Happy New Year from Seattle...

Today is January 1st, 2012..... Happy New Year!  I love January 1st!  It is the start of a new year and a new beginning for everyone.  Big reason to celebrate and toast all the many blessings we have in our lives....

How did you ring in the new year?  Perhaps you had a very quiet New Year's Eve at home with those you love.....or.....maybe you dressed up in your holiday best and painted the town.   I hope that you had a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration.  

Our family had a very quiet celebration this year.  My husband, son, and I enjoyed a dinner together at a local restaurant.  

After a delicious dinner with Elliott, my husband and I went to a local casino where we enjoyed some dancing.  How we love to dance!!! :) After a bit of moving to the beat, we were back home to enjoy a toast of champagne and watch the ball drop in New York City.  It is  so great to see Dick Clark's smiling face each year on his New Year's Eve celebration on tv.  Like many my age, I grew up watching Dick on American Bandstand and then on his Rocking New Year's Eve Celebration.  Even after some health issues, Dick still looks as youthful and wonderful as ever.  He will always be remembered as the oldest teenager in the world! :)   My son, Brandon, and his new bride, Amy, were actually in New York City this year celebrating New Year's Eve with friends.  They were not at Time Square on New Year's Eve.  They chose to celebrate the New Year at a large celebration with their closest friends.  As for us, we toasted our New Year from the comfort of our den with a glass of champagne and a kiss xoxo and watched the awesome fireworks display on television live from the Seattle Space Needle in Seattle.  I wanted to photograph some of the fireworks for you to see and, believe it or not, I got some great photos from the tv with my camera....

After the magnificent fireworks display, my husband and I gave each other the traditional Happy New Year's kiss.  I am so blessed to have my sweet husband to celebrate New Year's Eve with each year.   Thank you, Mark, for making all my holidays so special for the past 14 years....

As January 1st, 2012, draws to a close today, I am reflecting on my life.  Like many people today, I am thinking about what my New Year's resolutions will be.  My resolution list is long....continue to spend time with my family and those I love...go back to Yoga and to the gym to take off the extra pounds that I have put on during the holidays and get back in shape...(even though I don't regret a single holiday item that I enjoyed)...continue to learn to knit and take more classes...read more (already started a book which I will share in another post)...learn to speak French...continue to explore Washington State and discover new places I love...continue to journal and blog...organize and clean out some closets and our storage shed which is full of items we didn't know what to do with in our downsize....continue to paint and personalize our home...travel more to visit my family in Florida and Houston...take Sadie Mae for even more walks...get back into watercolor painting...and the list goes on and on!  Let me also appreciate all the beauty around me and give thanks to God for all the many blessings in my life.....my home, my family, my friends, my health and their's.....and let me never, never take any of this for granted.  Let me get up each day thinking...."Life is short...so, how do you want to spend your day?" 

What are some of your New Year resolutions?   Time is a gift.  Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog over the past year.  I am so honored that you take time out from your busy day to spend a little time with me.   Thank you so much!  I hope you have a fabulous 2012, and that it is filled with all the best life has to offer.  

From our home to you and your loved ones...... Have a very Happy New Year 2012! xoxo Kim

and Happy New Year to my dear Mom and Dad....we miss you!

Comments

[Sandy]

Happy New Year to you and your family Kim! What a beautiful posting! You guys look suave in your New Year hats, love it! Thanks for the cool fireworks (unable to tell it was photographed from your TV). Dave and I celebrated a quiet New Year's eve and a quiet New Year's day. Have to take Kayla to the vet today (she's not feeling well).

I didn't make any New Year resolutions other than to move more. I have lots of exercise equipment in my basement and I will be doing Zumba right down the street from me. I do plan to take some yoga lessons. I want to learn how to photograph better, and we have some plans for our home and garden. My goal is to live each day "one day at a time" to stay in the moment, breathe god in, and breathe love out. I'm sure as each day unfolds, I will engage in something interesting and fun.

You and Mark are a beautiful couple! He looks so handsome! I bet you cut-up the dance floor. I love to dance but Dave doesn't like to (because he doesn't know how). He's been talking about taking lessons for years. Who knows, maybe this year he will stop talking about it and like Nike says, just "do it."

Kim, Love your choice of music. I did play lots of music this weekend! Back to work tomorrow. Oh, I do have another resolution, use more of my vacation time!

Thank you for your friendship!

