I have to confess: I miss California. That wouldn’t be such a big deal, but it’s been a year and a half since we left, and up until now I felt fine about leaving. In fact, I hadn’t missed it one bit! (Okay, I missed the food.) But now that we’re deep into winter, I’m scrolling Instagram feeds from bloggers in Spring Lake, Venice, or Malibu and turning green as they prance around in flowy dresses and straw hats. I’ve diagnosed myself, not with seasonal affect disorder but something else: California envy. Symptoms include aching for warm weather, dreaming of palm trees, and willingness to overlook miles of strip malls for one glance at Manhattan Beach. Now I know how the Mama’s and the Papa’s felt, writing California Dreamin’ from New York City. All the leaves are brown…and the sky is grey…yup, sounds spot on.

Well, someone must have heard I was ailing, because it was 60 degrees yesterday and the warm wind and sunshine was just the medicine I needed to boost my spirits. With the temperature spike, Jon and I got outside, spending the day in New York City practicing photography with my spanking new Fujifilm camera. It was glorious to only need a light jacket while walking the windy High Line, and people were out in force, sunning themselves during their lunch break. I got some interesting photos, learned a few new things, and lifted my Vitamin D levels by a point or two.

Today, it’s cold once again and I don’t know about you, but I feel revived enough to make it through the next few months before welcoming spring.