January check-in — knot so loud

I know it’s been a couple weeks since the last blog. January has been a slow month with less walking and more time indoors. I do admit that I go stir crazy with this cold weather at times, but like I said in my last blog… I think about what makes my heart happy!

In the last couple weeks, it has been:

Sunsets

I’ve been going out more in last few days to see sunsets. January sunsets are one of the best, seriously! It’s tough to tell when it will be a good one, so you have to keep an eye out on the sky around 4pm. The sunset is usually between 4:30-5 PM. Sometimes I just go out hoping for a good one… half of time I will get lucky and some times I won’t. My favorite sunset spots have been at Eastern Point Beach in Groton, Starr Street in Mystic overlooking the Mystic River/seaport on the other side and Stonington Point.

Donuts

Winter means more snacking, am I right? I discovered Freedom Gluten Free Donuts last fall. I have been badly missing the apple cider donuts from B.F. Clyde’s, the next best thing is Freedom Donuts! I’ve also tried their pumpkin and now I’m presently addicted to devil’s food donuts. I am thankful for social media where I learned about gluten free goodies that I can enjoy!

Football

As you know, we’re in the NFL playoffs now. Last weekend my team Buffalo Bills played my husband’s team New England Patriots. I enjoy when those two plays each other because it’s fun in my divided household! Thankfully, we aren’t the kind to get ugly when our team loses! It’s a nice change to have mine win!!! Go Buffalo Bills!!!

Mystic

We had a bad storm one day, it brought a lot of coastal flooding to Mystic. I went out to photograph the flooding and shared them on my social media. It was a mixed feeling because weather disasters are always fun to photograph but it’s tough to see your town in that way too. Unfortunately, Mystic has been getting frequent flooding, but luckily we have not seen any permanent damages from this.

*Top: S&P Oyster / Bottom: Pearl Street*

*Top: Mystic Drawbridge / Bottom: Gravel Street*

*Top: Gravel Street again / Bottom: Mystic River*

St. Patrick’s Day

I had to run errands ‘over the bridge’ (New London/Waterford) one day. I found myself stumbling into Home Goods (totally not planned, I swear!) and was greeted with St. Patrick’s Day decor galore. I was bummed to miss out last year when I went to look after Valentine’s Day. I should’ve known with stores always bringing seasonal stuff out EARLY that I should’ve went EARLIER! So I did this year! My Irish soul was happy to get some stuff for my favorite upcoming holiday!

Groton, CT

I’ve been spending a lot more time in Groton lately. Groton happens to be the first Connecticut town I moved to, 10 years ago. Being there has been bringing up a lot of memories and I have been reflecting on them. I’ve been visiting Eastern Point Beach and Avery Point a lot, I remember going there a lot when I lived much closer. January 21st was the anniversary of the launch of the first nuclear submarine (USS Nautilus) at Electric Boat. I thought about how submarines has also been a huge part of my life in Groton, it still doesn’t get old watching them in the river. I also have so much respect for our sailors who go out on those long deployments, as well as their families who sacrificed their loved ones.

Organizing

My husband and I have been organizing our house. We had put it off for a while now, so we started on New Year’s Eve (I know, I know… we’re getting old). In our basement we had an open shelves with holiday/seasonal decor, cleaning supplies and food pantry. I found some clear bins which I used to organized the seasonal stuff in. It’s a game changer and made me feel better about having it more organized! It’s been 4 years now that we’ve been in our current home, so it was sufficient time to know what items we will use and won’t anymore, so we decluttered some too.

I hope you have been finding some small things that makes your heart happy! I know winter is a tough time with less things to do, cold weather and seasonal depression. I’m struggling some days too. I find myself constantly looking forward to spring but I need to remember to also be in the present and enjoy today! If it’s not a good day, there’s always tomorrow.