Prepare yourselves. Caroline is annoyed.

Before I begin this post, I just want to say that on my blog, most things are pretty sunshine-y and happy.  And this is not inaccurate, because I have a great life.  But I want to keep it real, you guys.  Sometimes I can get a little bit frustrated, just like anyone else, and I don't think I should only post about moments where I'm entirely happy, because that's not the entirety of my life.  So, get ready.

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I love snow.  And before you get all excited, no, it's not snowing here, but yesterday I had a conversation about snow.  And I came out of it very, very, very... frustrated.

Every time I tell anyone that I love cold weather and winter clothes and snow, they laugh at me.  They say things like "Give it a few months in Brussels and you'll be hating it.  TRUST ME."

But I don't "TRUST THEM."  I mean, give me some credit!  I grew up in Hawaii, the land where it never snows and it rarely gets below 60 degrees.  I was seven when we moved there and about to turn sixteen when we left, so that's pretty much all I know in regards to the weather.  I have seen snow a few times in other places, and I love getting bundled up in scarves and hats to go outside, because I've never had the ability to do that very often before.

To that, they always say "Eh, it's novel now.  But give it a few months...."

It's like they don't want me to like snow.  It's as if liking snow and cold weather would be an affront to their knowledge and persona, somehow.

I find this all terribly, horribly frustrating.

What I would like is this response:  "Oh, that's great.  You'll have fun!  I personally prefer warm weather, but if you like the cold, you'll definitely enjoy living in Brussels!"

The same goes for rainy weather.  I prefer rainy weather over sunny weather, and when I tell people that, they laugh and say, "Just wait till you go to Brussels, where it rains all the time!  You'll hate it soooo much!"

This really gets my goat.  It's so entirely the opposite of what we should do as Christians. Basically, when people tell me these things, it's as if they're wanting me to be unhappy.  They are not building me up.

How is that even remotely ok?  No matter how much I argue with them (and I sometimes argue too much, I will admit) they just seem to crave for me to be unhappy.   They are basically arguing for my sadness.

I'm not really sure how to handle this.  The appropriate response is probably to just say, "Well, I disagree, but I see how you would feel that way!  I've just gotten tired of wearing shorts and t-shirts at Christmas time."  A nonchalant response like that is probably the best way to go.  But inside, I want to scream about how just because they lived for three years in Alaska and hated it doesn't mean that I would hate it too.

"I can't STAND pistachio ice cream.  Put that cone down right now, you'll hate it!!"

See?  It's just about as silly as that.

And, I apologize for dragging you into my brain for a few minutes.