lucky day thirteen of year twenty thirteen.

just shy of two weeks into the new year and we are blown away by the starts of our best year yet.

 

 

 

after living up the first week of marcus' two week holiday together, i hopped on a [delayed but nontheless] flight to my home away from home in edmo. on my birthday to boot. [i turned 28 but please if anyone asks we're doing a third go around of 26 ;)]. i stepped off the esclataor and into the arms of a tall + handsome man holding an equally tall + gorgeous bouquet of birds of paradise. which would turn out to be perfectly indicative of what was our best week together yet.

we celebrated my birthday. we celebrated new years eve in fancy clothes with fancy vodka and fancy friends. we played organized team games. we passed lifesavers on toothpicks. we shared midnight together. the week was filled with family + friends + facetime with marcus. with outings + innings + homecooked dinners + organic mancakes + a winter walk to the farmers market + last but not least? ukrainian christmas eve with his extended fam.

while i am pretty high on the traditions of burritt's rapids, i felt so blessed to share in such an awesome evening of tradition. on my birthday, i opened a hand-embroirdered traditional ukrainian shirt FROM ukraine. after one bellini + a long day of travel, i was so overwhelmed by this gift that i bursted into tears. not in a W network shed one to three emotional tears kind of way. in the TLC ugly cry face kind of way. needless to say i loved the gift and it made me feel some kind of special at ukrainian christmas eve, surrounded by his fam in all of their own embroidered goodness. sidenote: borscht is delicious. pickled herring? an acquired taste.

i came back to toronto with open arms, eager to feel my marcus in my arms and hear about his week of holidays with dad. we spent last week just catching up on all things each other. he was back into his school routine. i was back in my work routine. we were back into our hustle bustle with some extra hugs and snugs to make up for the week of missing each other.


top left: i swear he missed me. i swear.

marcus and i even invited his dad's new 'friend' to watch soccer yesterday. and while we joke sometimes that we are one move away from a reality tv show, it was reflective of the support james and i continue to show each other as the shape of marcus' fam slowly evolves. we are careful + respectful and we makes moves that make sense for our son. and saturday morning soccer made sense to us - including marcus.

with all that the first thirteen days of january had to offer, we are just SO ready to welcome all the goodness to come as the year rolls on. and resolutions? while they aren't my thing, i love to set different goals year round to push myself outside of the comfort limits in work + play alike. but i am six days into my first thirty day hot yoga challenge of the year and so far. so good.

i hope you've been open to everything the first thirteen days of twenty thirteen have offered you. from embroirdered ukrainian christmas eve, my first borscht, my trip out west, marcus' newly assigned at-home research project, this new hot yoga challenge... i am finding out quickly that the more you open your heart + mind to, the more fulfillment you'll find in even the least suspecting place. and for today? i hope that place is outside, if you're anywhere near us and enjoying this thirteen degree january thirteenth, twenty thirteen.

-kare xo