huisje!

    

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely and memorable time spent with family and friends! I know I have. I have LOVED this month; it's been full of laughter, wine, good ... no, GREAT food, wonderful company and lots of love.

This year I spent New Years at our family cottage with Will and my Mum and Dad. Located on a lake, way up North in the middle of nowhere, it is one of my absolute favourite places on earth. Funny thing though, it isn't insulated or winterized. It was definitely created for Summer use, though my parents, in the bravery and adventure set out a couple years ago to see what it would be like at the cottage in the dead of winter. This year was my first time, and I know it definitely won't be my last! I loved every second -- which is a big deal, because I am not a fan of the winter season. While we were there, my dad worked on insulating the ceiling.

There's no running water. We use water from a well in the nearest town, and to use water for anything other than cooking/drinking/etc., we scoop it from the lake. The only source of heat in the cottage is one wood stove placed in the middle of the cottage. My dad graciously kept it going day in and day out. Will and I were the first in our cottage's history to build a rink on the lake! We ended up making about three rinks. The first try was pretty sad, the ice was really rough and nearly unskateable, the second was a bit better, but when we flooded it, it took nearly the whole time we were there for the water to freeze over. But finally, we curiously shoveled to the left of our first rink, where -- oooh! -- the ice was perfect! on it's own! No flooding necessary! So, Will and I skated til our feet fell off. Will, being a Kiwi, was suprisingly amazing at skating. He got a hockey stick and a puck for Christmas from my brother in law, so he spent a lot of his time at the cottage working on his hockey skills. I'm suprised at his natural ability to at least look like he knows what he's doing...but at the same time, not surprised at all, because Will is just like that -- he's good at things. :)

On New Years Eve, my Mum built a big fire in the pit outside, and my Dad placed reflective insulating boards all around the sitting area, which kept the heat from the fire in. We roasted hotdogs and sang and laughed, and had a lovely time. Later on, keeping ourselves awake, we cooked WAYYYY too many hupjes, we couldn't eat even half of them. Because there aren't any clocks at the cottage and it gets dark so early in the Winter, it feels like 3 in the morning when really it's only 8 pm. A long day of skating and shovelling doesn't help either! We all managed to stay awake, though, for the countdown, hugged and kissed, and wished each other blessings in this fresh new year, and went to bed.

I can't wait to go back! I had a wonderful time.. The best way to start a whole new year.

What's going to happen this year, I wonder... Besides the world coming to an end... Ha!

I wish you all a year FULL of love, and peace, new adventures and new memories made.

xx