The two are not mutually exclusive.
Being off from both school and work for 14 days was magical. Talk about a lovely way to mentally and physically reset for the new year! I know that not everyone gets this opportunity, and I am most grateful.
Probably the best part was celebrating the end of the year holidays with friends and family. One perk of being a nurse is celebrating all the Christmases! It was a busy end to 2022, and seeing everyone I got to see was a lovely gift. It wasn’t everyone, but very thankful for technology keeping most of us in touch.
The bird feeder was a present for both Makai and I! After we put it up, the birds didn’t come at first. I figured that maybe they were scared of the cat or they didn’t trust me yet, but all of a sudden, we had birds! Frequent flyers include a family of three tufted titmouses (titmice?) and an enormous blue jay! Morning birdwatching has become an important part of Makai’s daily rituals, which include sitting in her window, stealing the woman’s new heated blanket, drinking water from the bathroom sink, fetching toy mice, and eating breakfast.
From baking to dance to hanging upside down, the theme for this vacation was to fill the heart and prep for the upcoming year. I spent a few days going through my clothes and closets and organizing the kitchen and listening to all my records (yes, I have records!), even putting away all the Christmas decorations. *sad face and cries* As much as it feels good to get organized, I do miss the pretty tree.
It wasn’t all organization, there was fun in there too! “Fun” took the form of a ballet class, an aerial yoga class, and some other smatterings of working out. Haven’t quite put those running shoes back on yet, but soon…
A new Mar and Gar tradition is the winter trip! Last year we did some hiking in Massachusetts in the winter, so this year, we decided on New Hampshire. We had a beautiful snowfall on the day we arrived which made driving north a little crazy but put this beautiful coat of snow on the town and the mountains. We had two hikes planned, the first was to Champney Falls and the second was Mount Willard. Both were beautiful! The views from Mount Willard coupled with the most beautiful day were my favorite. I’ll put some pictures below.
I am cracking up at the amount of snow hiking gear we had! Boots, socks, mini-spikes, gators (I will forever refer to these as “spats” because that’s what they look like), long underwear, adventure pants, adventure shirt, jacket, shell, gloves, hat, headband to cover ears, etc etc etc. I felt like I carried twenty pounds of clothes up the mountains!
North Conway, the town just ten minutes from Jackson, was adorable. We rode the Conway Scenic Railroad and stuffed ourselves full at Vito Marcello’s, established in 1927, and walked through shops called Naked Bohemian, Zeb’s General Store, the Five and Ten Store, and more. The bed and breakfast we stayed at was the best, and Michele, the innkeeper, was great! She makes a mean breakfast too! I already want to go back.
Finally, got to celebrate the birthday guy at the Morgan Library and Museum (I’ve never seen so many caged books!), topped with a full belly at Nha Trang in Chinatown. Those crispy squid didn’t stand a chance that night!
Time to forward roll into 2023! There is a lot to do this year, so hold on tight for the ride!
Happy 2023 everyone!
Mar Tells Mini Tales 