I’m Melting…!

Its a La Nina year, so the weather has been outrageous.  In Washington, our mountains are slow to lose their snow, and its been cool and rainy.  Meanwhile, my friends and family in Texas suffered triple-digit temperatures in April and have been setting heat records all week.  So off to Texas I went!

No, I’m not just a glutton for pain and punishment.  One of my best friends from college married her high school sweetheart and I was honored to be a bridesmaid.  And although big fancy weddings aren’t my style, it was hers.  The pre-wedding festivities were tons of fun, the ceremony was tear-jerking, and the reception was wild.  Plus, I got a 3 day reunion with some of my best friends on the planet.  Just wonderful.

It amazes me how events such as weddings bring people together.  I hadn’t seen most of my pals in about two years or more, since moving from Texas.  So much laughing, reminiscing, and catching up.  A lot has happened in the recent past.  More unexpected awesomeness came from the new friends I gained.  I knew or had at least met most of the other bridesmaids (there were nine of us!) but the shared weekend in support of our mutual friend brought us a new bond of companionship.  And there are many whom I had never met but am now privileged enough to call friends – groomsmen, friend’s girlfriends, family of the bride and groom.  What a blast!

I stayed two days after the wedding to see my Momma.  My aunt and God-mother were along as well.  We sat around and ate/drank the two days away!  What could be better?!  My Dad, cousin, and another college pal joined us for dinner one night.  Oh the merriment we made.

So with all this wonderfulness, what could possibly exist for me to whine about?  You guessed it – back to the beginning about heat.  I lived in Texas up until high school, and then for 5 years after high school.  I love summer, and hot weather, and wearing shorts and tank tops with a bathing suit underneath just in case.

Then again, I hadn’t been in Texas during the summer for three years.  I have adapted to the Pacific Northwest and the cold weather that comes along with it.  And when I stepped through the doors of DFW airport, I felt like I melted into the sidewalk.  I sweated for all 5 days I was there – even at night.  I don’t remember Texas being such an inferno!

Now I can see why Texans don’t participate in outdoor activities quite like northwesterners do – they would die of a heat stroke.  Physical activity in 100+ degree heat is just not smart.  And people talk about “oh its humid” or “oh its dry” – listen people, hot is hot, no matter how you look at it.  If you can’t be in or on the water, you might as well sit in front of your AC.

I highly commend those who do still live in Texas – or anywhere in the south, for that matter.  You learn to improvise: keep towels in the car to lay over your leather seats so you don’t melt the skin off the backs of your thighs; carry a bathing suit in your purse at all times; keep bottles of water handy for emergencies – drinking or otherwise;  stash deodorant in your bag/car/whatever since you literally sweat 24/7; and when parking, at least crack your windows and invest in a sunshade.

I think the retired people who live the hot months in the north and the cold months in the south are the smartest of us all!  So friends, family, please – come visit me this summer before you burst into flames!