Just unboxed my new desk calendar, so it’s official- 2022 is here!!
I don’t feel totally ready for the new year, meaning that I don’t have my planner all set up and my goals list is still a work in progress (with question marks, circles, asterisks, cross outs all over the scratch paper I started on). My house is still full of Christmas stuff and even some holiday “messes” that need to be dealt with (e.g. soda and beer boxes behind the bar).
That is okay. As much as I love the fresh new start idea, I also don’t generally get TOO obsessed with everything needing to happen at 12:01 a.m. as the clock turns over. I feel like if I get my thoughts organized basically this weekend/ in these first few days, I’m good. Anyway, it’s not like the New Years Resolution police will be stopping by to inspect.
(I have long said that I don’t understand why “resolutions” are supposed to start on January 1st, anyway, after many people spend the 31st: a) up way too late b) out drinking (some folks, anyway). That seems like a terrible way to kick off any new healthy habits! Hung over/ tired/dehydrated? The partying in the new year is all fine- no judgment here. But then I think the 1st should just be like, a transition day. And then the REAL new year should start on the 2nd. Or maybe even the 3rd. No?)
Saw this and loved it though- let’s go plant some flowers. 🙂
New Years Eve 2021
We had a nice little New Years Eve. Asher was invited to a friend’s house, and since we didn’t really have any solid plans anyway, we let him go. Later, I felt a little sad that he wasn’t with us, but it was fine. I know he was having a blast.
Ethan, Ivan and I made some last minute plans and bought 8 pm movie tickets to see Sing 2. We hadn’t been to a movie in a while, so that was fun. Before that, we stopped at a nice restaurant near the theater and just got a drink and shared an appetizer in the bar area. It was really nice! And, the 1:1 time with Ethan felt special- and rare.
After the movie, it was ~10:30 or so by the time we got home. We basically just flipped on the fireplace and then watched the TV coverage of NYC’s Time Square celebrations. (We are central time, so by 11 pm our time the ball was dropping in NYC.)
Toasting with Ethan at 12 a.m. Central time (watching the New Orleans coverage):
We stayed up a little past midnight and watched a bit more of the (very bad…IMO….) musical performances at the various live celebrations.
All in all- a fun night!! I enjoyed it. 🙂 Happy New Year!!!!
Daily Gratitude:
***In lieu of my normal gratitude prompts, I’m going to try something new for these first 30 days of the new year. A blog reader (thanks, Eric!) sent me a really cool “30 Day Gratitude Challenge” a few weeks ago, and I’ve been wanting to try it. Might as well use the new year! I’m not the best at deciding on/ narrowing down answers on complex questions…but I’ll try. Feel free to join me in the comments… 🙂
Day 1: Name 3 Things that Make you Special (ooh, tough one, right out of the gate…)
1- I am very empathetic and generally am quite good at considering other people’s feelings/ situation/ viewpoint.
2- I am interested in many different things! I think I find life to be pretty amazing and fascinating, which not all people seem to. I find wonder in small, everyday things, like a pretty sky, or watching a bird sitting on a tree branch.
3- I had a real knack for learning Spanish. My college professors were amazed at how fast I learned it, and people in Mexico often marvel at how authentic sounding my accent is. I don’t really feel like I am overly “naturally skilled” at a large number of things in life (lol), so this always feels like kind of a special gift to me.
GRATEFUL KAE 
Happy new year to you!!
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Happy New Year.
I totally agree about January 1st feeling like a hard day to jump in to new resolutions with two feet. I try very hard not to ask too much of myself in the transition (I think I read somewhere recently about some famous author that ALWAYS starts a new book on January 8th, which feels like very inspired timing).
Also that picture of you and Ethan in front of the fire with your glasses of punch is just so sweet.
I was asleep at 10:15, so gold stars to you for staying up until midnight. I think I’m going to aim for that next year as there is something whimsical (and bonding with whomever is present at the same celebration) about staying up to ring in the New Year.
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You definitely should! Whimsical is a good describing word. 🙂 I don’t think I’ve EVER gone to bed before midnight on New Years Eve, at least not since I can remember. I’m sure as a very little child I did. 🙂 but even as a younger tween I know we all stayed up.
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How good was Sing2?? I went for my kids but ended up loving it myself.
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Oh, it was SO good!!! I loved it too!!!!
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I fully agree that there’s no need to set up goals on January 1, I’m also not ready, started to write down a couple things I want to accomplish but not done yet. I’ll probably post it in the next few days.
I like your gratitude challenge! I feel I’m the same of your second point. Although I’m technically middle age, I feel like I get excited just like kids when I learn new things, which is really what the life Is about. learning, growing, and challenge ourselves.
Happy new year!
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I have so rarely made it to midnight on NYE! I am not a late night person and wasn’t even as a college student! I did stay up past midnight earlier this month and man did I pay for it the next day since Will is up several times and the boys wake at 6 for the day!
We were supposed to go to a friend’s house for NYE but they canceled as one of their kids had a stomach bug. I am glad we avoided that as I can’t handle another sickness!! So it was a normal Friday night for us. We watched part of ‘Don’t Look Up’ on Netflix and my lights were out at 9:30!
This new gratitude challenge is a great one! I love what you came up with! I wish I had a natural ability to learn a language but I just don’t! I am considering doing duo lingo to develop some Spanish speaking abilities. It would help to be able tto somewhat communicate with the kids’ tteachers. One of Will’s teachers is fluent in English but that’s about it. Which is fine. It’s a Spanish immersion school and Phil can understand Spanish. He used to be fluent but has lost his ability to easily converse. But he can understand and respond in weaker Spanish or English. Anyways building some language skills would help.
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Hi there, saw your name pop on some of my friend’s blogs (Lisa, Elisabeth) and thought I’d come by and say hi… because every person that still keeps a personal blog in 2022 is a winner in my book!
Pleased to meet you.
Sounds like you had a nice, low-key NYE… and I am like you, I always have to ease myself into the new year with my goals and lists and aspirations. I am usually not ready when the clock strikes midnight, but that’s okay. There’s plenty of time.
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Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I actually peeked at your blog the other day too from one of theirs- can’t remember which- as well! But I was on my phone at the time so I didn’t comment because I was too lazy to type in my info. Hehe. I feel like these personal blogs are like a secret society… they are hard to find just from Google or whatever, but they are still out here! 🙂 They are so much fun to read and it’s been such a joy to me. I can’t believe you’ve been blogging since 2004! That’s insanely cool. I’ve only had mine for a couple years now…it was a “pandemic project”, I think April of 2020?
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