January was a tough year, but we made it, amiright? I confess, the holiday blues hit me hard this year and stayed on a little longer than usual. When this happens, I like to torture myself by asking depressing questions like “Will my kids ever have memories of my mom’s at Christmas?” And “Why do we live here again?” I’m famous for doing this at holidays, or especially on flights home (typically over Utah, David says). The distance from my family really seems to hit me at these times. That extra day of travel; that extra hour in the time zone change; another year passing since I’ve been able to visit my sister.
Always at some point I’m okay again and I remember all of the beautiful things about the life we have built here in California. (That point is usually the moment we cross state lines into the Sierra Nevadas!) This time it was when I imported these photos into Lightroom. Oh, and something about standing on Pier 14 on a Wednesday afternoon simultaneously feeling the warm sun and the cold bay breeze on my face.
I remembered everything I love about January here in Northern California; all of my favorite rhythms: weekly visits to the library just minutes from our house, day trips to San Francisco, our big, green garden, and the morning sun that streams into my front windows most days of the year.
This blog has pulled me out of many-a sad feeling since we moved here nearly ten years ago. It helps me reflect on all the beauty and joy in my life. It’s a way to keep alive those heart connections that I still have to my friends and family, however far away they are in body. I hope you enjoy a little peek into our life this month: January in pictures!
(If you like these pictures, I hope you will follow me here on Instagram where I post pictures weekly!)
