I’m challenging each of you readers to post a photo on your blog of the place in your home or world that most reflects peace and serenity to you. Don’t feel like it has to be master photography. It just has to be a photo taken by you of somewhere that you feel grounded and at peace.

My place is my hammock.

Back when Tony and I first moved in together we shared a tiny home in a lovely neighborhood that was covered in mature trees. I loved it there. I loved our huge yard most of all, even though the trees were so huge that we couldn’t even grow grass back there. I loved the wildlife that our personal forest attracted. Most of all I loved my hammock where I spent MUCH time every day, winding down, meditating, relaxing and learning to cope with our crazy chaotic life. We outgrew the house really really fast and when our landlord decided to sell it, he offered us the option to buy it first. We were sort of cornered into buying it but once we got the mortgage preapproval, we wizened up and decided to shop around and found a place that was much larger and would better accommodate our growing family. The problem was, our new house had no trees. None. We had the same huge yard but not a single shade was cast. Part of my deal for buying the house was that we had to also buy a hammock stand and hammock but it was never used, it was just never the same. Even though Michigan doesn’t get all that hot, there is something truly centering about laying UNDER the trees on a beautiful day. Minus the trees, it had no appeal to me at all. Eventually we moved to yet another treeless home and we toted our hammock with us where it stayed in the garage until we moved, yet again, to Texas.

Finally I feel like I’ve come full circle and I’m back somewhere that feels like home to me: earthy and full of nature and shade and birds singing. It took us a year but we finally got our hammock up this spring and there is simply no better way than to spend an afternoon or 10 minutes than relaxing under the trees with a good book in my hammock. The smells, the warmth of the filtered sun, the breeze, the dragonflies flitting about, the sounds of the squirrels and birds vying for territory, the sight of the gigantic Texas sky speckled through the bright green of our ancient trees, my dog lounging nearby sharing the occasional kiss or snuggle, it is my idea of heaven. Peace on Earth.

So what’s your special place?

I did this meme last year and I encourage you to do it this year too. Its easy and fun.

The way it works is you take the first sentence (or sentences) from the first post in each month over the last year and compile them for an overview of your 2007.

• Well I thought I’d start off a new year with a new blog and family homepage.
• Today, bright and early (well - bright and early for ME), my hubster headed out of town to pursue the American Dream (a job interview), leaving me all alone to deal with my conflicting feelings toward being all alone.
• Yesterday Addy-Mai turned 10 months old and today is the 4 month anniversary from her G&R, the day we met her, held her, became her parents by law and not just in heart.
• Today we ‘opened’ our pool.
• When we moved, I promised Teegan that we’d buy him a kitten.
• I can not stop buying bathing suits.
• Would you put any price on physical fitness? Like $200 *per kid* for a few short weeks of recreational soccer?
• We are on our way to rip-roaring Tulsa!! Our last stop on Road Trip 2007.
• It’s another holiday weekend - the big one marking the end of summer. For us Labor Day marks the last day of slacking off before we really crack down and pull out the books.
• I think we had our first 100% dry day! There were no accidents and although we slapped on a diaper for the nap & a trip out for dinner, it appears as if the diaper may have been dry after the nap & the dinner too.
• Today is the day, one year ago, that we became Addison’s family.
• The Little Partners Learning Tower - retails for around $170 including shipping

So what did your 2007 look like?

I didn’t blog daily but I *did* blog 35 posts in November. So is it cheating for me to display my “30 posts in 30 days” badge on my blog?!