Then we raced back to the house to host a small wine and cheese dinner. Several types of reds and blushes, crackers, cheeses, salmon, nuts and cookies - Oh la la!
The rest of the night, dear friends, is a bit of a blur. Literally. Every single picture I have is either out of focus or too dark to see. Apparently, I was not nearly as concerned as I ought to have been when I noticed the flash on my camera was not turned on. We had a wonderful time out with friends - just getting out of the house after 8:00 together at all is a treat - but we have definitely, for sure and certain, without a shadow of a doubt, reached the point where 9:30 is late and 1:00am is just ludicrous. I felt like I was back in high school and had missed curfew. That sneaky feeling when you first realize, "Holy cow! There's a whole other kind of life happening after I go to sleep!" We'll have to work on getting out more often. Maybe. OK not really. We were pretty tired this morning. But it was fun for a night.
I started this tradition two years ago and I absolutely love it. I wait until the first of the year to write my thank-you notes from Christmas. It's really such an awesome feeling, starting the year by saying "thank you". This year, I plum ran out of stationery. I have so many wonderful people in my life; family, friends, students, colleagues. So much for which to be thankful. So I begin the first day of the year by giving thanks and end it nursing an achy hand - I've never been happier about an achy anything. 62 Thank-you notes later:
So I will end this post in the same way I begin the new year. With thanks. Thank you to all who play a part in my crazy beautiful life. Thank you to those who speak kind words, who care about my husband, who love my daughter. Thank you to those who read these posts, who glance at the pictures, who write comments and send messages. Thank you to those who provide encouragement and words of advice - solicited or not. Thank you to those who provide criticism - both negative and constructive - we all need to take a step back and re-evaluate what we're doing. To those who speak words of hatred for making us strong, and those who speak words of love for keeping us strong. And to the Lord for His many many blessings - those we see clearly and those which are not meant to yet be seen. Thank you.
