It happens so quickly. I was thinking about New Year's Resolutions and some goals for the coming year, thinking about trips we want to plan, and some refocusing with this blog, and then all of a sudden its well into February. Vonnegut would say, "so it goes." So it goes quickly thus far this year.
The quickness doesn't mean tedium in our experiences up here, as life's pace seems to have picked up in the new year. Part of it, no doubt, is the continuing effort catch up and stay on top of things at work after taking a long vacation in December. Part of it is just that we have more going on. Beginning in January, Maia started two new activities, swimming lessons and gymnastics. The swimming - well, on her first night, the instructor's comment to us after the lesson was, "well, she has no fear of the water." This was evident in watching the amount of gusto Maia utilized when leaping off the ledge and into the water, often going past where the instructor was located. Yes, she has no fear; but we do, which is why she has those weekly swim lessons. As for gymnastics, it was an activity that fit into our schedule well in terms of night of the week; all kids can use help with coordination; and Maia just needs something to help burn additional energy. So, giving an hour each week to run, jump, tumble, and so on is very worthwhile.
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| It's a pirate thing, you wouldn't understand. |
In addition to those activities, a little over a week ago was my firm's annual planning retreat, where we once again went up to Union Pier, Michigan. Stayed at the same Bed and Breakfast we have in past years (Goldberry Woods; seriously, an awesome place), and enjoyed some nice dinners out. The last day, instead of cramming another meal in (after large breakfasts, and two very large dinners, a lunch was just too much), we did some wine tasting instead. It was enjoyable; I got to go to Lemon Creek Winery again, which is one of my favorites, and came away with a nice supply of wine for awhile.
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| The Silver Beach is a family favorite. |
Outside of the comings and goings, we also had what I call "joys of adulthood" moments. The car I had been driving, a 2008 Fusion, had been having issues (naturally, since we paid off the loan on it last Fall). The cost to fix it considering what it was worth was difficult to swallow, and it was a car neither of us liked (for me, chiefly because I got horrible gas mileage). So we ended up getting a new to us car, a small economy hatchback - 2015 Nissan Versa Note. I've enjoyed driving it over the last 2 weeks, and I've particularly enjoyed the very good gas mileage I get with it. It's not anything fancy, but considering I can't afford a car I would really want (Hello Jag! or even an Aston Martin would do ;)), having some efficient, reliable, and practical appeals to me.
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| It's small, it's white, it gets 35+ mpg! |
The other joy is having to replace our water heater. We noticed it leaking water the day after we purchased the new car (impeccable timing of course). We knew that it would need to be replaced soon, being over 11 years old now. We had some additional costs to incur because the manner in which the venting was installed by the prior property owners was/is not up to code (what are you going to do?).
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| Is there anything less exciting to buy than a water heater? |
But, its been a busy first six weeks of the year - new activities with Maia, new car, new major house appliance; and a work pace that continues to be very demanding. It really is amazing how fast it all seems to go sometimes (and I didn't even talk about the different and more writing I want to do here). As long as life keeps coming with the good (or at least things you can handle with some perspective and perseverance), I suppose I'll take whatever speed.
"No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away." - Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
"I know this much: that there is objective time, but also subjective time, the kind you wear on the inside of your wrist, next to where the pulse lies. And this personal time, which is the true time, is measure in your relationship to memory." - Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending
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