A new place to fit

This afternoon my fiance and I are doing something major that will change our lives forever. No we are not running away the courthouse haha. We are buying a house!!!!! Over the past year we have discussed, browsed, changed minds, and decided. We love St. Pete, we are not leaving. When the perfect thing comes along at the perfect time, you know it's just meant to be. Our new construction(yay!) townhouse is in a great location and it's just what we had in mind. We have room to grow and room to relax. These past few months have been a roller-coaster of paperwork and signatures and today we will sign our lives away and get the keys! Tomorrow, with the help of his parents, we'll start moving our stuff and slowly get settled. I don't plan on unpacking or decorating quickly since work and life will be so busy over the next few months but I don't care. We are buying a house today and I'm so excited!

A picture from the front before it was done!

A different kind of Christmas

Every year for Christmas my family has a routine, get a tree, decorate the house with the same things we've had for years (that's not a bad thing Mom), make goodies for the neighbors and the dough for the sticky buns, wrap presents, go to Christmas Eve mass, open one present before bed and listen to The Night Before Christmas recording that was made for us as kids. Christmas morning is relaxed as my Dad wakes up early and gets the sticky buns in the oven. We wake up and make our way to the kitchen. Yes of course as kids we were up much earlier and ran straight to the living room. With sticky buns ready and coffee in hand, we head to the living room clad in comfy pjs and slippers. As Christmas music plays in the background we sit around, open presents and simply relax. After a while we slowly proceed with our day which includes baking or cooking and preparing for dinner.

For as long as I can remember (with very few exceptions) we spent holidays with our pseudo family. They have 2 daughters close in age to my sisters and we grew up with these girls. Us 5 girls grew up living time zones away from biological family but are very blessed to have each other. Christmas dinner is always at one of our houses. Good food and lots of entertaining conversations fly as the day winds down. Don't forget the post dinner movies (either Muppets or an equally wonderful classic).

This is the first year I will not see my family or pseudo family for Christmas. The fiance and I have bought a house and we are moving next week! His parents are in town to help us move and celebrate Christmas. I won't be alone this weekend but it just won't feel the same without the routine. I'm still going to make sticky buns and coffee, and it will still be a relaxing day with family. I'll wear shorts and a t-shirt, for the 80 degree Florida weather, instead of my hoodie and sweatpants, we'll watch the Packers/Bears game instead of the Muppets, and I don't have my Night Before Christmas recording to listen to before bed. Just as my blog title states, it's time for a new fit and I can't wait to see what new traditions we start.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Dance is my Zen

Dance isn't just a part of my life, it's part of who I am. As I sat and tried to think of a new blog topic over the weekend I realized this is a huge part of me that I've never written about. For me dance is not about working out, a childhood dream, or being a prima ballerina. Dance is my Zen. Some people go running, some do yoga, some go to church, and others prefer a bubble bath. It's all the same. It's a chance to center myself and calm my brain of all the crazy going on around me. When I'm dancing I have to focus on dance and tune out life. I'm either focused on improving that technique, performing, or just dancing until my body and brain are numb.

I used to think it was only when I put on those pink ballet shoes and tied my hair back in a bun that I found a zen moment. I recently joined a tap company (just to try something new). I hadn't taken a tap class in over 10 year so I didn't think this would be relaxing...or pretty for anyone watching. Now don't get me wrong, after a 2 hour rehearsal, my dogs are barking and my mind is tired, but I can still have my zen. I'm working on getting to the pretty to watch stage, but in the mean time I have made some wonderful new friends and I know that once a week I have me time.

People may describe dance differently but for most a good wikipedia definition will do. For me, dance is my zen.

dance

verb (used without object)

1.

to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.