mid-january twenty eleven, I sit thankful.
the Lord has chosen to do so much in my life over the past year.
I am a year and a half home from london.  today, someone new asked me questions about my time there, and I found myself just as excited and prone to get lost in memories as I was in the fall of 2006 when I landed on english soil.  to me, pure blessing abounds in speaking of that home.

last year, I moved to colorado, where I currently reside and started working in a lodge nestled in majestic mountains.  the beauty, which each day has a different hue, shade, and structure, is beyond description.
my work calls me to serve, to laugh, to listen, to problem-solve, to engage with people, to organize, to pray, to adapt and flex, to be humbled, to rest, to play...
last year, I was given the experience of peace...the awareness of my opportunity to choose peace...the clarity to discern where peace resides and where it does not.
last year, I was both a barista and a tumbling teacher.
claire and micaela graduated from high school and began university in the states, bringing us back to the same continent.
last year, I spent my first holidays away from arkansas and relied on technology to transport me to my parents' living room.
last year, I got a puppy called charlie.

this year, I sit in anticipation of what is on the horizon.  though I am not quite ready for summer to arrive, I find myself eager for its arrival, as it will bring the heart and soul of our lodge back to life...
families arrive.  friends return.
I continue to strive toward health in this new year.  a few goals have been set that I truly feel can be achieved.  my head feels clear and able to tackle said ambitions.  I am thankful.
no need to go into great detail here today.  just noting.

I will end here with a last note of the latest happening of this january that has just begun.
charlie moved to chicago.  the best move for him.  the best move for me.  (see snap below of charlie and austin, his new owner, who is completely enamoured by charlies' charms)
in deciding to send charlie to live with heather's (one of my housemates) cousins, I have regained freedom and my afore mentioned clarity of mind.  my hope is that I use this time, space, and lucidity for my ongoing pursuit of health, as directed by the Lord for my time in colorado and beyond.

thankful.  utterly thankful.  happy 2011.  :)
cheers,
kb.