My skin is brown. My waist band expanded. The mountain of laundry smelling of slightly sour sea water has been slowly and steadily shrinking and I’m no longer sweeping up small deposits of sand that stick to the bottoms of my feet and make me smile. I just finally unpacked the last two suitcases. We spent a week in Mexico and a week in Colorado. It was a great trip, and we’re home now.
I ate my weight in Mexican food while we were away. Happily consuming plate after all inclusive plate of chips with guacamole and pico de gallo. Taquitos. Tacos. Tostados. Plus muchos muchos margaritas. Mmmmmmm...I can hardly figure out how to go through my day without Mexican food. Even in Colorado I ate some form of it every single day. These poor Brits. They don’t know what they’re missing. How in the world can Doritos be the only brand of plain corn chips in this country? Where can one buy a decent jar of real salsa (not nasty gringo wannabe salsa!). It’s just not right!
It’s always fun to return home to Colorado. It highlights things I miss. Like really powerful laundry stain treatment spray. Washing machines that do a hefty load in less than half a day. Target. Oh how I miss Target. One store for everything a girl could need. I miss sliced turkey for sandwiches. Lots of yummy gluten free and dairy free options that don’t taste like sacrificing. Chipotle. Guacamole. Good tequila. Blue corn chips. Friendly customer service. It always highlights the people I miss. Picking up where I left off with my sisters and my mom and dad and our old church and Meggs and others. So fun, but makes for an aching heart when we leave again. I’m missing so much of their lives! They’re missing so much of mine and my boys.
Being there highlights what I love so much about England though too and about being away. Flowers everywhere no matter the time of year. A cuppa at a friend’s table or sitting on their couch. Wellie walks. Pub dinners. The woods. Village life. Curry nights. My friends. The way we’ve come together as a family and how Scott and I have gelled as a couple. It’s a sweet life, and I am so thankful for it. Even if there isn’t any good Mexican food.
I feel in that processy-thinky place that sometimes happens around New Years. I know it’s halfway through January already, but we were so busy and traveling and so I’m only just now getting to the real meat of what I want for this year. It feels good to take my time with it a bit.
It’s going to be a big year. I can feel it. Change looms on the not-very-distant horizon. Our lease will be up this spring and there are rumblings of moves to further reaches of the globe. I’m trying to just enjoy the adventure. Not count chickens. Relax and let all of that unfold. (I know, who am I kidding right? But seriously. I’m not obsessing. Yet. This is progress people. Go with it.)
I’ve never been big on resolutions. So much can change and happen in a year. This year I’m enjoying thinking more along the lines of what I want, not what my goals are. What would I like to look back and have accomplished this time in 2012? What do I want to change? So, I have two main things I want to accomplish this year. They both feel really big to me, and yet totally doable.
I want to get our finances under our control (so far they’ve always controlled us), and I’d like to get in shape. I’ve learned that goals are better if they’re specific and measurable. I’ve also learned that sometimes one needs a bit of help. After several of you suggested Dave Ramsey we took the plunge. In terms of our finances, I want to have completed the Financial Peace University series and have accomplished the first three baby steps (more on that later) by the end of the summer. This will include making and sticking to a budget on a regular and ongoing basis. Which is a totally foreign tool in this house, but one that I feel quite confident we can master! The other one I haven’t decided on any specific measurables for yet. I’m working on that. I’ll keep you posted. I do know there’s a cute pair of pre-baby jeans that I’d like to fit into sometime in the near future.
So that’s the scoop. Been a while since I caught up with you all. I’m slowly putting my house back in order. Adjusting to jetlag. Detoxing from all-inclusive binging and pondering. Lots of pondering.
How about you. What do you want for 2011?
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