XXOO Sandy

[Bluebirds and Butterflies]

Happy New Year, Sandy!
Thanks for your nice comments. I am sorry to hear your little doggie is not feeling well :( We will keep your sweet little one in our prayers today. Hugs to little Kayla and to you, dear friend. Glad you enjoyed the fireworks photos. It was a great show....even from the tv. Mark and I took six years of dance lessons in Florida when we lived there. Want to take some lessons here where we live now. I encouraged a guy I went to high school with a few months ago to start dance lessons. He was unsure about it at first but, once he started, he has really enjoyed it. He thanked me for giving him that little push to start. The first dance step is the hardest! I hope the two of you do start some lessons. I always said, "My dance lessons were like my therapy!" Once you are on the floor and concentrating on your dance step, you don't think of anything else. Good exercise, too! We are off to take my son and his girlfriend back to college today. I have sure enjoyed having him home. Happy New Year to you, Sandy. Love ya, Kim

[Sandy]

Hi Kim,

Thanks for your sweet note. The vet gave Kayla an antibiotic injection and some antibiotic pills that we need to give her for 2 weeks. He said she wasn't running a temp or anything. He asked us to follow her around and catch her urine! No way would be able to do that! She would wonder what we were doing and stop. I'm sure that wouldn't fly. He said it sounds like she has a urine infection.

She's been acting very strange. She keeps getting on my guest room bed and getting into things. She went into my work tote and opened a packet of instant oatmeal and had it all over the bed. I've been catching her taking shoes down to the basement and chewing them. She NEVER acts like this! I hope she's not becoming neurotic. Let's hope the antibiotics work!

So Elliott has a girlfriend? Did she stay with you guys? That must have been so nice having him home for the holidays!

I'll keep my fingers crossed, maybe Dave will commit to some dance lessons this year. There is another couple that we really like and hang out that wanted to take lessons with us a couple years ago. We'll see if we can find something and get these guys to commit.

Talk to you later!

~Sandy

[Zee]

Happy New Year to you and your family! :)
This is my first time on your blog and I am loving it so far

[Honey]

What fabulous photos of the fireworks and you and hubby!

Wishing you a healthy, happy and sparkling New Year!

[Sharon]

Hi Kim, Thanks for stopping by and visiting me earlier and for the compliments on the candle sweaters. I figured I would come for a visit, and respond to your comment here. They are easy...they are adorable...and valentine ones would be a good idea! The tall ones were a bit to tall for candles...i thought they would be fine with a long lighter...not so much...so the tall ones I actually light with a battery operated candle, though I plan on using them as vases on my winter mantel as soon as I can go out and collect some branches...the smallest of the 3 though is a good size...and real candles look so pretty glowing through the sweater!
You and your husband are a lovely couple! I look forward to spending some more time visiting you here...and plan on following you just as soon as I finish this comment...that is long enough to be a post in itself lol!...and hopefully you'll come visit me again too!
Sharon
P.S. mums the word...nobody would every know that you were not sitting beneath those fireworks!

[Sandy]

Hi there Kim,

Waiting to see a new posting with you and Mark donning your cool aprons doing a throw down cooking party while utilizing your new stove!!!

~Sandy

[Bluebirds and Butterflies]

Hi Sharon,
Thanks for the visit to my blog today. Also, thank you for all the information on the knitted candle covers. They are really creative and fun. I think the covered vases would be awesome with some branches! You are so creative! Thank you so much for the nice visit. Great to make a new friend! xoxo Kim

[Red Rose Alley]

Kim,
Those are wonderful New Years resolutions! I think I'll just try to be the best me that I can every day. Your New Year's Eve picture with your husband and son is a great one. I used to always watch Dick Clark, but haven't seen him in years, as I usually don't make it up til midnight any more. hehe I DO KNOW, however, the one thing that I will continue to do this year...visit your wonderful blog, and all the beautiful things that it brings. Love ya, Kim.
~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

Oh, I want to buy myself more flowers this year. Don't we all need to enjoy more flowers?

[Bluebirds and Butterflies]

Hi Sheri,
Thank you so much for the sweet comments! Thank you so much for your love, support and visit to my blog postings over the past few months. You are doing a great job with the gals on your own blog! Happy New Year to you and your's. Many wonderful things are in store for you this year! xoxo Kim

[Sandy]

Kim,

Just looked at this posting again and I love the last photo of the bird and the sky! It's a fabulous picture the way the sun is just behind the clouds. You could make a poster of this and have it matted and put in a gorgeous frame or it would make a beautiful card!

The last 2 paragraphs of your posting are so beautiful gratitude and the many blessing of life and the gift of time!

You are a beautiful soul, and I'm so very grateful that you are in my life (even if it is in blogland) You are truly authentic and extremely talented! I used to knit and crochet but it's been so long I'd have to learn all over again. Would love to see some of your watercolor paintings. Could you take a picture?

XXOO,

Sandy