Friday, January 6, 2012

A New Year

There is a brand new calendar hanging on the wall with a lot of empty squares. It's like a blank canvas just waiting for colorful brush strokes that mark important dates, appointments, birthdays and holidays. And at it's end you have a masterpiece of events all swirled together titled "Life."

I have sat down about fifteen times this week to write this first post of the year and have come up empty or have been pleasantly distracted with visits from family and friends, invitations for play dates, and requests from the girls to color, make art, build marble runs, read books, play outside... all the things that don't get marked on a calendar.

I had envisioned writing a reflection of the past year... things I've learned or things that continue to be works in progress, but the present day keeps getting in the way.  So my reflection may come eventually but for now I will live in the moment.  Because when you are living in the moment you notice the beauty in things that are right in front of you.  Like the view from the truck window on our long drive.


The snow weighed down the tree branches until they nearly touched the ground.  Thick like frosting on a cake.  And the girls were the cherry on top.  Because each time we make this trip it gets a little easier. Attention spans are longer, patience is increasing, and we were blessed with only a few hundred "are we there yet's".


We headed to the country to ring in the new year and celebrate our anniversary with our friends.  A far cry from new year's eve six years ago when we said I do, but we still rocked it... family style.


Twenty people, an even split of ten kid and ten adults, tore up my BFF's country house in an effort to say good riddance to the past year and sing the joys of the new year with all its resolutions, hopes and dreams.

It was a full house. 
Just the way I like.
Beds on the couch.
Air mattresses on the floor. 
Big kids taking care of babies. 
Late nights. 
Red Solo Cups  for sparkling apple juice champagne toasts .


The first day of my shiny new calendar has been marked.  The twenty-twelve canvas received it's first brush stroke.  We spent the day outside in the farmyard doing what I love best...making memories.

The bride and maid of honor, +6 years.
And being pulled around the farmyard on GT racers are some of the best kind of memories to make.


I'm looking forward to marking up this new calendar.  I like looking forward.  And there is a time and place for looking back...just not today.  Because our new canvas is getting painted on every minute.  Painted with Lexi's smiles and requests for one more ride.  And Callie's squeals as she rides shotgun with Chad on the quad.

(Disclaimer: I could run faster than these machines were moving and I haven't run anywhere in a long time!)

Get busy creating your own 2012 masterpiece.
Happy New Year.

1 comment:

Christine said...

Beautiful Carrie.... looks like a whole lot of fun! Love the disclaimer:)