Oh, you guys. New Year's Eve was magical.
They put so many special touches in the cabin-- homemade sweet bread in the fridge, music playing when we got there, little snacks in the cabinets. And all the dishes were handmade by one of the owners.
It was such a special experience. We made a special dinner, took a bubble bath in the jacuzzi tub, watched a movie in front of the crackling fireplace, and fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. Whoops. And when we woke up, it was the new year!
(Hilariously, this is how many books the two of us brought just for a one night stay.)
We stopped at a gourmet grocery store on our way to the cabin and had fun picking out things to have for dinner instead of going out. Honestly, driving on New Year's makes me nervous. I was happy to stay in.
It was so foggy and beautiful!
On New Year's Day, it snowed. We (regretfully) left our cabin, and drove to the dam on the lake. We walked along the water, then went and found Little Golden Gate, in Beaver, Arkansas.
It was freezing, but worth it to walk along the river and see the bridge and take some photos. We were all bundled up, luckily.
Driving in the car together is one of our favorite things. We love to talk to each other and listen to music, and it provides a perfect opportunity for both. We spent a good part of the ride home talking about the upcoming year and what we want it to look like.
Neither of us are big on New Year's resolutions, but our "what 2013 will look like" conversation sort of naturally led us that way. Here they are:
We were planning on driving to Chicago to visit some friends and family over the weekend, but it is a realllly long drive and we got increasingly worried about the possibility of bad weather. Instead, we splurged on one night in a treehouse cottage just outside Eureka Springs, Arkansas-- only an hour and a half away, and so. So. Magical.
We stopped at a gourmet grocery store on our way to the cabin and had fun picking out things to have for dinner instead of going out. Honestly, driving on New Year's makes me nervous. I was happy to stay in.
1. Eat more veggies. We do a pretty good job at this. But lately, we've been busy busy busy, and rushing around all the time has resulted in more takeout and more quick but not-so-healthy meals. We got Super Natural Every Day for Christmas, and our more specific vegetable-related goal is to work our way through the cookbook- all the recipes we've looked at seem amazing! We've made one so far, cauliflower soup, and it was delicious.
2. Take more photos. As a pair, Lindi and I spend a pretty good amount of our waking life taking photos, editing photos, talking to clients, and learning how to be better at our craft by reading about photography and looking and lots and lots of photos by other talented artists. But one thing I realized yesterday, while walking down a freezing riverbank together and delighting in the raindrops on the plants and the neat pebbles on the path, is that we don't spend enough time just taking photos for fun. We talked about it on the drive home and decided to take more photo walks, to take more photos just because, to take our cameras on more adventures.
3. Walk more. And dance, and bike, and run. We are both terrible about convincing each other to snuggle for an extra half an hour in the morning or read or play Bananagrams or watch a movie instead of excercise in the scant free time we have. But we both want to do it, and Lindi said yesterday that it DOES only take a month to learn a habit, so hopefully by February (or maybe March...) getting up and moving will be a habit instead of a chore. We're aiming for three times a week to start with, then to work up to six times a week.
4. Choose joy. For me, at least, this means to spend more time doing things that make us happy, and let go of the messy minutiae that tends to bog us down on a day to day basis. To get outside in the sunshine and breathe fresh air more, to worry about money less, to spend more quality time together, to watch fewer trashy television shows, to read more good books, to get less upset by terrible drivers on my way to work. This certainly doesn't mean that I will be chipper and delighted for every moment of every day, but I want to at least focus on choosing the brighter side of things in general.
Happy 2013, everyone. May it bring you great things.
What resolutions did you make, if you're a resolution-maker?
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Choose joy also means hanging out with me more :D
ReplyDeleteYour new years eve looks lovely. I didn't know those little magical cabins existed, now I want a night or two there!
Happy new year, my darlings.
I'm so excited for what the new year will bring for you both -- with such a beautiful start, and with such positive goals, I think it will be wonderful! xo
ReplyDeleteI love Eureka Springs! These photos are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHahaha. I thought the same thing about the amount of books. =P
ReplyDeleteIt looks magical!
And I heart your goals. And you! <3
Happy New Year, ladies!!! I know I've been MIA lately, but didn't want you to think I wasn't still reading...just a little quieter these days. Your welcome to 2013 sounds romantic and lovely. I am wishing you both the best 2013 ever!
ReplyDeleteThank you, sweet lady!! I knew you were lurking around there somewhere. ;) Happy 2013 to you too!
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