Day 330: Tacos and Reminiscing

What stops us from going out on our bikes in the drizzly weather to eat tacos at the pink taco truck? Absolutely nothing. We just grab our rain jackets and head out anyway. Luckily there were only few minutes when I actually needed my rain jacket but it was still good to have with me. It's amazing that the weather has been so warm this time of year. It isn't swimming weather by any means but it is definitely nice enough out that we can be outside without feeling like we need to find the nearest cafe for a hot beverage and cozy chair to sit in while we warm our bones.

Homemade with love! 

Deliciousness. 

Shoveling the final bites in... Notice no hat or gloves... ah!!!!

I remember how cold the first winter was when we moved to Sweden. We arrived at the beginning of December and shortly afterward it began to snow and it did not stop the entire winter. We had a white Christmas, a white January, a white February and a white March. It was a bit of a shock to my Texas core and I can remember planning out my strategies for getting to and from our apartment in the freezing cold. I am pretty sure that my commuting strategy, i.e. stepping into a store every few blocks, to warm up is how I came to be so acquainted with many of what I consider my favorite stores now. Many of them just happened to be along my route so if I found that my hands were starting to get numb or that I could no longer tolerate the tiny ice pellets beating again my face, into one of the toasty boutiques I would saunter and browse until I felt I could bear the outside again.

So having weather in late November in which we can ride our bikes without having to dress in tons of extra layers feels especially indulgent. Add to that, getting to stand outdoors while eating our refried bean tacos, topped with pico de gallo and avocado cream, and you have a truly special treat. Even with this warmer trend in temperatures, I am still looking forward to snow. Because believe it or not, having really cold temperatures and pretty white snow is much nicer than it just being cold and rainy. The snow brightens things up with the long dark days and makes it feel like we live in a winter wonderland. I'll take the warmth for now but if it starts snowing sometime soon I would be completely cool with it. No pun intended.

This photo was taking the evening we trudged out in the snow to get a Christmas tree for our temporary apartment. It was really the last day that made any sense for getting a tree since we would not be in town for Christmas. Unfortunately the Christmas tree lot was closed. Fortunately I found this stray branch hanging around. It became our "tree." Those white spots are snow reflecting the light of the flash, in case you didn't know. :-)

Below is a little synopsis of the winter months...

Warming up in December with a little glögg (spiced wine) at the Julmarknad (Christmas market).

January trip to IKEA in a snow storm... It was colder than it looks! 

February visit to Millesgården... the sculpture garden was inaccessible due to the snow level.

Walking on the frozen Baltic sea in March. Just a month later and I would not be standing but swimming in ice cold water.

 One final snow in April... providing snow that was damp enough to mold into snowmen.

Finally snow free in May!

It may or may not be a long wait until days like this in 2013 but I am ready for it, whether it is snow filled months until April or May or warmer days with little to no snow. Bring it on Mr. Frost!