Changing the Countdown

The New Year's Eve countdown is something that inspires bubbling excitement in the pit of my stomach.  In that moment when that giant, crystal ball drops steadily from the sky, the new year is ripe with opportunities just waiting to be discovered.

Those moments after midnight have always seemed magical.

the magic of playing in a hot tub in the middle of winter

 

But the logistics of New Year's Eve can be a nightmare.  I've counted down from ten to one in a countless number of places: crowded dance clubs, a college bar where my friends and I were able to chat with the DJ as we chose our favorite songs to broadcast to an almost-empty room, friends' houses, and even the comfort of our own couch.

New Year's magic deserves something more, and the last two years we've found it. 

We've spent the last two years away from home, Up North to fellow Michiganders, though our first year was much more west than north.

Between the lake effect and Michigan's typical winter temperatures, we've imagined snowy days and cozy nights, but we've encountered damp and surprisingly temperate weather both years.

This year we gathered ten adults (two more than last year) and seven kids (two more than last year) and spent the weekend cooking and snacking and playing board games that grow dusty most of the year.

Children that were little more than babies last year played on their own for long stretches of time, leaving the adults to referee the toddler climbers and snuggle the newest additions.

Football and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse took turns on the TV.  Bottles of scotch nestled in the corner of the kitchen as we doled out water and boxes of chocolate milk.

Three of the seven kids were awake for the countdown: the oldest, the youngest, and one in between, powered by a lengthy evening nap. 

party dress for NYE

Miraculously, Abbey and Dylan went to sleep after observing a rousing game of Apples to Apples and stayed asleep even through Lady Gaga's performance and the ensuing dance party.

New Year's Eve has never looked so magical.

I rarely use a post for a double link-up, but I am so excited to finally be able to finally share in the #iPPP excitement that I'm making an exception.  I hope you don't mind.