The other day I was lying on the couch and my daughter was sitting on the floor next to me. She was looking at a book with her back up against the couch looking too sweet for words. I couldn’t help myself. I leaned over and took a deep breath of her hair.

There it was.

That unmistakeable intoxicating smell of childhood. A perfect mix of sunscreen, sweat, grass, and whatever that sweet smell is that God puts into the skin of children.

This is my own interpretation of Groundhog Day… The actual one, not the Bill Murray version. If a mom smells her child’s hair and smiles then Spring is just around the corner, if she tells her to go take a bath, then we have 6 more weeks of winter.

Hello Spring?

This is the confusing time of year where I’ve never been able to dress appropriately. If I’m in the sun, a t-shirt and maybe a light jacket is fine, but if I get stuck in the shade at an outdoor restaurant I end up shivering my way through lunch.

Also, you never know when it might turn too hot. I put sunscreen on my face, but I don’t think to put it on my shoulders and end up paying for it later when I have to rip my jacket off because I’m sweating buckets at my son’s football game. I end up with a painful burn that lasts for days.

Wardrobe dilemmas aside, I really do love this time of year. The transition between seasons is so full of anticipation and hope.

I find myself googling things like “Spring bucket list,” or “best books to read in the Spring.” Some of my favorite Spring vegetables, like asparagus and peas, start showing up in the markets, the roadside berryman starts coming around more regularly, and ALL of Santa Barbara starts to smell like jasmine.

How do you mark the start of Spring? Do you have a particular tree you watch for blooms? A smell? A favorite recipe? Drop a comment below. I’d love to hear about it.

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