20 degrees....feels like 7

It's about time I get this heartache off the front page and tell you about the holidays.

With my gut giving me the go ahead, I headed out on the morning of December 22 with a couple guys that responded to my add on craigslist.com and offered me a ride to Colorado. I was giving up a flight the next day and a confusing configuration of rides to and from the airport. This way seemed a lot more simple. And in fact it was. We made it through the beginnings of a messy blizzard along I-70, which we learned partially closed behind us. They were pleasant company for the 10 hours we were on the road. I had decided to keep in touch with friends and my brother in case anything happened, but I was surprising my family at my grandparent's house with my early arrival. We arrived just as my mom and grandpa were returning from the grocery store and I was received with an incredible shriek of delight and look of bewilderment. It was perfect timing. I made it in time for Christmas dinner and had a lovely time playing dominos with everyone. I was particularly glad that I got to spend some time wit my uncle Ric and his girlfriend Hilary before they left the following day.

The sky was its usual bright blue, but for the chill in the air, it was beautiful to be able to sit on the porch in the middle of the day and enjoy the sunshine. I even slept on the porch the first night, but was practically blown back inside by the fierce winds that nearly lifted my sleeping bag off the ground! The rest of the week in the Springs was the usual scene of everyone sitting around reading or watching tv or wandering around the house a bit aimlessly, taking a trip to the grocery store or a morning walk to Starbucks. It was restful if not a bit...okay... very lazy. I did finish the book I was reading: What is the What.... A story written from the perspective of one of the 'lost boys' from Sudan. It was a startlingly thorough account of this young man's life... Although it sort of gives one a false sense of understanding what some of these refugees have been through, I'm glad I read it and at least can get a sense of this one person's life and his experience of the war in Sudan as he has remembered it.

As the days led further and further away from Christmas it was time for us to leave the warm laziness of my grandparents' house and head down to Arizona. More blue sky and temperatures above freezing :). I got to spend a good amount of time with my brother and sister-in-law and enjoyed the company of my parents and some of their friends. Found myself as usual sifting through all the things I seem to find in my parent's garage each time I go home. And I left with a whole extra bag than I arrived with!

My return to Kansas City has been delightful. I thoroughly enjoy the company of the women with whom I live. They are all uniquely lovely and we live so well together. My one roommate and her boyfriend left my car for me at the airport as I did not arrive until the wee hours of the morning. And they left me a container of yogurt and a spoon on the seat for me! Funny, but after wheat thins, peanuts and air travel, nothing sounded better!

It has been bitterly cold these first few days of the new year. At the moment my hands are being chilled by the slight breeze that makes its way through the less than airtight window in my room ( I can sometimes see the the curtain lightly billow...through the storm window, screen AND window pane!). So I've scooted my oil heater dangerously close to me so I can continue to write without my hands getting too stiff. I'm wondering if I can talk myself into riding my bike to work today...? ...especially when the weather report says it's 20 degrees and feels like 7!!! and it's windy...

I've spent much of the new year watching all the kids who are off of school swim with their families or friends. As much as I love it, I dread the moment when something goes wrong. I tell myself that I'll know what to do if and when the time comes... It's still terribly unnerving to watch little toddlers face plant in the water or kids plunge under the surface for more than a second off the water slide or lose sight of that lap swimmer who's decided to test their lung capacity... ugh.

With my doula class finished and some extra time on my hands I'm eager to get my 'business' started! I admit I'm dragging my feet... towards another exit from my comfort zone, I guess. This will hopefully include teaching swim lessons and a prenatal water fitness class too. I will soon be trying my role as teacher/coach/instructor on for size. I am a doula and I think my soul is itching for me to live as such...not just a 'life-guard' per say...

I am probably the furthest I've ever been from being able to someplace other than where I might be able to drive in a day or two... though I haven't stopped day dreaming. However, I have friends (or friends of friends) currently in or soon headed to Ecuador, Argentina, El Salvador, Sudan, Kenya, Congo, Australia, New Zealand, India, Nepal...!!! etc. A vicarious living of these travels is almost enough for me to remain very content here in the middle of the midwest of America freezing my toes off...but not quite...