It has to be addressed: I have a blog about living in the Midwest, it's winter, and we're about to take our Christmas lights down - yet there are no snowy, glowing photos of my house this year. And it's not because I was lazy and somehow missed the moment. There has been no snow. And there's none forecasted. No big storms, no flurries, no nothing. I wore my fleece jacket to work today...shoot, we might be in shorts and tanks by February at this rate. Truth be told, I hate being cold. But I love being inside when it's snowing, and more than that, I love the unexpected joy of a snow day (since I work in education but do work summers, this is my one seasonal job perk, and I fully embrace it). I miss the snow.
Moving on.
Andrew and I celebrated the New Year this year with a fantastic party. Our house was the first stop of a Progressive Dinner with three other couples. Appetizers are my hands down favorite thing to make, so I made my three "signature" apps - bacon wrapped stuffed dates, brandy and macadamia nut brie with apples and pears, and bruschetta. I put the bruschetta on ciabatta rolls, which made them a ton more party friendly (note to myself in the future). About 20 minutes before our guests were to arrive, the pre-heating oven started smelling like lighter fluid. We searched the internet, and about 15 posts said that it was nothing, and another 15 screamed "CALL THE GAS COMPANY!" So, we called the gas company. The gas folks told us to evacuate our home, so we bundled up the kitties and stowed them in the car (remember my previous statement about the weather - there were no freezing kitties), and waited at our wonderfully understanding next door neighbor's house until we got the all clear. Turns out, the oven sucked up the fumes from the wood conditioner I'd been wiping the cabinets down with - it was nothing. But we also found out that our house has surprisingly low CO2 levels and that none of our gas lines are leaking, and received several compliments from the poor guy who was working New Year's about our basement rennovations. Bless him.
Luckily, all of our guests were running late (yes, I've managed to find friends who operate on my same time table - I love it!) and so the delay with the oven did not trivialize the outcome of the evening. It was a very impressive spread across the three houses, and the best New Year's I've celebrated in many years. Even though I tend to be an old lady when it comes to bedtime, we managed to keep the party going with booze and board games until about 3am. It was epic.
As the days of 2011 started dwindling, I realized that I was nervous about 2012. In many ways, 2011 was a comeback year for our household. I started a job that I love, we finished the biggest house-related project that we've wanted to do since moving in, and for the first time I can remember since somwhere during of college, I've felt a true sense of comfort that I'm right where I need to be in life. I don't have any plans that I'm rushing toward, and there aren't any signs flashing in the sky that say "LIFE IS GOING TO CHANGE -- RIGHT NOW! SO HOLD ON!" I feel really rooted. My marriage is happy, my family is happy, the kitties are happy...we're doing good on all counts.
That should feel good, right? Right. But since I tend to be a little pessimistic in nature - and because I thrive on making plans - 2012 scared me a little. Will there be something that yanks at my roots? Oh, probably. What happens if I don't make a plan to work toward? Chaos, clearly.
So after confiding all of this in Andrew, I decided to make one hell of a New Year's resolution. I wrote it all out on my computer. Frankly, I'd have to look it up to remember everything. But I remember enough bits and pieces to have a pretty cohesive vision for 2012. It goes something like this:
1. Maximize my time by waking up earlier and better. Be more productive in the morning so I have more time to play in the afternoon/evening.
2. With my new-found free time, get moving. Do the things I enjoy, including: working out regularly, riding my bike, taking walks, and get back into horseback riding.
3. Eat better: make more time to make meals in, and continue making a commitment to local, fresh, real food.
4. Continue to grow relationships: enjoy my marriage, my family, and my friendships.
5. Quit procrastinating (ha!)
6. Complete the following: a quilt, a road race...and some other stuff that I currently can't remember.
There was actually a #7 but I can't remember it...because no one can ever remember groups of 7 (try naming the 7 dwarfs or 7 deadly sins...I dare ya)
Take that, 2012...I have plans for you.
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