Persephone has left her mother, and is making her way back to the throne that awaits her in Hades. Winter is clawing her way across the Northern Hemisphere. The humidity I’ve become so used to is slowly, oh so slowly, transforming into biting wind. Ladies and Gents, Friends and Strangers, the cold days are here.

I figured it was about time I did a more…positive blog post. I’ve been dwelling too much on the negative lately–as I am want to do–and now that October is over, it’s time for not only my favorite time of the year, but also the coolest (at least down here in Texas).

Why do I love winter? Well, dear stranger, I’m glad you asked. Winter is the best time of year simply because it is cold. That and I get to wear sweaters every day, turn off my air conditioning, and snuggle up beneath my blankets and embroider the night away. I always find I can stay awake longer in winter. I ache more for midday walks than midday naps. I love Winter because it is the one time of year that I feel alive.

Now, to be fair, I’ve only dealt with Texas winters, which are for the most case very mild (though Lubbock does see some horrible days) they’re nothing like what people up North would experience. That being said I ache for snow storms and blizzards. I assume after I experience a few more in my life that aching will turn to displeasure or anger, but at this point in time I yearn for a world coated in ice and snow.

I tweeted the other day that the “colder it gets, the stronger I become,” and honestly that’s pretty true. While October draws to a close, and November arrives, I feel much more alert than usual. I’m doing NANOWRIMO this year (National Novel Writing Month). I’ve actually got a book pretty well planned out so I have hopes–not high ones– for writing over 50,000 words this month.

I’m doing NANOWRIMO in an attempt to jump start my creative brain again. The last short story I wrote was over two months ago and I haven’t been reading as much as I’d like, so throwing myself into this challenge will likely restart me. Or at least force me to meet a deadline every day.

The rest of the month should be fairly relaxed for me. Just looking forward to Thanksgiving, and then December, because in one month–exactly one month–I will be leaving for Europe.

It won’t be a very long trip, just about a week, but I’ll be going back to Ireland, Switzerland and Italy in search of some Holiday Cheer. Of course, dear Internet friends and Strangers I’ll be taking you with me. I’m thrilled to be able to share all the shenanigans my friend Sheila and I will no doubt get in to at the Zurich Christmas Markets. If you have any tips on Zurich please feel free to share them with me in the comments below. It’s the only city on the trip that I haven’t really been to before.

Other than that there’s really nothing else going on. I’m just glad the days of 90 degree highs are just about over (there’s a high of 92 this Thursday and I am not excited about it). The Holiday season is just around the corner and I can almost taste the apple pie and biscuits. Oh, I’m so excited.

Are you participating in NANOWRIMO? What’s your favorite season? Got any big plans this month? Talk to me in the comments down below.

If you’re still in the Hallowe’en/October mood I’d suggest checking out all the Samhain and travel posts on Ali Isaac’s Blog. She was one of the first bloggers on this site that made me feel welcome, and her content is just so above and beyond amazing I can’t help but shout her out.

Want to follow my travels in real-time? Follow me on Instagram 🙂

Thanks for Reading!