Back in the saddle.

 Jake and Julia were slow dancing. It was adorable.

 The big "Midnight" countdown and ball drop at 8 pm to end the party.

New Year's Queens. I had to teach the next morning so I was grateful for a 5-8 PM party. 

Anyone elso so grateful to get back to the routine? I feel like the holidays were extra…..long this year. Like they started early and just, continued. I was so happy on Monday when the bus pulled around and I was able to get down to business, getting this house ready to sell, putting on some music, and having some calm around here. It was my favorite Christmas yet, this year. I feel like we got to spend tons of time with family and friends, and make special memories as a family.

I cried putting away the ornaments, as next year we won't be here. Next year, we will be pulling out the ornaments in Boulder, CO, to decorate our tree. And while I am so ready, and so excited, it is a big change.

While I can't wait to have world class skiing and hiking at our back door, it means being far, far away from our loved ones. It means that my girlfriends are really, really far away. It means starting over. It means a whole new life for my kids. The kids are the ones that I am the least worried about as they are so adaptable, and truthfully I know that we are all going to be fine……but it's change. Yesterday I went to a fantastic Yin yoga class where the instructor opened with this quote:

“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

― Meister Eckhart

I'm very much in that place. My Sankalpa for this year is simply to be open to whatever the world brings me. Not worried about controlling the change, not worried about the outcome, simply being open. I know and I trust that this path that we are on is the right path for us. I've been teaching more than normal lately, and developing deeper relationships with many of my students. As I work hard around the house I have a lot of time to think, to simply enjoy *Being* as I am *doing*, and I find that I enjoy the work. Sometimes acts of service are beautiful, when they are done with a greater purpose. When I find myself two hours into cleaning out my kids drawers in order to make the move lighter/organize the house, I find my mind calm and my heart light. We will be in FL two weeks from today ~ a 10 day trip, and then we come home and I'm taking a week to make the final touches, window and carpet and garage cleaning, and then plan to list the house, barring any major snow storms.  Our 10 year anniversary trip is being put off in lieu of a house hunting trip to CO, and we will tack on some skiing and spa to the end of it to celebrate 10 years of marriage.

CO! A state that I have spent lots of time in but never lived in. Growing up we used to take a trip to my Dad's partners house in Crested Butte every March to ski for 10 days. In my….travelling….days I spent lots of time in Boulder, but it's been a good 18 years since I was there, so I am excited to see the town again. The kids seem excited, though I don't know that they know exactly what it all means. The good news is that they are adaptable and friendly kids who love the outdoors ~ they are going to do just fine. I'm actually hoping that we can move BEFORE the end of the school year so that they have some time to make some friends at school before the summer comes.

BE open. OPEN. Allow life to happen without feeling the need to control everything. I can't control everything, of course, so letting go of that illusion will free me to enjoy the process and be free of tension as I was all of last summer and fall with the whole buying/selling dramazzzzzz surrounding DC.  I wasn't so good at birthing babies as I fought labor. I wasn't able to "relax" into contractions, rather fighting each one. The way I know to deal with pain is to fight it, resist it, be stronger than it. That's great, maybe, when you are trying to pound out one more mile at 7:00/mile, or one more rep…..but not so good when you are trying to allow a baby to pass through a narrow opening. This process is a bit like labor. It's going to happen, or it isn't, and I can make it easy or hard on myself, depending on my attitude. Be open. Allow the process to happen. Trust the magic of beginnings.

Here's to beginnings. I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start. Cheers.