living the life i've imagined

If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

-Henry David Thoreau

it is safe to say that in endeavoring to live the life i've imagined, i have most certainly met with a success unexpected. the last month has been filled with successes, so many in fact, that it has been difficult to know where to start blogging about them.

the most recent success is that of having found a place to live. i have been so blessed to have such wonderful extended family members who have welcomed me into their home, and allowed me time to get my bearings. and it seems it is finally all coming together. this week, i visited three houses with open rooms, and any one of them would have been a good option--so much so that it made the decision difficult. ultimately, i decided on one that i absolutely fell in love with. the house itself is quite large, and is the kind of place that i would be proud to have family and friends come to visit (hint hint). the fact that it is a 1/2 mile from the beach certainly doesn't hurt.


when i consider that several years ago, i came to huntington beach for work, and verbalized that were i ever to move to california, i would live here, i can think of no better example of living the life i've imagined. in my wildest dreams, i could not have guessed that that would become my reality only a few years later. and yet sometime in the near future, i see a bike. a bike with a basket, loaded with beach towels, snacks and some good reading material. this bike will be pink, and i will be on it on a beautiful saturday afternoon.

another great success was my time at home over the holidays. in fact, it may have been one of the most perfect family 'reunions' one has a right to hope for. though an exception must be made for the time and emotion spent coping with and healing from cyra's passing (made all too clear again by going home), it was truly a joyful time, full of laughter and love. the family was all together again for the first time in a long time, and my 11 days back in virginia flew far more quickly than i would have liked or expected.

the time was passed at various family gatherings, at kate's home, at the chapman's, and even at williamsburg and jamestown for a little sightseeing. a detailed recapping would take far too long, but the many many pictures taken by both dylan and i tell the story well. these are some of my faves:

kate's christmas party provided a wonderful opportunity to spend
quality time with both her and kendyl (aka cutest neice ever)

christmas eve was spent with the chapman's--a tradition so old that no one can exactly remember when it started..13 years? 14? who knows. what is certain is that the nativity cast is ever changing, although the christmas chimes all stay the same. this year, with kelly's presence, the va (which, in this case is an abbreviation of my last name, not the state from whence we hail) women deigned to sing together. it was not the only memorable musical performance of the evening, as dylan, dad's, john's, and lynn's '12 days of christmas' rendition will not be soon forgotten.

we spent part of christmas at mom and dad's, part at the movie theater (national treasure 2), and
part at kate's, with an interlude for dinner with our long-time family friends, the kidds.
it was a full and wonderfully happy day.

on the day after christmas, mom and dad, dylan and kelly, and myself headed south to do some sightseeing. the first day was spent in williamsburg, and although rainy, we enjoyed wandering the historic streets and shops. our evening was spent on a candlelight tour of the governor's mansion, which concluded with a dance exhibition of sorts, most amusing was kelly being pulled from her seat to participate, and watching her try to very quickly learn the steps!

day 2 began with a stop at the cape henry lighthouse. it afforded me another stamp in my national passport, and in fact, added another passport to the collection, the lighthouse passport. dad and i have an ever-evolving unofficial competition going...

after cape henry, we took the ferry over to jamestown, where we spent the remainder of the day wandering both the new visitor's center (ahoy, matey) and the historic site. it's been many years since i have visited jamestown, and the sunny day provided a great opportunity to relive a piece of history and spend time with the family.

since the family was altogether again, we couldn't miss the opportunity for family portraits.

and though limited, there was a little time for seeing friends. i can't explain why, but anne and i both love the middle picture. my thighs, and her mouth. some things are simply unexplainable.

my time at home was entirely too short, but coming back to california has been rewarding. new friends are in the making, and come february 1st, i'll be ensconced in my new home.


here's to living the life i've imagined!