Out With the Old...

Solstice Blessings

Last night, I tried to stay awake all night long, waiting for the winter solstice to arrive. I "woke" up around 4:30 AM and bundled up to head out to Red Rock Canyon to watch the sunrise. When I arrived shortly before 6 AM, it was still completely dark. The snowy landscape was quite eerie, but I relished the rare moment of quiet. The sun finally broke the horizon around 6:51 AM. It amazes me how long "dawn" lasts, in contrast to the speed at which the sun climbs above the horizon once it first peeks over.

After the sun rose, I continued to enjoy the solitude of a peaceful Sunday morning in Red Rock. I marveled at the snow-covered desert and decided to go for a short hike. I chose the Willow Springs Loop Trail and it did wonders to soothe my soul. I was treated to the rare site of a pair of bighorn sheep high on White Rock Hills and the fluttering wings of a mountain blue bird. Part of the trail had not been disturbed since the recent snowfall, so I enjoyed forging my way through the knee high drifts.

I left the trail with a calmed spirit and clarity of thought. I felt renewed and exhilarated, despite my lack of sleep. My goal is to carry that through the coming weeks until we are settled in our new home. I am truly blessed to have partner that regularly gives me the gift of time and is an amazing father to our children. Other than his love, no other gift could make me feel so blessed.

Winter Wonderland

This afternoon, I took my three little ones out to Red Rock Canyon to explore the results of yesterday's storm. We played in out 8" of powdery snow. My spirits are noticeably lifted after spending a few hours communing with nature. We're expecting another storm tomorrow, so I'm already making plans for Thursday.

On the Hunt

November is more than half over, thanks to Election Day excitement and a whirlwind family trip to New England in search of our next home. We spent over a week looking at properties in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Over the course of three days, we looked at 29 houses and then we made second visits to a handful of houses. We chose the one we thought was best and put in an offer.

Our offer was for a typical suburban house on a cul-de-sac; a house we initially thought would work for our family. It had gorgeous hardwood floors and a stream running down the property line. The inspection came up with a lot of issues that we would be unable to correct quickly with our budget, so we signed a standard release form yesterday. We are now looking at a contemporary house in a more urban environment. The interior decorating is not my style, but I can work with it. Mr. Q will likely head back east in a few days to get the ball rolling on that one.

It was very overwhelming, but Mr. Q and I learned a lot about the home buying process. Touring all of those homes and towns helped me solidify my priorities for our next home and the community where we will likely spend the next 20 years. Trying to find the perfect home for a large family under so much pressure was a bad decision on our part. We should have gone with the idea that it was okay not to make an offer while we were there.

The stress level here is still quite high. The kids need a lot of attention, after missing too much mommy and daddy time last week. I'm trying to get back into our regular routine and take care of the mail and email that accumulated while we were away. At least the laundry is done!

Lots of Living

The past few days have been filled with the types of things that make my weeks speed by: doctor visits, a spontaneous trip to the mountains, feeding the geese at the park, grocery shopping, etc. I have been sewing, too, and finished four totes over the weekend. It's not as much as I had hoped, but I've started on at least a half-dozen more.

I've also been sleeping a lot more than usual. My husband traveled for work last week and my youngest daughter has been having trouble sleeping. I hope that I am just tired and that I am not coming down with something!

Days Like These...

...fill my heart with joy. The sun is shining, it's in the mid-60s and the sky is an amazing shade of blue. I love autumn!

Happy Mabon!