January, Slowly

January was lovely.  I think that most years January is likely our very calmest, least scheduled month of all.  That's so rare for us, and although I never regret all the many things our weekends are full of throughout the year (family celebrations, festivals, camping, travel, house concerts, etc), it sure is nice to have a month where there's not much at all that's on the calendar.

During this slower month, however, we found plenty to entertain ourselves.  We swam at the rec center, we cooked, we read, and snuggled and watched movies.

 

We have a bike rider on our hands, so we've been working on that quite a bit.  Walks outside with the dogs and the neighbors.  Lunch with Nana and fabric shopping. 

 

A last minute decision to spend the morning at the National Western Stock Show turned into a family day in Denver.  Visiting the animals; lunch at one of our favorite Denver institutions, My Brother's Bar; beers at the Falling Rock Tap House; and enjoying the sunshine outdoors with friends.

 I've been reading up a storm, cooking up a storm, and catching up on sleep (thanks to a pesky little back issue that arrived with the new year).  February will be busy as usual, and before we know it, house concerts and visits from family and to family will commence.  Soon we'll be talking about festival season and summertime plans.  With all that fun ahead of us, it sure was nice to have at least one month of no plans, close to home.