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Welcome 2023 + Wimberley recap

Wimberley

I hope your 2023 is off to a wonderful start! I had a wonderful last week and a half over here, and today is my second day back at work. I took the week off in between Christmas and New Years, and it was the best decision. I had so many things that needed to be checked off my life admin list (make a baby registry, start the life insurance process, find a newborn photographer, put together a baby shower list) that I took all last week to make most of those happen. I also slept in late, watched some tv, and completely cleared my schedule. When I was back “at the office” yesterday, I felt a renewed sense of clarity.

golden retrievers

My puppies have loved to have my undivided attention over this last week, and I enjoyed some extra puppy snuggles.

peloton

I took a bit of a break from the Peloton in the days after Christmas, but finally jumped back on at some point last week. I’m listening to my body and slowing down when necessary. Growing a human has come with a new set of aches and pains (lower back pain anyone?), so I’m taking it easy when I can.

breakfast

I’ve also taken some time to cook some delicious foods that I might not otherwise make the time for: like French toast for breakfast on a Thursday.

A New Year

Aaron and I went back and forth about what we wanted to do this New Year’s Eve. Many years we’ve gone out to a nice dinner with some friends, but this year, this year was for us. We ordered in some Tex Mex, and finished the final season of The Walking Dead. I even stayed awake until midnight, which was a 2023 miracle. It was the best way to usher in this new year, this new chapter and this new season of life.

Addicks

On New Year’s Day, we took the dogs on an extra long walk up to the reservoir behind our neighborhood. It’s got some of the best views. We’ve had some nice, warm weather, after a freezing end to December. I also heard that in just a couple of weeks, it will be light at 7 p.m. I can’t wait.

And, while all good things must come to an end (in order to appreciate them more), I was sad to say goodbye to my last day of PTO for awhile. We celebrated by meeting some friends out for dinner at a local restaurant. I’m trying not to take anymore time off between now and baby so I can save some time for a bit of an extended maternity leave if possible.

Resolutions?

fredericksburg wedding

Any of you create resolutions? Some years I do – but most years I don’t. Aaron and I always talk about our dreams and goals for the future at the beginning of the year, and this year, it was no surprise that we are kind of on the same page about being in survival mode with a newborn. Having a baby around will be a massive change for the both of us, and we are excited to embrace the challenge. We don’t have any fancy trips or major agenda items on the schedule this year – in fact, one of our goals is to set better boundaries so we aren’t always on the move. Our singular goal is to deliver a happy and healthy baby boy in April – and figure out how to be parents. That’s the best gift we can give ourselves this year.

I do have a goal to have my nursery items all ordered by the end of February so we can assemble a nursery in March!

Christmas recap

christmas

And while there is so much to look forward to at the start of this new year, I thought it would be fun to recap our Christmas in Wimberley, Texas. That was my outfit headed out to Wimberley. We left on the afternoon of the 23rd, and it was just above 20 degrees by that point. Houston (and all of Texas) encountered some freezing weather the night of the 22nd, and Aaron and I woke up to no hot water. But, if you’ve been reading here for awhile, you know that in the great freeze of 2021, that we repiped our whole house, and the pipes did their job. It just took things awhile to thaw out. We were on the road to Wimberley as soon as we were able to restore our hot water.

christmas

It was a three hour drive, and my mother in law booked us a beautiful house right along this creek in Wimberley.

christmas

The dogs loved to watch the deer out of the windows each morning.

christmas

And we were able to get in a bit of hiking by The Blue Hole (named for it’s very blue water) during one of the sunnier days.

christmas 2022

This is the Blue Hole up close and personal. It’s used as as swimming hole during the warm months, and I imagine it’s the best place to plop a tube in the water, have an adult beverage and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. The water is so blue because it’s naturally filtered through limestone rock, creating this clear, blue color.

Wimberley

Aaron brought his drone along. You can see me in the bright pink – and my MIL behind me!

Wimberley

And here’s another view from the balcony of the house.

Wimberley

The house came with Kayaks, and I definitely would like to use them if the weather were warmer (we want to try to go back during summer or fall). But, my father in law definitely got in. 🙂

Wimberley

We had some nice, home cooked meals – and just spent time together as a family. It was a nice, relaxing way to spend Christmas, and I so enjoyed having the entire next week all to myself.

That’s it for me today! I’ve got to get my dogs walked (I’m writing this Tuesday evening), dinner made, and I’m going to try to get a short yoga session in!

Happy New Year!

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