Happy 2010!

Well the new year has officially begun. Many people view January 1st as a time to start anew. But I like to think of it simply as a new direction. A step up supported by the previous years of my life, if that makes sense. The thought of starting over brand new every year seems a little intimidating. For me, each new year brings a chance to reorganize and adjust, but not re-do entirely. In the words of George Orwell, " Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." While maybe not the most optimistic words to ring in 2010, I think they hold true. It's nice to know that everything I worked for in previous years is not forgotten, but is building toward today and tomorrow and even the distant future. So here's to 2010! A chance to experience new things and take a new direction but also to appreciate the wonderful things our past has to offer!

It's begining to look a lot like...

Officially a week to go until the big day, and I couldn't be more excited. This is the first Christmas that my time will be split between 2 families, and thankfully, Drew's and my family only live 20 minutes apart. I'm so looking forward to being home for Christmas. There's something comforting about it, even amidst all the busyness and mess of leaving work/home for a week, traveling with hordes of people, and managing to find perfect gifts for everyone much earlier than normal (because they have to be ready by the time you leave). I do have to say, that Christmas definitely seems to get crazier the older everyone gets, which is a little counter-intuitive to me. It seems like once everyone is grown and takes care of themselves, it would just be a nice relaxing time. But growing older has its charms too. Like being able to enjoy the looks of pure delight on new family additions as they open their gifts.

Another plus about not being a kid anymore is the wonderful selection of holiday beverages now available. I love the adult versions of peppermint hot cocoa and eggnog, they just seem to make the season more festive. And of course, make the time with family much more enjoyable ;).

I'm also really excited to spend part of the holidays with my newly inherited family. The more people in your holiday, the better. At least in my book. Happy traveling!

It's Officially Winter

You know the smell of the air on the first really cold day of the year? The smell that stings your nose a bit and makes your eyes tear up because it smells literally like icy air? Well today, as I stepped out into the frosty air, the smell of cold greeted me, officially announcing the beginning of winter. The light flurries in the air and thin covering of snow on the ground didn't hurt either. :)

Because we had to start our advent calendars a little early in order to finish before we go home, we are now on day 10, and here's a glimpse of what we've gotten so far.

The Christmas scenes are starting to come together, but the first one, mine, has a few to many things than the kids can hold, which makes it interesting. This has definitely become one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

Speaking of traditions, our decorations have been up for about a week now, but I still haven't posted any pictures except of our tree. Here are a few of the things we put up every year:

It's the perfect kind of day to curl up with a good book in the glow of our Christmas tree. I think I'll go do that...