december's end

i'm a girl that loooooves new beginnings.
prob'ly that states clearly my optimism and idealism.

mornings, birthdays, new seasons... it doesn't matter. they're all filled with my hopes and ideas and eagerness.

over the last few days i've been cleaning, as you may know. i don't panic about having it done by december 31, but, still, "begin as you intend to go on" always resonates with me well-ly, so i do my best to make sure our home is clean and happy - free of the physical debris as well as the more ethereal.

so that's been a big part of our days. it's not every day we get to begin a new year. well [ahem] - actually, it is, :), but even though everyday life is quite extraordinary and wonderful, we still have days that we mark as Holidays. so i'll stick with that notion for now.

we decided last new year's eve year while sledding down the hill with our friends that we'd make a tradition of it.
there's a large pavilion with a hearth at the bottom, facing the hill, and the many tables invite us to sprawl out and settle in for a while.
we take soup, and cocoa.
and moonshine jugs of golden ale and marshmallows or whipped cream.
and spoons and bowls and extra mittens and hats and firewood.
an' sleds, too.

this year Eric works late on new year's eve, so we asked our friends, Julie, Lee, Damek, and Kyan if we could move it up a day early. we didn't think we'd be out too late, and it's a family thing....

so yesterday was spent makin' ready.

makin' ready for a new year, and makin' ready for an evening with friends.

and we had a marvelous time! and even though it was cold, cold, cold, fire and friendship warmed us well, and we stayed hours longer than we thought we would.

now this morning i have one more day, and i'm feeling hopeful about getting the end of the year wrapped up neat and tidy...
making room for another lovely new beginning.