Abundant gratitude

Been so distracted for the last million weeks, and when I do check in here, I've tended to list my struggles. So, with this post, I'd like to wax poetic about all the great things in my life:

My family kicks ass. The whole kaboodle -- on my side, and on Ken's side.

My husband kicks ass. I love watching him with Audrey; it makes me all warm and gooey inside to see her eyes light up when he picks her up.

I'm besotted with my kid. And, with being a mom. This is a beautiful surprise to me, for which I am tremendously grateful.

Our good friends, Ari and Terri, and their two children have moved to St. Paul. Ari just arrived this past Friday. It's SO good to see them, play with their kids, hang out at Terri's mom's house (Darlene, who's lovely... In addition to the blessing of their friendship(s), Ari has been an artistic soulmate of mine. It's just so damn fun to see him in person again!

I've made some new friends here in St. Paul, including Dana, who has a fab sense of humor and often reminds me of my Dallas-based friend, Vicki, through whom I met her. They both have hearty laughs. I love women who laugh heartily. Guffaws are cool, too. Plus, Dana likes talking about restaurants and food like I do; and, she's hard-pressed to resist dessert, chocolate, and/or coffee. Woman of my heart, no? Other great new friends include another fellow foodie, Jeanne, Lisa, Sarah and Elizabeth (former neighbors at our temp apartment), and fellow writer/class attendee Carey.

Life is good.

I love getting holiday cards and emails from friends, especially the ones with photos and/or recap-the-year letters. They're narratives, little stories to savor. Fun, fun.

Ken's starting a month-long temp job on my birthday, next Thursday. He's psyched, and I'm psyched for him. He'll get into a rhythm, meet new people, and be in a position to help students, which I think he'll like. He really likes helping people, and he's good at it.

I'm grateful for our good fortunes and good health. Our new house has lots of light and a good vibe. Our upstairs neighbor is quiet. Thank you, Universe.

We're in a great place this Christmas, and I'm looking forward to the new year.

I wish you all joy, abundant joy. And, love. Always love.