Happy New Year!

I have half a dozen half-finished gratitude posts. They may find their way up yet. They may not. The last week or so of December, one of the things I've been most grateful for? free time, and lack of (too many) responsibilities, even self-imposed ones.

I love how Jote's project has spread, and how many people have found things in their lives to be thankful for.

2011 was a good year for me, for us.  Ups and downs, like any year, but full of travel and adventure and fun and friends and family.

Sometimes, I wish I could find that myself as angst-filled teenager and tell her -- your life won't be anything like you imagine. But it will be *awesome*.  Having that urge makes me realize just how lucky I am.

Life is an ongoing adventure.  May 2012 bring you and yours (and me and mine, for that matter) joy, peace, and a whole new set of fun and exciting challenges -- in the best possible ways. 

bubbles

Maybe tomorrow I'll take a better photo of the empty bottle (and thus remove this disclaimer).

But a nice bottle of champagne.
Shared with family, to celebrate my birthday.
A good end to a lovely visit.

Thankful that I get to spend this time with them.

Thankful that El Bandito takes long walks with me on these visits, and buys fancy sparkling wine to share.

the lake in winter

My home.

Oh, not this lakeside town in particular, though I do love the pier here.

But this lake, and a winter sunset?


Part of my heart.

Part of who I am.

Roots.

I visit it whenever I get the chance.
This year, it gifted me with a dramatic sunset and calm waters.

Some years, when El Bandito and I visit, this pier is coated in ice, impassable.

Some years, the snow and ice cover almost as far as the eye can see -- though those years are rare now.

I love this lake in summer.

And the crowds of people on the public sections of the shore.

The sand dunes.

The views of miles and seemingly endless miles of water and sky.

I love it in winter, frozen along the edges, treacherous and tempting.

I love it from the far southwestern edge, in the windy city.

From the sand dunes extending along its eastern edge.
Watching sunsets on a hot, humid summer night or a cold, cold winter aftenroon.

And for the deep, deep sense of home.

moving pictures

El Bandito and I went to the movies last night. A little break from family, a little time together.
A lovely fable with beautiful effects. Hugo.

There's something about movies, the way they offer escapism and adventure and different world views... and sometimes, to be honest, just big damn explosions.

Stepping into another life -- as an observer.

the old neighborhood

 My parents still live in the house I grew up in -- a constant in my life, though I've been out-of-the-house more than half my life.

The streets are familiar.
Full of memories.

And full of so many changes, too. The neighborhood's improved.
There are now coffee-shops and bakeries within walking distance.

A new organic foods market that I suspect won't make it, but is nice to see there anyway.

Fancy new restaurants. A packed pub.

The historic houses shining with their paint jobs and repairs, even though the gardens don't show this time of year.

And still, a community. Where the neighbors mostly know each other. Where kids still play on the lawns.

a list of random things which make think of friends

it's not just the big things that make friendships work. it's sometimes the shared things, big or small. On that note, a list of some of the random things that I'm grateful make me think of friends. 
(incomplete, certainly)

artichokes

tiaras and parasols

hockey games

white russians

broken kneecaps (not mine, fortunately)

ice-climbing

bellinis
fascinators
pushups (the exercise, not the ice cream treat -- or the bra)
ballet
inflatable platypus

simple things

today, or rather yesterday, since I was too tired last night to type this:

a nowhere-near comprehensive list of simple things I've appreciated this week.

the bathroom ceiling (you don't miss it until you don't have it)
the freshly repaved roads that make my bike commute less vibratory (worth the construction chaos)
a well-timed thank you note
chocolate showing up in my office.
El Bandito's magical coffee.
lunch-time runs.