dimanche 3 janvier 2016

New Year, Familiar Resolve

This is the blog post where I again vow to post once per week. So here I go!  This, if successful, will be one of at least 52 posts in 2016.

Things are settling back in to normal after the holiday weeks.  I had a really good time with my parents in town.  I liked having them around for 10 days because it left room for them to see different parts of what we all do here in DC.  They got to spend more time with Lee's parents, and it was so nice to get that opportunity.  They got to meet some of my brother's friends, we did touristy things and we all got to spend time together.  Much of it was low key, and low stress.  Some of the more touristy activities were crowded over the holidays, but even those were great.  My parents, my brother, Lee and I attended mass (candle light carol service) at the National Cathedral, we went to a few of the Smithsonian museums, they saw the constitution and the declaration of independence at the National Archives, and we all went to the top of the Washington Monument.

I feel so lucky that I can now have my family spend time with Lee's family.  I feel grateful that I could go to Lee's family's Christmas celebrations.  For the last two years we tried to distill so many significant holidays, traditions, feelings, and moments into high pressure, high activity periods of time.  This year was special for just being able to be together for the holidays.  We decorated our first Christmas tree, decorated the apartment together, we made Christmas cookies for our super and our apartment manager, we went to holiday parties together and were able to enjoy so many facets (and so many stresses) that we had not been able to before.  It felt like we were constructing something of our own, and that felt great.

The new year is starting, and is bound to be a busy time.  I think that both Lee and I are traveling a lot for work this spring.  We are both headed to Mexico City next week for a few days of vacation (we didn't take any time at Christmas).  We will be there for 5 days to eat, drink, shop, and see art.  We found very cheap non-stop flights from DC, and very reasonable prices for a place to stay.  It will be a sunny, warm escape just as DC is really becoming gravely cold.  I hope to post from there.

I am excited to see what the new year holds.  I am excited for new adventures, more travels, more life lived with Lee, and new resolve for getting fit, cooking more, spending less, and reading more.  2016 promises to be a great year.  More soon.

Keep Traveling.