January 1

We had a nice, easy start to our morning: just cinnamon rolls and leftover donuts before we headed out to have lunch with my dad and Lisa (and my brother's family). It was nice to be able to spend a little more time with them, and then it was nice to take a drive out in the country.

The town I first called home has undergone tremendous changes over the past 20 years, but somehow, the area closest to where I lived has --thus far-- remained immune to the influx of new housing and industry. It's still just rolling hills and blue sky, which today, felt particularly peaceful under the residual blanket of snow that fell last week, and looked especially beautiful thanks to a partial bank of clouds that filtered the sunlight with a just-so degree of perfection. I'm not entirely sure why, but I always have to go back and visit when I'm here, if only for a quick drive-by.

Then this evening, we returned to grandma's house and enjoyed some time inside (which given that the high temperature today was about 16 degrees, was the warmest decision we could've made). Adam worked on a puzzle we borrowed from the basement stash while the kiddos munched on popcorn and other various forms of junk food. After dinner, we joined my grandma to watch college bowl games on TV. I sat across from her and couldn't help but think back on how many different times we'd sat together in that very room over the past 35 years. We're both much older, of course, but underneath it all, we're still the same. She may be 95 years old, but she's still as mentally sharp as I am most of the time, and I'm so thankful that we can still add moments to the memory bank.

So yes: it was, all things considered, a simple day. But there's nothing like a simple day to begin a brand new year, since it's important to remember that every single moment we're given is a blessing.