2020

It is almost impossible to believe that we are only a week into 2020. It has gotten off to a running start for us.

I wanted to slow down just a minute and share how we brought in this shiny new decade.

Sophia had a full two weeks off for winter break, so it felt right that we should go somewhere, at least for a few days. Since we didn't feel like the full drive to New Orleans, we compromised on Memphis. Erick and I have been there a couple of times in the year or two leading up to parenthood, but we haven't been back since.

We were so pleasantly surprised by all the fun things for us to do. We knew there would be lots of great food.

Since it was New Year's Eve, we weren't sure how much time we would get to spend on Beale Street, but we had a great time visiting BB King's Blues Joint for lunch. The food was delicious! And the music was very enjoyable.

Since the weather was tolerable, we spent quite a bit of time wandering around as well. This was further down Beale Street. That whole area was a little smaller than we remembered, but the rest of Memphis had a lot more to offer than we realized.

New Year's Eve itself was pretty low key for us. The Hotel Indigo had their pool open. Shockingly, even Sophia agreed that it was too cold for a dip. We did play corn hole on the pool deck in the time just after the ball dropped in NYC.

Sophia and Leo both enjoyed the city. They just like being together, really.

One thing that we were all excited to find was the dog park on Mud Island. Open to visitors. Leo was, as you can see, quite thrilled with that development.

It was a great finish to one year, and a wonderful start for a new decade. Like I said, we've all been running a little like Leo there since we got home, but hopefully things will calm down in the near future. I look forward to seeing what this year holds. 

looking both ways

One of the reasons that I love the holidays is that I love thinking back and looking forward. I don't really have to remind myself to stop and reflect. More often, I find myself saying, "Self, enough reflecting and planning. Now just do it."

The turn of the year offers a great chance for that. And this one is extra special because it's the year that Erick and I will celebrate our 10-year anniversary. That's right. A whole year to reflect on our first ten years of marriage. I'm giddy with excitement. So, it may come up a lot this year. Or it may not. We'll see.

Regardless, I'll be thinking about it. And talking a lot to Erick about it. He loves that. He actually does, but I think his ears may get tired sometimes. Anyway, reflection is my favorite. Birthdays, anniversaries and the holidays are therefore also my fav.

1.1.11

That's a lot of ones. After the last four months, I know better than to place too many expectations on the next twelve.

Here's what I want for 2011. I want to sort it out. Where do I fit here in St. Louis? How do I fit into the lives in Columbia? And vice versa. How do I capitalize on this built-in solitude? I find that it's invigorating many days, but how do I keep from insulating myself? It seems like a difficult balance.

Balance. It's a good goal for this year. That's what I'm looking for. Also, I think it will be easier for me to balance if I drop a few pounds. Wish me luck.

What I want from 2010

When I look out at the year ahead, I have a hard time thinking of ways that I want my life to be different in 362 days. I am very content. Of course, like most, I think I could be healthier and a little smarter with my resources, but those things don't consume my thoughts.

There are two things I want to get better at during the coming year: friendship and fun. Now, hopefully those of you who know me know that those are actually two of my strengths. However, when life happens, I think we tend to let down on the things we think "we have in the bag." Don't get me wrong, I have great friends, and I hope they feel the same about me. I've also had a lot of fun this year.

I know that I can be a better friend. I can work harder not to get lost in my own daily grind and pay more attention to that of my friends. I can be certain that the person I'm looking at and listening to is the person I'm thinking about. In order to do a good job of this, I'll have to give up some peripherals. Facebook may suffer because I'm spending more time in actual conversation, for example. Friendship is something that is on my mind a lot as I think about the coming year.

Like I said, I'm good at having fun. But I just think I can do it more often. Maybe I can, maybe I can't. But I am positive that I'm going to try to have more fun in 2010 than I've ever had before. This is Sophia's last year of independence, as we plan to enroll her in preschool in the fall. So we are going to enjoy it. That's the plan. I'm pretty sure I can pull that one off.

2010 is the year that Erick and I turn 30. I've said in the past that, in my opinion, age is just a number. I still believe that. Wisdom can't be quantified. It's not passed out in share according to the year you were born. It's a lot harder to earn than that. But I recognize that we are approaching a significant milemarker in our lives. So I plan to let it through in style. We haven't decided what that looks like yet, but I'll be sure to let you know.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to 2010, and apparently if I count you as a friend, you should be looking forward to it, too!