1. sunny, cool, winter days
2. spending the day in felton, laughing, playing, eating, exploring, knitting, relaxing, gaining perspective, and realizing family is who you choose it to be
3. the amazing, loving, inspiring people i get to share my life with every day
4. realizing that i am not perfect and learning to forgive myself for mistakes understanding that i am stronger, more aware, smarter, and wiser because of them
5. seeing a photo album of jeff's childhood for the first time
6. how ridiculously cute lea's personality is blooming into and her sense of humor.
   

nugget: you can't have the good without the bad. things have been really hard for me this past week, but i know it's coming to an end and it's already getting much better. and, after a week like that i know the good times will feel that much sweeter.

happy after t-day digers. since music is often my life raft i wanted to share some of my current favs and ask if you would be open to sharing what music you're obsessed with lately.

1. Anais Mitchell & Rachel Ries - "country EP"
2. Pinback - "some voices - ep"
3. Feist - "the reminder"
4. pink floyd - " the division bell"
5. The Cake Sale album

nugget: thankful that thanksgiving is over and we can go back to practicing gratitude naturally

weekend digs

1. having another fabulous weekend and feeling so much more balanced in life because of the balance i have been searching for - it's all about intentions!
2. jeff for forcing me to go to yoga even though i was going to be late and felt like exploding from pms. i felt instantly better when i arrived and went into my first downward dog. it literally cured me from my pms!!!
   
3. finding the ceramic art studio in HMB thanks to the farmer's market and the possibility of using the studio to re-enter ceramics!
4. falling in love again with my x-mas gift from jeff last year now that it's getting nice and cool outside
   
5. our sunday night consisting of an ocean walk in miramar, stopping by the ebb and tide cafe for hot chocolate, and sneaking in for a preview of the jazz concert upstairs. what a gem! and then going to our traditional "sunday sushi" doesn't get any better.
   
6. seeing the proof of taking time for ourselves. both jeff and i got a morning on our own this weekend. mine consisted of my weekly routine; yoga, bagel and coffee at la di da, farmer's market, new leaf for our lunch, and then grabbing coffee at peets for jeff. jeff took sunday morning to sleep in, and then work on music. we were both better partners, parents, and people for it.
7. planning for our first entirely homemade christmas. not sure if the family will like it, but the thoughts and love will be there regardless.
   

nugget: make the intention, stick to what's working, and in time you will find proof of what you're looking for.

1. my amazing friends
2. living in my house
3. watching the sunset with lea
4. being a full-time mama
5. sitting down to have dinner and talk with jeff in our new dinning room. a dream of mine since we've known each other.
   

nugget #1: stop focusing on getting sick and start focusing on your health
nugget #2: optimism is an act of bravery

(from body and soul)

1. my new bag that jeff convinced me to get
2. that i have a hubby who convinces me to get a new bag
3. the amazing hike i took with lea today and the fact that it was her determination that got us up to the top of the hill/mountain.
   
4. the little dance lea did today - i couldn't resist...it's attached (please excuse my cheesy lyrics)
   
5. my visit with lea to joanne's fabrics

nugget: i started putting a reminder on my calendar for the time periods when i might be pms'ing and it's helped me thus far to take myself and moods less seriously when i'm in "the zone". sounds ridiculous that it's taken me this long to figure this out. oh well.

1. finding a new route with lea today during our hike
2. the fact that lea finally goes to sleep easily and sleeps well (knock on wood!)
3. the new arrangement in our home and having a room solely dedicated to art and creativity
4. going painting class tonight despite trying to talk myself out of it
5. knowing tomorrow is another chance to have a fresh start
   

this weekend

1. having the best weekend ever, consisting of:

• wonderful yoga class sat morning
• seeing a new friend at class and having a wonderful conversation that will help me now and in the future
• going to see tara at the coffee shop, meeting a new mom, and seeing abby - realizing i was going to this new member tea over a year ago and thinking about how much my life, support system, and happiness in life has expanded since then thanks to the mother's club and all the amazing people i have met
  
• finding the best egg and cheese bagel sandwich in town (la di da)
• stopping by the farmers market and getting beautiful stuff
• having a delicious lunch with jeff and lea all at once (doesn't happen often)
• calling jeff's cousin in the off chance that she could come babysit lea while jeff and i go dance the night away in the city - stars were aligned, she agreed!
• jeff rallying us to go to stanford to get me my "officially out of the diaper bag" purse
• having an amazing visit with jeff's grandparents and seeing how truly happy lea makes them (everyone)
• driving home from SJ realizing we have no hotel reserved for the night and not worrying about it
• leaving for the party at midnight, excited and realizing we're truly going on our first adventure alone for almost 2 years
• going to the party, despite how tired we were, and having a kick-ass time dancing to amazing old-school house until 4am
• driving to the hotel without reservations and jeff getting the "we're here at 4:30 just let us pass out" rate. i don't know how he does it
• sleeping in until 11 am, waking to jeff bringing me coffee, checking out, and walking to a beautiful breakfast where they offered me a free mimosa....ahhhh love the city
• coming home feeling so happy and making plans to go out dancing once a month - arranging it with jeff's cousin when we returned
• hanging out with lea once she woke, eating lunch, dancing, playing...
• going to "sushi sunday", our tradition for the past few months, and having such a wonderful dinner
• jeff and i stealing moments through the day where we just smile at each other because of how much fun we had last night.
  
• feeling young again and realizing it's never too late to go back to what you love.

i wish every weekend could be this way, but that's not the way it works. my nugget today is this: life is about being present enough to recognize the moments of time that are perfect, priceless, and full of love and joy. all the time in between is the process, the work needed to get the magical moments we live for. you can't have the good without the bad.

1. an amazingly cute and funny hike today
   
2. lea wearing her new patch without much protest, and generally how well she's adapted to her glasses. i can't believe it.
   
3. starting to draft a new weekly calendar and how much it's helping already
4. jeff for being so loving and helpful
5. amazing friends all around
6. new ideas utilizing old skills
7. giving myself latitude
   

1. seeing a wonderful eye doc today to affirm we're on the right track and make us feel more at peace.
   
2. jeff for letting me vent today
3. lea for being so patient and such a sport about her new situation
4. discovering new ways to utilize our home
5. going to my painting class tonight for the first time in 2 months
   

i'm back

1. weekend of rest thanks to jeff: taking lea out while i slept, getting dinner, washing dishes, making lunch, giving me a kick-ass massage and lots of love and attention.
2. lea's glasses seem to be helping her see better. even though we are still worried about her sight in the long term, we know we're helping her right now the best way we can
3. getting in to see another great eye doc tomorrow by sheer luck (appointment was not scheduled until dec.) and the relief jeff and i feel knowing we'll have a second opinion to ensure we're on the right track
4. building lasting amazing friendships
5. finding some good books from the library
6. amazon
7. i started a sketchbook again, finally!
8. our last MNO (thanks to kristen) and how much it helped me to talk, laugh, open up, and drink tequila
9. figuring out a new plan for our home layout
10. my new black pants and that jeff convinced me to keep them

i could go on forever....it's been a long time. good to be back :)