Anyone who knows me, knows that my winters just aren't complete without spending some time down on the frozen pond. Last winter crushed my spirits. With temps barely making it below the freezing mark, the pond was off limits all season long. We tried making up for it by visiting skating rinks – both indoors and out – but they just weren't the same. There's something special about the pond. There's something special about heading down there with a shovel in hand and clearing our own patch of ice. There's something special about strapping on our skates, grabbing hold of a hockey stick and yelling: "Game on!" There's something special about enjoying a hot chocolate break on the sidelines of the makeshift rink.

Luckily, the pond froze over just enough for us to be able to start of the new year the best way I know how... by gliding around its smooth surface, taking in the crisp winter air and enjoying the serene surrounding of the pond. I walked away that day exhilarated and looking forward to the next time. Sadly, this past Sunday afternoon, I found myself enjoying a brisk walk around the pond instead of skating on it. Mother Nature wasn't on my side and the temperatures were back up above freezing. I hope New Year's Day isn't my one and only 2013 pond-skating day. I hope Mother Nature works with me on this one. We're meant to be together throughout the winter months, that pond and I. After all, isn't this what Sunday afternoons in Canada were meant for? I'm raising a gloved, hot-chocolate-holding hand and pleading with Mother Nature to help reconnect me with one of my all-time winter loves. Please come back to me, pond. I miss you.