Above – Brothers sharing a swing on the last day of 2015 (courtesy of Robb).
Below – Breakfast at Rancho’s on the last day of 2015. You know you’re going to have a good year when Sweet Baby Jesus is looking down on you … 
FaceTiming Jamie (in her robe …) on her 44th birthday.
This is what it looks like outside Jamie’s window. She claims the sun comes out there …
What the … ??? What ARE those things hanging outside the window?
I broke out the family jewels for the last dinner of the year. They will now be tucked away in the safe where they will remain (you guessed it) safe until another opportunity arises for me to wear them.
Are you a “Resolutionary?” That’s what I call people who make new years resolutions. It started when I belonged to the Escondido Athletic Club back in my racquetball days. For the first couple weeks of every year, getting a court or a swim lane, let alone a parking place, was nearly impossible. I couldn’t wait for February to roll around so things could begin to get back to “normal.” I always figured if something is important enough to a person, they shouldn’t have to wait for a new year to implement it. But that’s me.
Here’s something important to me – not wearing shoes in the house. I have absolutely never allowed shoes in the yoga studio out of respect and cleanliness, but we more recently, with the addition of grandkids, implemented a no-shoes-in-the-house policy.
When I went to India the first time in 2013, I realized no one wears shoes in their house. Shoes there are either kept on the porch or on a rack just inside the front door. Even most establishments require patrons to remove their shoes before entering. I got used to it and by the time I left, I enjoyed walking barefoot on tile floors and the cleanliness that goes along with it.
Come to find out, not wearing shoes in the house is the custom in many countries – Canada, Japan, Southeast Asia, Thailand, China, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, to name a few.
Why is this, and why are more and more Americans implementing this policy? I checked into it and found out some astonishing reasons why you should remove your shoes before entering the home, especially if you have small children or grandchildren. Here’s an interesting article I think everyone should read: http://healthywildandfree.com/this-is-why-you-absolutely-need-to-stop-wearing-shoes-in-your-house/
I’ll leave you with that thought and a great big HAPPY NEW YEAR. I hope 2016 brings good cheer, laughter, love, friendships new and old, happiness, good health and fuzzy socks.
Cheers to another year of blogging on Amma’s iPhone, MacBook, iPad and/or iMac with LOVE!
