Our ugly bathroom.

I'll admit, there was, and still is, a lot of ugly happening in this house that we bought last November. However, I'd have to say that most of it pales in comparison to our ugly bathroom. 

The toilet was leaking when we moved in so, instead of wasting time and money to fix the pink monstrosity, we turned it off and closed the door. Luckily we have two bathrooms and it has since been nothing but the room where we keep the litter box. Finally the time has come for us to make it into something that's functional and less nauseating.

Andrew has already removed the cabinets, toilet, and lovely hardware. I can't wait to rip all that pink faux marble laminate off the walls. Did I mention that the ceiling is also wallpapered? 

Oliver Jeffers.

This man's illustrations and stories have been inspiring me for several years now. It was really delightful to see this video of his daily process.

I still dream of being able to spend my days in my home studio. Just creating.

Winter walk in the woods.

"A year ago I don't think you could have convinced me to do this..." Andrew admitted as we walked. I had talked him into going for a walk with me through one of Cleveland's Metroparks on New Year's Eve. The day's temperature was reaching it's height at around 30 degrees. I hadn't been feeling particularly well for several days and bundling up and breathing in the brisk air was exactly what I needed. Winter walks are one of my most favorite things. I remember, when I was in college, how calming it was to walk home from classes with the snow falling and the city slowing it's pace and becoming quieter. I remember it being really wonderful and I miss that. 

I stopped to make a tiny snowman on top of a fence post.

2013.

To be honest, I rarely think about any resolutions I may have made for the new year past the end of the month. Its not that I don't want to accomplish them, its just that with everything that goes on in life they seldom stay on my mind. I was reading something that Donald Miller wrote about New Years resolutions and it really made me think about what I've been wanting to accomplish lately and how I could make that happen. 

For years I have been wanting to go to Alaska. It has a little to do with my childhood love of Northern Exposure, and a lot to do with my need to see the aurora borealis. Much like my desire to get to Arizona, I want to be able to experience a new landscape and explore our "last frontier" for myself. So I wrote it down so I could hang it up and see it often, but truthfully, I think about Alaska often enough that it would be challenging to forget about this goal. So my goal is to evaluate every purchase I make, decide if it's really necessary or not, because every dollar not spent is another step closer to getting to Alaska. I hope that I will be making my way there within the next two years.