I often daydream about seasons long before they ever show up.

I wish the last few weeks of summer away with dreams of crunchy leaves and woolen socks. The day after Thanksgiving, I'm consumed with thoughts of twinkly lights and a cozy white Christmas spent by the fireplace.

And now we're in February, where I've already ordered several iced coffees; finding myself so incredibly ready for spring. I could try to blame this on the extra long and extra cold winters here in Minneapolis, but I've done this my whole life.

I love looking forward to things. My brother arrived late last night and I've been looking forward to his trip for months. I have a lot to look forward to, but even the most routine of things--autumn, winter, spring, summer--cause me to create countdowns and celebrate every little day we get closer to the goal. Maybe it's good, to be so enthusiastic about the future, but a lot of the time, I feel like I'm missing out on what's directly surrounding me.

So this season, I will try to sit in the present without wishing it away. I want to do more than accept what is in front of me--I want to be thankful for it. For extra snow and a new experience. For this long winter before Rob and I begin our marriage and start figuring out what's next for us. This most likely could be my last Minnesota winter, so I want to hold on to it. My brother is here for five days and there are hot beverages to drink and frozen waterfalls to see.

These winters are long, but they're good. My sundresses can wait.

Whenever Rob and I tell people that we live in Minneapolis, you can bet that the first thing that comes out of their mouth is usually, "Oh, gosh, you know it's cold there, right?" And at the risk of sounding like a huge brat, let me say that yes, we do know. This weekend was exceptionally cold, with a windchill of -26 on Sunday, but on Saturday, it was an entire nine degrees above zero, so while we were out running some errands, we stopped at Lake Normandale to snap a few photos.

I must be adjusting well to this climate, because I decided to leave my jacket in the car and was outside for ten whole minutes! So without further ado, here's what I wore this weekend (mostly under my parka).

We had a really cold weekend here in Minneapolis. When I woke up on Saturday, it was -11 degrees outside, but I was still super excited to go out and get our Christmas tree. In past years, we've always just set up a mini fake one, but this year Rob and I both really wanted to get a full-sized real one. This year away really has me eager to start some new traditions.

So I slapped some leggings on underneath my jeans and it was Christmas Tree Shopping Day! (From here until, well, April, outdoor What I Wore posts will probably contain less photos and more watery eyes. It's a little chilly out there.)

It smells like winter to me, that lotion, so once I put it on I crossed my arms over my face and breathed in deeply, remembering the really tall but wobbly air mattress we used to sleep on and the kitchen with barely anything in it that he shared with two other guys. Chilly afternoons with friends and dinners out in DC, loud bars at Halloween and high heels at holiday parties, sad Sunday afternoons filled with naps and extra kisses and four hour drives into the night.

They were days full of friends and full of fun, but they were days that sometimes felt as though they'd never end; like we'd always be separated by our jobs and the cities we lived in.

But now we have this place together, and though it sometimes also feels transitional, there are flowers in vases and all of my books are on a shelf and we share a car and say things like, "What do you want to do for dinner?" because after a day of work, we are together. And I wake up on Sunday mornings with nowhere to go and I put water on the stove for coffee and think, this is our life. And it is so good.