Smitten with the Mitten: In Every. Single. Season.

"Smitten with the Mitten."  I'm sure you've heard the phrase.  I feel like I'm seeing it everywhere these days—on shirts, bumper stickers, this adorable watercolor on Etsy, and, (sometimes seemingly without reason), hashtags (*shudder*).  So you would think you would see all these Mitten-loving maniacs blowing up social media with how much they love Michigan weather, right?  Ha.

Indeed, this winter was a doozy.  The Great Lakes were frozen for almost the entire season (which I guess is a record breaker), Grand Rapids experienced an accumulation of 111 inches of snow (which is over 9 feet...I know—I did the math on my phone calculator) and I'm pretty sure I heard it was warmer in the South Pole multiple times throughout the Polar Vortex.  I admit, I got a little tired of going to bed with the promise of sunshine in the morning and waking up to four feet of snow to shovel off my car.  And I was a tad pouty when I triumphantly packed away my winter coat after the third consecutive day of 40 degree weather, only to have to dig it back out the next day due to another unexpected snowfall.  I got pretty darn tired of it.

Recently a friend mentioned how tired she was of seeing all the negative posts about the weather on Facebook (i.e. "Remind me why I live in Michigan again??") , and I agreed with her wholeheartedly.  I would be lying if I hadn't wished I lived somewhere—anywhere—else at times.  Long winters can be draining, and Spring Fever comes an-itching.  There are times when I wanted to take a blow torch to my front yard, just so I could catch a glimpse of grass.  But friends, I would not trade my homeland's s schizophrenic weather habits for anything.  This 14 week winter has made me so grateful for the hope of springtime.  I even found this little guy burrowing its way through a bank of snow by my front porch.  

If he can do it, so can I.

So I challenge you, if the 30% chance of snow on Tuesday turns into a 100% chance and you feel like stabbing the frozen ground with a steak knife until it thaws, resist the urge.  Bundle up and join me in celebration for the chance to put off shaving our legs for another day.  It is my hope that you will choose to let your grumbling give way to gladness.

As for me, I shall remain smitten.