A New Day

Yesterday was the first day of the new year, and I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I was grouchy and irritable, and woke up to find Milo gone. He had disappeared outside of my parents' house, and now 36 hours later, I've just had news that he's been discovered. I shed some tears and didn't sleep at all last night for worrying, but my first reaction (besides overwhelming relief and happiness!) to hearing that he had turned up was to resolve to spank Milo for causing so much grief these two days. This past month has been a rough one for me in a lot of ways! Happy Holidays indeed.

But since that was just yesterday and today, let's back up a bit, shall we?

Finally after a few months, I've got pictures of my DIY project for this year! A few weeks ago I finished making my homemade vanilla extract to give to friends and coworkers for Christmas, and it turned out splendidly! I even got to sample several batches of cookies and bars made with it, and they were oh-so-good.

To get in the holiday spirit, before leaving for the holidays, some friends and I made these gorgeous gingerbread houses! Mine is the boring one on the left. Apparently I had a little photobomber when I took this picture:

I was able to visit my parents for Christmas, and am so glad I did, although I was really sad that I couldn't see Nolan on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He was working until the 28th, so I wouldn't have been able to see him even if I had stayed at our house. Sad, but unavoidable. I was stoked when he was able to join me on the 28th and spend some time with all of us! Christmas itself was a low-key, fun day. We went to church, had breakfast with our whole "original" family (my parents and both brothers, with no significant others), had our annual silly string extravaganza, and opened presents before a huge feast with my gramma and Opa. It was good times.

Also over the Christmas break, I had myself a little charge. A cocker spaniel pup named Sadie, who was SUPER cute and mellow, and generally such fun to care for! She made having a puppy look easy!

That picture and the one below were taken by me on ylehsa's camera, and the one of me was taken by her. We walked around Placerville with her boss's fancy camera and played with different settings (not that I know a thing about cameras! I just like taking pictures). Doesn't she look great?

And I love this picture below that she took, because I look so carefree. That's how I was feeling at that moment, and I like that she captured it :)

Nolan's parents joined us at my parents' house for New Year's, and it was such a treat to have a big fun group together! There were a lot of board games that went on.

The Caldwells...
The Akin clan at breakfast:
My mother and father-in-law!
Since my in-laws were visiting, they also brought their canine friends, so in total, we had 5 dogs and 2 cats in the house. Needless to say the cats spent their days in hiding while the loud mutts took over the house. Here are 3/5 of the pups. Sadie is in the act of trying to join the other two with my mom on the couch.

Generally I don't make New Year's Resolutions because the only thing I can count on myself doing is failing to keep them. So this year I'm simply calling them "commitments" to inspire myself to stick with them. Here are my big three:

1. Have a quiet time every day. So far, so good. I tend to prioritize this behind everything else, and it generally falls by the wayside.

2. Exercise healthily. I tend to get obsessive about my workouts, and put exercise above other more important things (like quiet times) I should be doing. I need to be willing to swap out a workout for a nice walk sometimes or just be flexible about priorities.

3. Practice random acts of kindness at least once a week, if not more often. I love thinking that I could change a person's day for the better, and I need to commit to more than just thinking about it.

What are your commitments for this new year?