Rainy day beach sunset, December 2012

Happy 2013!

Mikhail and I did something truly shocking on New Year’s Eve: we went to bed before midnight. Since we regularly stay up till midnight or later, often regretting it when one of our human alarm clocks go off at 6 a.m., we decided to be truly radical on New Year’s Eve and not stay up.

This holiday time is about rest, restoration and rejuvenation for me.

Matching alpaca slippers, December 2012

Getting well.

Going for my first run in a month.

Family time and beach time.

I really, really love the beach.

There is something truly magical about the place where the land meets the sea. Perhaps it’s the sheer contrast of dry and wet, brown and blue, inhabited by humans and inhabited by dolphins.

Yesterday Mikhail and I went to the beach with 3 little boys – Elan, Emry and my nephew Judah. We had cardemom-infused Turkish lattes (YUM) for us, rainbow-sprinkle donuts for them (and yes, non-sprinkle donuts for us, of course). It was sunny and decently warm. We made a rockin’ sand castle and managed to have no one kick it over until it was designated King Kong time and all 3 of them got to go at it at the same time.

And then we saw dolphins cavorting out beyond the waves.

Doesn’t get much better than that.

And Mikhail and I got a chance, over dinner one night with an ocean view, to work on our completing the year ritual, based on Andrea’s worksheet, here in video form. I highly recommend this practice. It’s a nice way to wipe the 2012 slate clean and start 2013 fresh.

May you have a year filled with health, laughter and love.