Well, winter is officially upon us. It was a long time in coming this year, and even with sometimes sub-zero temps, the desired snow-fall is still lacking in terms of winter-tourism in my "grad na sport" (city of sport).

Some things I'm thankful for in my quest to survive life in the frozen tundra (not necessarily in any particular order or seriousness… who am I kidding? I'm totally serious!) –

• Extra freezer space… yes, my kitchen is THAT cold (I'm NOT so thankful that my bathroom is also just as cold… which means my laundry freezes before it has time to dry and my toilet seat has developed a number of… uncomfortable… cracks in the plastic).
• My neighbor's woodburning stove... I fall asleep at night with my face practically pressed up against our adjoining wall to take in as much "free" heat as I can.
• Yak Trax (http://www.yaktrax.com/ProductsWalker.aspx) – God's gift to mountain dwelling Americans who have not yet followed in the footsteps of their Eastern European counterparts and mastered the use of stiletto's as ice picks to keep your balance on slick sidewalks
• The developmet of a new hobby – I learned how to knit. Not only does it keep my fingers moving (trying to prevent frostbite) in the evenings, but it also means I now possess an array of warm scarves and matching headbands to keep my ears warm
• MY SNUGGIE!!!
• A finally acquired taste for tea - nothing warms up a day's worth of bone-chilling coldness better.
• My winter survival ensemble: Duofold long underwear, fleece socks and liners, fleece vest, knee length Down parka, hand-knitted handband, Thinsulate Isotoner's gloves… and -30 degree snow boots. Rarely leave the flat anymore without any one of these things.
• "Греяно Вино" – hot mulled wine… YUM
• The discovery of new music and movies (excellent for hibernation).
  

I'm sure I'll continue to add to that list… but even though a little unrelated, I want to express how THANKFUL I am for my friends here... Bulgarian, British, American (PCV's and otherwise)... you all know who you are and you're a huge part of my sanity and love for my time here.

I also want to share that I had a craving for a bagel the other day, and I started thinking that there was no reason why I couldn't figure out how to make them myself. So, last night, I did just that. DELICIOUS. I will probably never be able to eat another store bought bagel again.