The Cold War

Merry Day After Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!!! I say it every year, but holy moly did this holiday season come and go in the blink of an eye! It seems like yesterday I peeked out our front door and snapped this shot on Halloween, where an early Nor'easter dropped over two feet of the white stuff in our neighborhood. There is something about a fresh snowfall, like this magical season, that makes me stop, take a deep breath, reflect and let go of the nonsense and noise of life, if for just a second. And boy oh boy has this year been one big pile of steaming bile, but I've decided to focus my energy on the things and people I love, and not waste one minute on the rest. Stay tuned, however, for an incredibly juicy tell-all about the nonsense that got us to where we are today, the evil that continues to chase us with incredible venom and hate and how we, together, survived it all. But, I won't take up anymore space on my design blog feeding an idiot with a law degree who hides behind a monitor waiting to pounce and destroy, I shall switch my focus back to my passion; design, decorating, living a fulfilled life on any budget while telling colorful stories along the way. Yesterday was a fantastic day which started by sipping coffee next to our Christmas tree, opening presents while a roaring fire warmed our cold bodies and beautiful music whistled in the background. The afternoon found us packing up goodies (including our automobile-hating pup, Canyon) and heading north to Joe's fathers home. While I was excited to spend the day with Joe and his family, it was hard not to feel the ache on my heart where the absence of my family gathered around our tree, laughing and sharing, was felt like the weight of a heavy donkey....ur, umm, buffalo...standing on my chest. Then, thirty miles north of our home, the front door was thrown open and my feelings of loneliness and heartache were replaced by warm hugs, huge smiles and a house filled with enough holiday spirit and love to light all of Manhattans Christmas trees! In the haste of the day, I allowed myself to get sucked into the vortex of negativity, but sitting in a warm home brought it all back. Presents don't mean a thing, it's the gift of connecting with people, caring, listening and sharing life that matters most. Well, who am I kidding, presents are pretty cool, too! As we cleared the Christmas dinner off the table, fancy video games, cameras and iPads were replaced with good old board games. Joe's brother, Todd, took one look at them and said, "are we really going to play with these vintage things?" and I realized, holy shit am I old, and more importantly, how cool it was to disconnect ourselves from modern technology and re-connect with what really mattered. I hope everyone is having a safe, happy holiday connecting with loved ones. Enjoy, and check back with me on Monday, January 2nd for my FOUR YEAR anniversary blog and much, much more!!!