I hope your Christmas was lovely, filled with love, and laughter.
We had a holiday of firsts. Our son's career has him in Asia until March. My father has spent every Christmas with my family, until this year. I'm happy to report that we survived our first Christmas away from family... just the two of us.
With Andrew 14 hours ahead of us, we dressed up for our annual holiday morning photo and opened gifts together via video this year. Our Christmas Eve, his Christmas morning.
Bill was asked to play Santa for friends of ours, and I was asked to 'stop by and take a few photos'. Watching Santa interact with these two boys filled my heart.
This is a photo of the eldest son asking Santa if the Elf's travel with him. Santa said "They don't travel with me, they are tired and tend to bite when they are crabby." Precious!
We spent Christmas Eve cooking, and settling in for the evening with 'A Christmas Vacation'. Christmas day was oddly busy. I put my phone away for the day, walked the dogs, crafted a bit, ran, and prepared dinner. We went for a long drive, and watched Die Hard.
Reflecting on 2015:
I have been gifted a wonderful life. It's full of passion, friendship, adventure, and love. As we close our 2015, I find myself simply wondering where life is taking me. This year I was gifted with strength and wisdom:
Strength/Independence: Family is part of my identity, and continues to challenge my personal growth/strength. While many of you experienced 'forced' independence in your twenties, I'm experiencing it a bit later in life.
Wisdom/Love: I have come to understand the powerful 'need to protect' feeling my husband has for me. I'm his everything.
Looking ahead:
Are you a planner? I find I'm balanced when I have a plan. I have been setting goals/writing lists my entire life. A mix of musts, wants, and hope to someday items. A list I never share - it's not meant for measurement of success, it's the opposite... focused on personal growth and wanderlust.
In closing, I hope you find time to step away from devices for a bit. This is my plan, but I will post life moments on instagram this week... photography is a passion and I'm not ready to step away from something that provides joy/smiles.
Have a wonderful New Years!
~ Much love, Mari
