trap under said layers! Even indoors, because no one will want to turn up the heat a few more notches for you to thaw out a little! Mwahahaha! Every muscle of yours will be tense for months on end, which you might temporarily fix with a back rub, but as soon as you step outside again it will all have been in vain! And not only that, but your boogers will freeze too!!"

And yet... I can't bring myself to consider moving away. At least not yet, and definitely not on my own. I don't know how I've made it through the winters every year here. But I love the area. It's always been my home. And I consider my wonderful friendships/community/church/job/house/et cetera, all worth the frozen boogers.

All this is to say, dear future husband, that location and climate will probably have to be a pretty major discussion topic. I don't mean that to sound scary, because as you can see, I could be persuaded either way. Just wanted to make you aware of the issue.

...And to let you know that if we decide to settle in Minnesota (or, heaven forbid, anywhere else that's cold), that you can expect I will be relying on you a lot to help keep me warm. ;-)

Love,
Marlys