I was out on a story the other day when the conversation quickly turned to the weather. It's the most talked about topic--next to the new downtown stadium--that can be heard in grocery stores, the hair salon, even my dentist's office.

The complaints quickly then turn to the justification we all tell ourselves to keep going until spring...

"This is the Midwest. We are used to this."

True, we get our fair share of the weather. I've grown up in the Midwest. We are hearty. We are resilient. But we are tired of it. It's not that this winter has been plagued with huge snowstorms, but it's been constant. It started earlier. And it has stuck around.

I broke down and went and bought my husband Tiger Woods Golf for our Playstation 3. I weighed the pros and cons. If I buy this, will he ever complete a Honey-do list again. Truth is...it's kept him "feeling" like he gets to golf, albeit temporarily.

My parents live in San Antonio. They never talk about the weather. It's never a factor...until last week. My little dog Milton jumped into their car when we were all back in Kansas for the Christmas Holiday. I think he watched Jim Flower's Winter Forecast and said, "I'm Outta Here." My parents knew I was aching for warm weather, so they sent me this picture of Milton, sunning himself on the patio at his "Winter Home."

It made me laugh...but more importantly, it made me book 2 plane tickets.