On Saturday morning after having hosted Lana’s birthday slumber party and all the girls had left, I asked the question of what the kids had for homework. I assumed, incorrectly, that Nuno would have a weekend off since his class had just presented their class presentation on Chinese New Year at the Primary School’s Assembly. No such luck. The assignment was to write a three stanza poem in Portuguese on what they learned about Chinese New Year. Arghhhhhh!!!

After a deep breathe I decided we should brainstorm 20 key words and look for rhyming words.

It surprisingly was easier than I thought.

Enjoy…

Here I am on January 29th and I have fallen behind on my New Year’s plan. But colds happen, moves to a new apartment happen, kids happen and we adjust. But each day is a new day. An opportunity for a fresh start.

This morning I got back on the yoga mat. I walked away from a very messy house, a half built bookcase and a ‘to do’ list that was longer than my arm. This picture was taken post workout.

I’m oh so glad I gave myself that gift.

For the past few months this kid has been swimming 4-5 times a week. Sport was never her ‘thing’, but after joining her new swim team she has embraced the sport. This past weekend we went to Divisionals and the young lady pictured above managed to qualify to compete at Champs in the backstroke!!! We could not be any happier. Well done Lana Banana!

A bit of a delay today on the ride home from swim. As we drove down the road between Aspen and Snowmass someone ran up to the bus driver. I figured she missed a stop. Nope. It seems her snowboard has flown off the outside ski/snowboard holder. Just another day in the valley.

First ride on the poma lift. They did it so they could ride a LONNNGGG one at the top of the mountain. No problems here.

Looking to the new year I realize that my biggest wish is for us to continue to inspire each other. Every day I see people doing wonderful things, both big and small. Witnessing acts of kindness, generosity, bravery, and belief in oneself are just a few of the things that move me. They inspire me to be a better person. This year brings an opportunity to move forward with a clearly defined goal to just be better, kinder, more patient with myself and others.

2013 ended with me feeling a little sorry for myself. But that is really just a waste of my time. So I thought about some better things to focus on for the new year and I will share them. This year I will…

1. Do yoga 3 times a week
2. Write something in Portuguese every day!
3. Run at least 1 half marathon this year. Preferably 3;)
4. Find an excuse to go out dancing at least once a month. ( I am counting on my village friends and my girlfriends in Lisboa to help me out with this one:)
5. Improve my tennis game so I don’t embarrass myself when I play Sarah, Sophie and Amanda this year at Christmas.
6. Be more patient….worth repeating.
7. Do a better job keeping in touch with friends… Beyond FB.
8. Create a gratitude wall.
9. Learn proper swim strokes. And fingers crossed, learn to do a tumble turn.                       10. Launch my tutoring business.

I think that should keep me busy.

Happy New Year!

No words needed. This kid is right at home in the role of ski bum.

If you know me, you know I’m a huge fan of public transportation. Here in Snowmass they have both a great local bus system as well as inter-town bus system, and they are both FREE. It’s what we use to get around. It’s awesome. And so is the view from one of our bus stops.