How are you?  I know I haven't written in a while...but between Solstice and New Year and Chinese New Year....this girl hasn't had a break!

But today feels like a great day to check in and see how things are progressing.  

How are you?

Are you settling into the year of the Horse?

I'm already loving it.  The spirit of adventure, the wild ride of life, taking chances, having fun, exploring!

This can be a great year if you let it.

I mean great in a way I haven't meant for a few years.  The past few years have been about digging down in the deepest sludge of our emotions and getting to the root of what lies even under that.

Some call that fun.  I call that absolutely obnoxious, but necessary.

And there seemed to be no escape, until....we start riding off into the sunset with the horse.  Leaving it all behind, realizing we did the best we could with what we had and setting our sights on something that frankly, feels better.

Are you feeling me?

Can you give yourself permission to have a little fun?  To build on all the hard work you have been doing?  To live a little differently?  To take some chances?  

I randomly bought a ticket to Maui for a week for Chinese New Year and once here decided to stay an extra 10 days.  I am taking this Horse thing by STORM!

What are you going to do?

I know you are getting pummeled by some weather systems right now....so how can you heat things up?  (Jumping on a plane and heading to Maui is certainly one way to do that...but there are others :-)

So I'm sending love from the pods of dolphins and breeching whales and chirping birds and right now the beautiful mist that seems to be enveloping the island right now.

Maholo sweet friends!  I'm so excited to see what you make of this years energy!

 

And see where you end up!

 

It's amazing how easy it is to go with the flow once you allow yourself the freedom to do so.  However, one of the lessons of the year of the Horse is finding that place of balance between galloping and staying firmly on the horse!  For instance, one of the many trappings of the horse year is fun...and with fun sometimes comes reckless spending (I know nothing about this...).  So how can you have fun and still maintain your head about your finances?  Just a word to the wise...I was warned, so I thought it only fitting to pay that information forward!

It's what's for dinner

As you know, it's cold out.  I know this because everyone keeps posting it on Facebook, but I do feel your pain.

One of the best ways to keep your internal temperature up and increase your energy and feel better about the freezing temps is to eat soup. 

Pho is cheap and easy of course, or you can make your own at home and freeze the stock to use for later.

Here is one of my favorites to always have frozen and ready to go!

Stay Warm!  Eat Hot Food!  And it will be Spring before you know it!