What's saving my life right now...

Ned? Ned Ryerson?

Happy Groundhog's Day.

We are in the throes of winter, which here in Texas means that it was 70 on Friday and 25 when I woke up this morning. And Wednesday will be in the mid 60's, and it will be 35 and drizzly on Thursday morning when I go out to morning duty. #whydoesJesushateThursdays?

Mother nature gets very bipolar in Texas, so winter survival items include tank tops and warm socks.

Modern Mrs. Darcy wrote about what is saving her life right now, and focuses on what's life giving to us right now.

1. Derby. Always. Derby has saved my soul. As I'm coming up on one year in derby, you can be sure to hear more about it. Especially now that I train derby littles.

2. Pants on top of pants (even though I complain about them). I practice in glorified yoga pants/leggings. So on derby days that begin (and usually stay) cold, I have to wear sweat pants on top of my regular pants. The lower the temperature drops, the more layers I wear, and therefore, the more I look like a hobo.

3. My student teacher- She totally gets me. And she's amazing. And she's starting to take over my class, which means I now have afternoons off. BOOM.  (You'll hear more about her too...)

4. Warm boots and skinny jeans- I bought a pair of Ugg-ish boots (Target brand), and I now understand what the fuss is all about. And I pink-puffy-heart-love to wear skinny jeans tucked into them. The fashion. I has it.

5. Kickin' it old school - I've been listening to a little Beastie Boys, RUN DMC, Young MC, Salt-n-peppa, with some Prince and Missy Elliot thrown in. Just does it for me.

6. Working on Project Life- I've simplified it for this year and I'm keeping up relatively well, and it makes me happy. Right now, it's a little derby-heavy, but that will ebb and flow like the rest of life does. It's just a good, tangible thing to have that reminds me that my life (even the everyday) is important.

7. Rereading recent favorite books- I just finished Station Eleven, and loved it, but this time of year I go into a rereading rotation. Right now, I'm rereading Dear Mr. Knightly from last year. I just need a comfortable book that I know has a happy ending and makes me feel soft and warm inside. Next up: either another reading of Persuasion or The Night Circus again.

8. My new cleansing brush and face cream- It's nice to have something to scrub the day off my face. I feel like it's doing wonders... not necessarily for my skin, but just in helping me wake up feeling fresh and soft. (At least my face does).

9. Leggings under maxi skirts- This time of year (see: Mother Nature above), I unabashedly wear full length leggings under my maxi skirts. It keeps the legs warm and since I'm sitting on the floor for most of every day, it just makes sense.

10. Jimmy John's sandwiches. They really are so fast you'll freak. They are also a perfect meal right before derby. Bread, meat, cheese. No frills. Easily eaten on the nightmare of I35, but not enough to make me vomit after SOMEONE who is not on skates right now positively giggles when she assigns the Cruel and Unusual Punishment drill. Ahem: Reckless. (Though she did add music tonight and made all the difference in the world.)

So how about you?
What's saving your life right now?