Day 30 - home...
Back in Texas with my honey and my kids, warm with many memories of our wonderful getaway...excited about more of these adventures to come. My heart is full, I am happy and oh, so incredibly grateful for this moment right here and now.
Day 29 - My vehicle...
This Cruiser my dream vehicle. It has over 260,000 miles on it and keeps plugging along perfectly (knock on wood). It is my daily driver in the city...and when asked, it takes us across and out of the humongous state of Texas, into the mountains, and onto Forest Service roads that travel through the rugged back country. Outfitting her for trips has been a project that I've really been enjoying working on with The Man. Plus, I'm not gonna lie, she's badass to look at....
Day 28 - Coffee
It seems like everything is just a little bit better with a warm cup of coffee in my hands. Whether it's a late night of work at the computer, the bleary-eyed morning after or a few minutes in solitude out on the porch...a fresh cup of coffee seems to complete the picture for me (figuratively, but also sometimes literally.) ;-)
Day 27 - retreating, family style
We've run away to the mountains. Just me, The Man and the kidlets. We've come to where our phones have no coverage, the internet is hit or miss, and we've only turned on the tv once this week (to check the weather before an excursion). Our muscles are sore, our cheeks are wind whipped, and speaking at least for myself here, the 'cup' is slowly refilling after months of depletion. It's so nice to retreat from the 'real' world with the people I spend the most time with in that world. To reconnect with their laughter, their stories, their points of view. It's a beautiful thing to see each one of these people I love so much, away from the grind of the days...watching their worries slowly lift from their shoulders, and in turn...my own.
Day 25 - Warmth
Long days filled with travel and chill. The house is quiet and still and I'm feeling awfully grateful for the warmth at my toes at this very moment.
Day 24 - Family
Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws...by blood, by marriage, by choice, by chance... family is beautiful and complicated, hilarious and unlike any other relationship on earth. We are collectively a loving mess of flawed human-ness and well-intentioned, compassionate, humanity. This time of year places the microscope firmly over the dance that we do with one another as a family, and if I think too long about it I start to feel anxious about the whole thing. But if I don't think about it, I just feel about it...I know one thing with absolute certainty: I'm so incredibly grateful that I have all of these people, this cast of players, in my family. There is no one who can make me laugh as hard, feel as deeply or teach me as much as this amazing group of human beings...
Day 23 - the tree...
This tree that greets me each early morning during the Christmas season with the warmest, most beautiful light. Best nightlight ever.
Day 22 - Dirt under the nails...
Or motor oil, axle grease, caliche, dark garden soil...proof positive that there's been bruising, blistering, bleeding, possibly cursing...but when all is said and done, a good hard day's work has been completed. The kind you feel in your bones, long after the work has been completed.
I'm behind on posting my gratitudes...but I'm not feeling behind in my gratitude....does that make sense?
Day 21 - This cousin love....
These two often times seem more like sisters than cousins. They spend every minute they can carve out together, whether it's sleepovers, phone calls or many hours on Skype (Skype, really could be it's own gratitude post.) We feel so incredibly blessed that they love one another as much as they do, and live in close enough proximity that they are able to spend quality time with one another...telling stories, trading marbles, digging holes and talking about the ways of the world.
