Happy New Year & a New Year's Day Tale

We rang in 2010 with a thrilling evening.

No fancy party clothes and funny hats for us this year. We laid low at home with this one.

It's a good thing we think she is hilarious. We did manage a little festivity with a toast to welcome in the new year.
2010. I'm nearly 30- deep breath. Stephen and I had some great conversation, reflecting and looking forward. It's so exciting to think about all of life's potential- places to visit, places to live, jobs to aim for, family to foster, love to grow, so much joy mingled with so much unknown. I've been realizing that I think my life should be like a vacation. I think, " Oh, I like Charleston." And I picture us living there eating fabulous food, boating, and owning an incredible house near the Battery. There is a very strong chance that it would not be like that. I think, "Oh, I love Colorado." And I picture us riding horses, skiing, and getting super cool outdoor gear. Probably wouldn't spend most of our time that way. As I go into 2010, I really want to work on (or rather let God work on) my heart. I desperately need to work on my contentment. I daydream constantly about how to improve everything around me, mostly for my selfish benefit. I am praying that I will be open and pliable. I have decided to give up dessert for the next year- yikes! I have the worst sweet tooth ever. I am letting myself have a little one once each month. I am hoping that I not only gain some self control, but that it reminds me to shoot for total contentment- and to stop hoping my life will be like one big vacation. I don't normally do New Year's Resolutions, but here I go.

Thanks for hearing my chatter (all four of you).

Pressing on.

New Year's Day has been great. Ross and Amy Free came for a visit. It was so nice to just be with friends all day. Amy (who photographed Sadie previously) helped me get my act together and order some Birth Announcements. She custom designed some since I couldn't find what I wanted online (I also didn't want to pay like $2 per card online- am I cheap?). While Ross and Stephen immersed themselves in football, Amy and I headed out to take a few pictures.

First stop: this old church down the road from our house.

Sorry that that is the only picture. We ran into some trouble. Actually, some trouble ran after us. We walked around the back of the church to take a few pictures (the light was gorgeous), and we heard some stirring in the woods. To our surprise, we were being stalked by a troop of Guinea Hens. I got nervous. I HATE birds. Don't even think about feeding the seagulls if you're ever with me at the beach. It would potentially end our friendship. So, Amy and I decided to trot back toward the front. After a glance back over our shoulders, we realized a full out run was necessary. These psycho birds were sprinting after us! So scary and so funny- funniest thing that has happened to me in a long time. We made it back to the car just in time to miss out on having our shins pecked to death. The Guinea Hens surrounded my car with no fear. I tried to roll down the window to take their picture, but they yelled at me, and I was afraid they would jump up and peck my eyes out. So here's a picture through the front window (I love that old farmhouse across the street- don't you?):
They look like they were retreating, but you can't see the other eight that were still intensely focused on hurting us. This picture doesn't show how scary they were. I googled, and this is the only picture I could find to show you their size. So funny and so random. Thanks Lori O'Toole. I have no idea who you are.
I swear ours were bigger, and they definitely were not walking away from us. On a lighter note, their feathers were really beautiful.

Moral of the story- Happy New Year, seek out some adventure this year (even if it is down the street), and never cross a Guinea Hen.