1. Morning walks. I was thinking today how lucky we are to live exactly where we do in Fort Collins. We are close to so many trails and parks, the river and a bunch of ponds, and all the wild animals.

2. Baby Hallie, (pronounced like Halle Berry). Jessamy had her baby!!! She came a month and a half early and is only five pounds, so she’s going to have to stay in the NICU for the next couple of weeks, but she and Mom are both doing really well.

3. Practice. I adore doing yoga at Red Sage. They are such an awesome group of humans. This week, my Friday morning writing group (another awesome group of humans) was magical, medicine, as usual. I’ve been using my hourglass sand timer for meditation instead of my Insight Timer app, and I like how simple it is.

4. Holiday season. Our tree is up and our presents wrapped. I spent yesterday playing Santa, wrapping presents for the Oregon family and boxing them up to ship while I watched Christmas movies. I made Mom a book of random pictures of family and she seems to like it. I got Lia a Christmas unicorn stuffy and Ringo was convinced I should let him have it — he stole it out of the shopping bag before I could even put things away and insisted it “was for dogs.” 

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. We are going to spend a quiet lazy holiday season together, just how we like it.

Bonus joy: baked ziti, toast, soft white bread, getting all the Christmas stuff done so I can relax and enjoy it, clean sheets, other people’s kids and dogs and Christmas decorations, twinkle lights, a warm shower, Sunday morning Pilates, grocery shopping, online shopping, finding old cards from Chloe’ and using them for bookmarks, reading good books, sharing good books, poetry and poets, libraries and librarians, being off social media (yes, there are some things I miss and I may check back in from time to time, but I just feel better without it), being aware of my limits and trying to not push myself right to the edge of them, yogurt with strawberries and granola, refrigerators, my infrared heating pad, texting with Chris, emailing with Kari, my favorite spoon and fork, a big glass of cold clean water, naps, YouTube shorts, Reddit, reading in bed while Eric and Ringo sleep.

1. SNOW!!! We finally got some actual, honest-to-goodness, full on, genuine snow. We had one morning early in the week where it was very cold and there was just a dusting of snow, but a few days later the real storm showed up. They’d predicted 1-3 inches, but we got eight. It was up to Ringo’s knees. We’d had such a long warm dry fall into the beginning of winter that when the snow came, there was still a lawn chair in the yard and our sun umbrellas were still outside.

2. Morning walks. Because of weather and such, I only ended up on one of these this week, which was weird. It was also a late walk because it was extra cold so Ringo and I waited until later in the morning to walk.

3. Family. Mom is still doing good, sleeping more and talking a lot less, but still remembers who we are and getting such good care. Jessamy’s baby is due late January so she had an ultrasound where we can see the baby’s face. I’m going out to Oregon sometime the end of January, to visit and give Mom a haircut she badly needs, start getting her house ready to sell (*sigh*), and if I’m lucky, meet the new baby. 

4. Practice. No yoga this week either, and I’m really starting to miss them. I had a whole plan for a practice honoring the Full Cold Super Moon, but I’ll just bring it next time. Writing on Friday morning was magic, medicine — oh how I adore that group of women! My meditation practice has been easier to find and settle into, which typically happens during this darker season.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I’ve still been telling Eric every day, “I’m glad you’re home,” even though he’s been back from trip for two weeks. Really, I could tell him that every day for the rest of our lives, because I am always glad he’s home.  

Bonus joy: lunch at Mount Everest Café with Eric, texting with Chris and Chloe’, other people’s kids and dogs and Christmas lights, reading poetry, down blankets and pillows and coats, wool sweaters and socks, slippers, watching good TV (right now that’s The Pitt on HBO), listening to podcasts, shopping for Christmas presents (I don’t love everything about it but when I think of something I know someone is really going to like, it makes me happy), a big glass of cold clean water, naan and onion pakora, a hot cup of coffee and warm mug of green tea, Panda Peanut Butter Puffs cereal with Fairlife milk, the moonlight reflecting off the snow, therapy, being able to message my doctor and get a quick response rather than having to schedule and wait for and then pay for an in office appointment, being able to schedule or change or cancel appointments online, Hendrix’s school picture (I know I said that already but it’s right here where I can see it and I just looked at it again), making each other laugh, the hydromassage chair, aqua aerobics, getting to see Frank (my gym dad), sitting in the sauna, snow tires, a warm shower, clean pjs, yoga videos on YouTube (because sometimes I like someone else to tell me what to do, without having to leave the house or put on a bra), naps, clean sheets, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.