Welcome 2011!

Although 2011 dawned as a very rainy and gray day, by the afternoon the clouds began to break up and the sun eventually showed its bright face, even if for only a few minutes at a time. Still, it was warm enough that we were able to take the dogs to the nearby paved trail and give them a walk. Chiquita didn't want to do the entire mile (I don't think she's going to enjoy the outdoors until we're back to 70 degrees and up) but she did get to pee and poop and smell other dogs and critters on the trail (the rest of the way I carried her inside my jacket).

The first day of 2011 was spent in a very mellow way after we both decided against venturing into the big city for separate errands, opting to stay home, instead. Tomorrow, however, I might get motivated enough to drive to the movies to see "The King's Speech," which I had hoped to see when it was released here on Christmas Day. Instead, that day I took two international students who had spent the holidays here by themselves to see "Black Swan," which was awesome. I'll be going to the movies tomorrow by myself but I don't mind doing that now and again. It's good to practice enjoying doing things on our own, and I'm fortunate to be able to do so.

Earlier this past week I traveled to my sister's in Maryland, where my brother and his family and my mother also visited for the holidays. It was a quick trip but I was blessed to have gathered many wonderful memories while there. One of the best was an almost two-hour conversation between my two teenage nephews, one already in college and one a high school senior, my mom and me, in which the four of us talked about literature, movies, theater, and college life, among other topics. It was simply thrilling to see and admire the kind of young men that my nephews have become. Another was a game of "Apples to Apples," on the last evening I was there, in which the whole family participated and in which I laughed out loud more than I had at any other point in the entirety of 2010.

I returned to Ohio this past Thursday and will be traveling (ugh) again this week to a conference in California. Yesterday, as 2010 ended, I also finished the paper for the conference and my book proposal before my husband and I went off to have dinner at the home of a Puerto Rican friend who is married to a Costa Rican. The amounts of food were biblical and my husband brought his famous coquito (adapted to my sister-in-law's renowned recipe), which people really liked. We left shortly before 11 and then spent a quiet hour here, watching Univisión and waiting for midnight, which came quickly enough, and we were ready for sleep when it came shortly after getting into bed.

Tomorrow it will be six months since my papi left us and his absence is keenly felt, especially since our family spent almost every New Year's Eve together since 1999. But I know that he's in a better place and, like sun breaking through thick gray clouds, that feels like a blessing.

I have great hopes for 2011, and I'm rolling out the red carpet to welcome this new year so excitingly filled with possibility.