Vagabonds

We are straddling a season of transition, out of our house and looking for another one.  Gypsies, we have crashed at my folks for now.  My days are spent largely in making sense of our combined households.  Doesn't make for much inspiration to share.  I mean, not sure how enthusiastic anyone else will be that our jeans are all in one location now or that we can find our underwear. 

But fun-filled days are on the horizon.

And soon we are going to take a break from organization to put on aprons and bake, Christmas style.

This weekend kicks off the good holiday-togetherness times:  Over the Rhine with Leah, my brother arrives, my sis and her family come to town, my husband's week+ of vacation, Si's first Christmas, yummy Christmas brunch, celebrating my nephew's 2nd birthday.  Each one a cause for celebration and good cheer, reminding us of what we hold so precious, especially at this point in the year: family, friends, memory making, tradition keeping...together.

And come January (which is insanely only two weeks away), the kids and I will be traveling around the world, from our own hometown.  I love America.  We are blessed to be American and raise our children under free, wide-open-with-possibility skies. 

But there are so many things to learn and appreciate about other cultures.  Like the way our Ahiskan Turkish friends have opened up their homes and lives to us with more hospitality than we've seen anywhere.

I love where we live.  We don't have to go far to experience culture.  At the mall playground the other night we hung out with mommas, daddies, and kiddos from India, China, Mexico.  And it really is so beautiful how much there is we hold in common. 

More to come.  Happy Thursday, all.