What a year it has been!

Here it is, New Year’s Eve. Only a few hours of 2013 remain. I’ve been thinking about and wanting to write an end of the year blog post. In the past I’ve shared my favorite photos of the year, but this year feels different to me. It was one of changes, big and small. I’m not sure why I’m having such a very hard time getting this post started. Maybe I can start with this:

This is a book my father gave me for Christmas. He said he bought it because it was a photography book and because of the subject matter, and I truly appreciated the thought behind it. The photos in this book are beautiful and amazing. But the message behind it turned out to be a lot more. Do you see the subtitle of the book? “A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday”. At the beginning of each chapter the photographer/author tells a personal story that relates to the theme of the chapter. The first chapter is called “Dreaming”; a few lines that struck notes with me:
“If you dream about something long enough, the universe just might conspire to give it to you.”
“Seeing his remarkable photographs sparked an even deeper passion, this time for photography”
“And so I learned another lesson: It’s never too late to dream.”

What if I could be present enough to find the joy in the every day? Celebrate the changes rather than worry about them. Wouldn’t that be the best change of all?
I think it is a lofty goal, and maybe not completely obtainable in a particular time period, but I can certainly try to work toward that goal.

Here are some changes, big and small, that I was able to celebrate in 2013.

The solving of a mystery: Jimmy and Judy’s true identities were revealed

My older daughter became an adult

On my birthday, I celebrated pink flowers and a blue sky and a change to beautiful spring weather

The change from a pile of sticks to a nest to eggs to baby birds and new life

The pride in my younger daughter’s award

Graduation

The peace, the perspective, my place of zen: the change I feel in my soul when my body finds this place

Difficult to accept, but the true happiness Meghan has found in her new life at school

Ahhhhhh……no explanation needed

A shiny new floor

A weekend of appreciation of family

Starting to feel fit and continuing the commitment

My daughter maturing and changing, and maybe, just maybe, starting to understand where mom is coming from

A victory for my favorite team

That feeling that all is right, if only for a little while.

2013 in review

Hi everyone! I am planning to write a blog of my own later today, but I found this in my email this morning and thought I would share. I don’t know how WordPress chooses the blogs they make a year end report for; this is my 4th year blogging with WordPress, but I think the second time I’ve received one of these reports. Did you receive one too? I hope you’ll publish it, I’d love to read yours too!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 6,700 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

What has become a Christmas Tradition…

Twas two days before Christmas
And my house is a mess.
How will it ever be ready
for dinner and guests?

I’ve not begun baking
nor cleaning just yet
but soon as I’m done blogging,
to the kitchen I’ll get.

The gifts have been wrapped
on that step I’m ahead
but there’s still plenty to do
before this body hits bed.

But poor Michaela had asked,
“What about snow?
Surely you can show me
some pictures ‘fore you go!”

Especially for you,
I tromped out into the white!
A true New Englander,
It gives me no fright!

I wish you no worries
from this silly blog of mine.
I wish you Merry Christmas
and a peaceful holiday time!

ETA: I may have unintentionally given the impression, I’ve realized after reading some comments, that it is still snowy here. This past weekend brought temperatures near 60 degrees F – all snow is completely gone! It is green and muddy and mushy here now.

Baby It’s Cold Outside!

After being treated to a relatively warm and mild autumn here in New England, things have changed significantly here, and in much of the country it seems. Cold air, snow, ice – we seem to be getting it all, all of a sudden. It isn’t “officially” winter yet of course, but it might as well be. There have only been dustings of snow so far – though that’s due to change tonight. Electra is expected to drop 6-8 inches on this region. But it is one of those things that I can’t change, so why should I worry about it, right Robin?

Instead of worry, I bring you some of the things I’ve been up to in this cold weather of the last three weeks or so.

Before Meghan went back to college after Thanksgiving, we joined good friends of ours Greg and Sherry (brother and sister) and Sherry’s pooch Angel for a cold-weather, heart-pumping hike at Bigelow Hollow in Union CT.

Though the air was chilled, the company was great and the scenery was rather pretty.

We hiked about 3 miles through the park on marked trails, and even had a picnic.

Daphne for some reason believed she belonged on the picnic table. We had to convince her otherwise.

With the exception of the four-legged ones, no one was really tempted!

Back at home, the dogs are quite happy that the snow season has begun.

And the weather is definitely not too frightful for regular soaks in the hot tub.

I wish I could share the beautiful, clear, starry nights that I gaze at from the tub that these cold days have been leaving behind.

As much as I hate to admit it, November and December have been shedding some very pretty light.

There are these lights to enjoy as well:

Here’s some more pretty sparkle:

(You knew I’d have to have that ornament on my tree, right?)

I told you in this post that I was committed to making some changes in the one thing that I could change – me. How’s this post for a change? Appreciation of the cold from a self-proclaimed summer girl!

Da Answers!

Oops, so sorry I’ve been lax in posting the answers to my summertime music quiz! I’m sure you’ve been waiting with bated breath to find out right? Scott gently reminded me today when he recapped his assignment. So, here are the complete answers. My friends Sherry and Pat got most of the answers right with 4 and half correct.

1.

2.

3.

4. This one stumped everybody!

5. Sherry and Pat got the artist right for this one:

6. This is the one I thought most people would have trouble with:

There you are, the answers to my mini-quiz. Been busy around here with the holiday season upon us, but I do hope to get back to a more regular posting schedule soon. I have more to share with you. In the meantime, if you haven’t already, go have a look at the all the vacation posts from Scott’s assignment. See you around the blogosphere soon!