Desert Heat

I have learned over the past two months NOT to complain about the weather. I'm always trying to find the 'brighter' side of how the weather is acting at the current moment. Sure, I'll be honest: it pains me to see that our temps are still close to or a degree or two over 100 degrees ... and it's the first day of my favorite season: AUTUMN!

Desert living is for the birds. Or, for those who like it dry 98% of the year. I don't mind the humidity because when there's a breeze or it's flat out windy, the air actually feels good. On top of that, though, humidity makes you sweat. Maybe that's the only downside, but then again ... Hmm ... not such a bad thing when you're wanting to lose weight, I guess.

Anyway, the kids and I went to the park on base, since I don't feel safe enough taking them on my own to one of the public parks here in Vegas. We went to the park to 1. Have some playtime. 2. Do some homeschooling. 3. Enjoy some time away from our home. We ended up staying there for a mere 2.5 hours because the breeze felt HORRIBLE! You know the heat that pops you in the face after you open the oven or when you open the dishwasher after the drying cycle has finally ended ... at many points towards the end of our stay at the park, this is the exact feeling we kept getting. Oh -- and the wind was picking up ... so it felt like someone had turned on a hairdryer and was pointing the thing right at us.

First of all, I am NOT complaining about the weather. When we arrived at the park, the weather was BEAUTIFUL! Secondly, there is no way I'm going to complain about the weather KNOWING that so many soldiers sweat their hineys off deployed to the desert. After finding out where William was going and seeing that the temps in the summer (during the time he would be there) get up between 116 and 120 degrees .... do I have any right to complain about the weather at all? NO WAY! It's like that saying "put yourself in someone else's shoes because more than likely they have it worse off than you do anyway" ... so I'm NOT complaining about the weather here.

At the same time, leaving the park at 12:30 p.m. with the temperature at 102 reminded me that the military, who serve and protect our country are still in temps close to 110 degrees or more!! On top of it all, many are wearing gear consisting of 40+ lbs of extra weight. I have lost 16.5 lbs since William has been gone, dressed in a lightweight top, thin capri pants, flip flops, hair pulled back in a ponytail, and I couldn't stand the 102 temp that was blowing me in the face while sitting in the shade.

Seriously, it was a reality check when I found out my husband would be in the desert (just as I was), but his temperatures were going to be hotter and at times more excruciating than what we (living in Vegas) would experience. Just remember, if you don't like your weather, you could always move somewhere else that has the weather you're wanting.