Happy New Year everyone!
I am not a big New Year’s Eve kind of person. I find it a kind of sad day actually. However, I love New Year’s Day! The first day of a new year, just feels so fresh and full of hope and promise.
This morning, we made a last minute decision to go see the first sunrise of the year. We pulled on warm clothes, filled our travelers with hot coffee and warm cocoa, heated up our hot pretzels, and piled into the car to head to the river. The sky was full of clouds but we were in luck; there was a sliver of sky wide enough to allow us to the see the fiery beauty of the rising sun.
I stepped out for a moment to take this photo, and it was quiet over the river, except for the cries of the circling seagulls above. It was cold though, and my old yoga pants were no match for the wind, so I hurried back to the car and the warmth of my family. Wyatt and I were sharing the front seat for the sunrise show, so it was doubly warm. As the sun fully emerged over the horizon, whole families erupted from their cars around us, celebrating the rising of the sun as well. It was a really cool way to start the year.
Yesterday we spent the day in creativity. It wasn’t planned, it just evolved that way. Wyatt has been busy creating collages and drawings for two days now, just fully immersed in his artwork. Billy did some leatherwork, I worked on my embroidery and a did a bit of writing with the Winter Writing Sanctuary with Beth Kempton. Everyday she has a new invitation (prompt) and I give myself ten or fifteen minutes to scribble out some thoughts. I am not a great writer but I am enjoying the process. In the first video Beth invites us to wake early, light a candle, and write by candlelight. However, Billy has forbidden me from lighting a candle, since I am an enormous calamity in the morning and he feels he would wake to a house on fire. I mean, he is right. I am a super klutz in the morning. It’s like my brain is awake far earlier than my body. We had pizza for dinner, in front of the Christmas tree per Wyatt’s request, watched some videos together, and then had a quiet night and I totally fell asleep way before midnight. Wyatt has never made it past 9 pm. I guess he takes after me, more of an early riser than a night owl.
I’ve been thinking hard about my word for the year, and I don’t quite have one yet. Last year was my year of community. I want to continue that, building more community physically around us, more dinners and outings with our family and friends, but also digitally, here on my blog. Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are hosting Cozy Crafternoon zoom sessions this January and February to beat the winter blahs, and I hope it is just the beginning of such things. Maybe I will stick with the same word, Community.
Today we will go for a ride to Belle Isle, the way we always do, and then Billy is making us a good luck dinner – pork chops, black eyed peas, and greens. For lunch we are also having a good luck meal, tamales that his mom made for us. Then tonight, we will watch the movie we watch every year on New Years Day and have for years, The Big Year starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. It’s such a tradition at this point and we only ever watch that movie on January 1st. I look forward to it every year.
And now, I am going to get another cup of coffee. I wish you all a wonderful day and a Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
For me, it’s not a special day. I’m usually awake because I’m very much what I like to call a vampire bat (although I have learned to get up early if I have to, like on workdays), but I’m not doing anything special or count down to midnight.
Instead I curse people and their loud fireworks.
I also don’t make any resolutions on New Year’s Eve. I have to tackle things bit by bit and deal with them throughout the year with the help of my to do list.
The last few days I had been working on an embroidery piece which I finished today, then blogged about it, and I felt that was a good start to a new year 🙂
Cat
https://catswire.blogspot.com/
Lol, I love that descriptor. I am the opposite, an early morning…rooster. Lol. On New Years I do get woken up by all the fireworks and gun shots. Why do people have to shoot their guns? I don’t get it.
I am like that too. I have to do things little by little, bit by bit. Eating the elephant, so to speak.
I think that is the perfect start to a new year!
Happy New Year! Have fun on Belle Isle — that’s a great way to start the new year! And onward to a many beautiful moments in 2025!
Thank you Jeanie!! Happy new year to you as well!
Happy New Year! The sunrise is beautiful and such a good idea. Have a great day!
Thank you Carla! I hope you had a great day as well.
What a beautiful sunrise! We don’t have any NYE or New Year’s Day traditions. I did, however, get lots of crafting done today and yesterday and that felt great.
That sounds perfect to me!!
Happy New Year! What a wonderful sunrise – great way to start 2025.
Thank you!
Happy New Year! I hope 2025 is a wonderful year full of adventure and fun but with some rest and relaxation too! We aren’t big New Year’s Eve people either. We went over to a neighbor’s house for a party for a bit but were home by 10 and in pajamas soon after!
Thank you Katherine! I wish the same for you! Yeah, that sounds about my speed for NYE. Lol. We were hoping to spend a few hours with my brother and his family but then they all got Covid! They are fine, just a bit congested.
Have an awesome 2025.
Thanks Anthony, you too!
Happy New Year, Erin! What a beautiful way to start a new year! Needless to say I was sound asleep when the sun came up, but I couldn’t have seen it anyway. It’s been raining/snowing here for quite a few days straight. But, we’re supposed to get quite a bit of snow on Friday which means we’ll get a dusting!
I love that you all crafted together. I think I’ve been missing that a lot. I can’t wait for our crafternoons. I need to get something ready to go for that!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Thank you Marsha! Our night owl of the family, Billy, would have probably preferred being home asleep but is a good sport. Lol. We were afraid that maybe we wouldn’t see it either, I am pretty there is a permanent cloud parked over Michigan most of the time.
I am so excited too!
What a lovely way to start the year! Happy New Year to your family!
Thank you Emma!
What a great post! I love the idea of getting bundled up and watching a winter sunrise, and that’s such a gorgeous photo. Also, it shows your Instagram name, so I was able to follow you. The promise of a new year, or even a new month or week is endlessly appealing to me, knowing that it’s a fresh start, like writing in a brand new notebook. Happy New Year to you and Wyatt and the mister!
Thank you Leah! It was totally random and pretty cold but it was very memorable! And I am so glad you did find me!
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Happy New Year! I love that you made a point of seeing the sunrise. Beautiful photo!
Thank you Joy!
I don’t like NYE either, and so I just ignore it! New Year’s Day we cancelled parkrun for the big storm we had here then a few of us had a coffee, so it was actually quite nice! I’m worrying colouring in isn’t crafty enough but then almost persuaded myself that doing a jigsaw is more crafty than colouring in. Is it?!
Liz, it absolutely is!! Even if you wanted to, I don’t know, write things in your planner or make your grocery list, that would be fine too! It is more about the social aspect. Parallel play as my husband calls it. Lol. So yes, coloring is perfect! Lisa and I both color too, and that may happen at one of the crafternoons. So don’t worry, and just do something that will make you happy. 🙂