On the Second Day of Christmas.

A quick Marvelous Monday and then on to the real post.

1. "The Polar Express" is on TV right now. I love this story and this movie. My grandmother and I saw it when it came out several years ago and it reminds me of that day as well as of the importance of Believing in whatever it is that speaks to your heart and soul.
2. My first Christmas away from home was a success! My new family always welcomes me so warmly and has always included me as if I were an "original", so to speak, and this holiday was no exception; it was great to see and experience new traditions with new loved ones. I do still miss the California contingent; it's a lot quieter in Arizona than it is in Golden State but Mike and I are really looking forward to celebrating la Navidad part II upon our return.
3. My dear Mother-in-law celebrated her birthday last night; Happy Birthday!!!
4. I still have a whole week of not setting my alarm!
5. I went on my first post-marathon run today and it was good. I'm a bit sore on my whole right side still but hopefully time and maybe a massage can cure that. My right side is feeling it because the majority of our race {18 miles out of 26.2, give or take a couple} was on the side of a highway going against traffic and the slight curve of the road over that much distance really took a toll on our {my and Mike's} joints.
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On this second day of Christmas {refer to this post for a bit of an explanation} I want to talk about the little bit of winter joy that is the Amaryllis. The blooms of this flower are one of my favorite things of the cold months. I've always relied on my grandmother's plants to brighten my days and this was the first time I actually bought my own but I was sad because after a few days it was starting to bloom ever-so-slowly but we were set to leave for Arizona. Since we were driving Mikey suggested I just take it with us. A novel idea considering we drove and there aren't any rules about taking bulbs into your car across state lines so with us it went!!
I'm putting up pictures of things that possibly only I and my friend Rebecca might find interesting. To spare you, dear reader, while staying true to my desires, I compiled the shots into little collage thingies so you don't have to scroll down to infinity; you're welcome.

What I love about the Amaryllis is that it is a bulb. I'm no expert when it comes to gardening activities but I would like to eventually be handy around my future yard{s}. I do know that bulbs look like nothing more than a dried out and brown onion. They lay fallow in the ground and will all of a sudden grow green shoots that soon produce beautiful and sometimes, if you're lucky, fragrant blossoms. Bulbs flower from year to year without much upkeep though if you live in a colder climate you might need to dig up your bulbs and keep them warm for the winter. How cool is that? It's super cool, actually, especially since here's so much symbolism going on. I'm also definitely attracted to the glorious scents; narcissus! Hyacinth! Glorious...This one, unfortunately, doesn't perfume the air around it which I can deal with considering how beautiful it is.

My little guy came from Trader Joe's. The cool thing about the Amaryllis is that it can bloom indoors. Actually many bulbs can be "tricked" into blooming indoors which strikes me as funny; kind of like tricking a child into something like eating vegetables that have been cleverly hidden in cheese sauce.
Anyway, here are my memories of the Great Bloom of Christmas 2011, a bright reminder of the beauty of winter, a New Year, resurgence and New Life.

xoxo, natty ♥