This winter has been the biggest challenge for us yet. The snow first hit us in early October and has been here  ever since. Today it is April 12th and it is still -12 F outside this morning, with calls for even more snow and continued below normal temps. We are sitting at a full 30 degrees below normal over the past few weeks and it looks like it may continue through much of April! Average daily highs are supposed to be in the mid 40's  but we aren't even close to that yet. Most everyone I talk to is begging for Spring.

In February I took a one week vacation in Kona and I really lapped up the sun. Just a few hours out in the warmth and sunshine began to have a restorative effect. I have seen this effect every year I go on vacation (over the winter) but it seemed most dramatic this year. I also noticed that I felt like a brand new person when I returned back to Fairbanks. A large uptick in happiness and general well-being was noticed. The reason for the late February vacation is that it gives you something to look forward to through the entire winter, and then when the vacation is over, you should have just a few short weeks until Spring. This has been my new survival mechanism for far north winters. This year, however, did not go to plan due to the excessively cold and long winter. Spring has certainly not sprung.

After five long winters in Fairbanks, I have had a pretty large swing in my attitude toward the north. Yes, the summers are beautiful, but they are far too short. The far north is a very extreme environment, and it taxes our body to the max, which subsequently is very hard on the mind. The lack of sunlight and warmth just isn't natural for a human being in this day and age. My new plan is to save, save, save, and plan for a day when my time here will not include a lot of the winter. I hope to become a very young snowbird within the next ten years, when the boys are in college.