when settling is good.

as we were driving home from newburyport this week, we passed by a town commons where we saw some boys playing hockey on the frozen pond.  i almost pulled over right then and there to pull the skates out of the trunk (i always keep them in there for just such an occasion), but it was already close to ella's bedtime, so we kept going.  but yesterday afternoon we headed over to check it out.  it was really easy to park right next to the "rink," and there's a stone ledge around the outside of the pond for us to sit on and tie our skates.  i stepped out onto the ice and just felt so free!  i love skating so much, and i'm so lucky to have a little sweetie to take along with me.  i held her hands and helped her slip-slide across the ice.  then i sat her on a green blanket and sped off around the pond, coming back to circle her, laughing, and then pick her up to lead her around the ice again.  the sky was blue and yellow as the sun sank down towards the horizon.  by the end, ella was getting braver and more solid on her feet--holding just one of my hands and taking steps across the ice with pretty good balance.

i hosted girls' night last night for the first time.  i think it took me about 5 months to really settle into our new place, so hosting felt overwhelming for the first few months.  but now i feel like i've got the house under my control--everything in its place and a good rhythm for keeping it all clean and tidy.

i think it took about 5 years to settle into marriage, actually.  but that, too, is easy now to a great extent.  i'm really happy with j., and more in love with him and our life together than ever before.