because you asked

(well, some of you asked, so...)

this new blog header of mine is something that i was able to put together very quickly the other night, thanks to a link to a foothill home companion (new site to me - love it!) via rebekah (been following for a while - love her!). anyway, blog headers have always been somewhat of a challenge for me. i don't photoshop, and i will tell you right now that even if i had PhotoShop, i would pretty much never use it because it is so overwhelming to learn. and i hate learning things. i just want to intrinsically *know* them. (is that so wrong?)

i love this header, mostly because i was tired of looking at the photo i put up in august. but also because it just captures the whirlwind that is my mind. i love the bright colors, the movement that is captured, the memory it brings to mind, the promise of an electric new year it holds.

the photo itself was taken on Main Street in Walt Disney World, just to the left of the Castle, where, light sticks in hand, we waited for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas parade to pass us by. it was the last night of a fantastic vacation (you know, the one in which i turned forty.) the one in which i also co-existed with two "boys" in one hotel room for a week. the one in which matty and i had to make all the grown-up decisions, because we were the only grown-ups in attendance. the one with the free hot cocoa and cookies.

the one with the Magic.

yeah, it was that good. it was "i really miss my vacation" good. the kind of good that makes it a little painful to see WDW commercials on TV, the yearning is so great. The Mouse and his Cast of Thousands played a huge part in delivering this awesomeness-wrapped-up-in-vacation.

but my family did the rest. the three of us found some Magic, and all of a sudden: i was forty!! and it wasn't terrible!! in fact, the next morning i woke up and found all of my energy that had been hiding behind the numbers. the next week i found the creativity that had been dampened by the lack of energy. and, as the new year dawned, i found the motivation that needed the spark of creativity that had been dampened by the lack of energy.

i confess, i am a bit of a january junkie. i really love putting the holiday season away and tackling the new year with gusto. it's been colder than ever here, but the sun has been shining, electric rays chasing away long shadows.

i have ideas and thoughts and travel plans, and the wisdom of forty years to be able to propel me through them all. the mind spins, constant motion, endless creativity. reds and greens and blues.
Magical.