Here we are: 2010. A decade ago I remember celebrating new years as an eighth grader, welcoming in the millenium with drama and attempts at dancing. This year I spent new years eve with close friends, drinking sangria, eating ceviche and playing games. Anyone who knows me knows I love Christmas. But this year I have decided that New Years is also a day worth celebrating.
Alex and I very much enjoyed our first Christmas season together. It was fun to attend the work Christmas parties and nice to have an excuse for extra gatherings with friends. Alex surprised me this year with tickets to the Nutcracker at UCLA - the first time I have gotten to see the Christmas classic. We spent the holiday itself with his family in Fresno, got to attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve, feasted plenty, and had enough time to complete a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Sweet, sweet rest.
And now, it is time for a new year. Resolutions come first. Then lots of cleaning and reorganizing and simplifying. Time for reflection on all that took place last year, and time to look ahead and anticipate the next year. I love it. Maybe its because I love cleaning, and love restoring order. But there is also something so right about having time and space to acknowledge things that have happened, to prepare for more things that will happen, and to consider ways that we can make adjustments to ourselves to let in the richness of life. So here are a couple things I will share related to the New Year:
This is the pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe I had been wanting to make since my sister posted about it in October. Well, I made it. On December 31. It was sort of a pre-new Year's resolution to make it, because I couldn't see myself wanting to eat anything pumpkin flavored once the Christmas season officially ended.
This is the secretary Alex and I are the proud inheritors of. You know what I like about antique, older furniture? Compartments. None of these OfficeDepot desktop storage things, no, this furniture's organization is BUILT IN. And organization is to me one of the more satisfying tasks of life.
One of my projects was to reorganize our pantry. I went to Savers and bought several glass or tin canisters. Now we have cute, neat storage places for rice, flour, etc. I also threw out old frozen leftovers that were no longer worth eating. And I created a google document of recipes I want to try, that includes a column for the category the recipe falls into (soup, vegetarian), the season the recipe would most appropriately be consumed in, and the ingredients included in the recipe so that going to the store for them is less intimidating.
Finally, Alex and I are hoping to make progress in several projects this year. He is setting out to learn (master) French. I dreamed about a dress, and now want to make it. Of course, there are plans for improved physical fitness (as most all of us make after six weeks of feasting. Really, what would most New Years resolutions be if the new year fell in April or July instead of right after Thanksgiving and Christmas?) And, of course, we continue to look to God for his plans for our future and anticipate what steps we might take in 2010.
Welcome to 2010. Happy New Years, everyone.
Alex and I very much enjoyed our first Christmas season together. It was fun to attend the work Christmas parties and nice to have an excuse for extra gatherings with friends. Alex surprised me this year with tickets to the Nutcracker at UCLA - the first time I have gotten to see the Christmas classic. We spent the holiday itself with his family in Fresno, got to attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve, feasted plenty, and had enough time to complete a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Sweet, sweet rest.
And now, it is time for a new year. Resolutions come first. Then lots of cleaning and reorganizing and simplifying. Time for reflection on all that took place last year, and time to look ahead and anticipate the next year. I love it. Maybe its because I love cleaning, and love restoring order. But there is also something so right about having time and space to acknowledge things that have happened, to prepare for more things that will happen, and to consider ways that we can make adjustments to ourselves to let in the richness of life. So here are a couple things I will share related to the New Year:
This is the pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe I had been wanting to make since my sister posted about it in October. Well, I made it. On December 31. It was sort of a pre-new Year's resolution to make it, because I couldn't see myself wanting to eat anything pumpkin flavored once the Christmas season officially ended.
This is the secretary Alex and I are the proud inheritors of. You know what I like about antique, older furniture? Compartments. None of these OfficeDepot desktop storage things, no, this furniture's organization is BUILT IN. And organization is to me one of the more satisfying tasks of life.
One of my projects was to reorganize our pantry. I went to Savers and bought several glass or tin canisters. Now we have cute, neat storage places for rice, flour, etc. I also threw out old frozen leftovers that were no longer worth eating. And I created a google document of recipes I want to try, that includes a column for the category the recipe falls into (soup, vegetarian), the season the recipe would most appropriately be consumed in, and the ingredients included in the recipe so that going to the store for them is less intimidating.
Finally, Alex and I are hoping to make progress in several projects this year. He is setting out to learn (master) French. I dreamed about a dress, and now want to make it. Of course, there are plans for improved physical fitness (as most all of us make after six weeks of feasting. Really, what would most New Years resolutions be if the new year fell in April or July instead of right after Thanksgiving and Christmas?) And, of course, we continue to look to God for his plans for our future and anticipate what steps we might take in 2010.
Welcome to 2010. Happy New Years, everyone.
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