December 31st, I started Friday’s blog with all the hopes and dreams of writing about the end of 2008 and the possibilities of 2009.  Around 9:30pm, I received a call from Ava.  She had a flat tire and her cell phone was on its last bar.  And the charger is in my car.  Of all days to have a flat tire with limited cell phone power:  10 pm on New Years Eve.  We argued back and forth about how it’s not a good idea for her to change the tire, nor is it a good idea to drive to a gas station to fill the flat tire.  We decide to call hospital security.  It ends up, they can only refill a tire and are not permitted to change tires.  It will have to do at this point.  They are able to fill up the tire to the point that she can drive the car.  She drove it to a service station, topped off the air and headed  home.

At the same time, I am driving in my car heading to her.  WIth new math, I figure the most I would have to drive, if all goes well, is twenty minutes.  Her total commute time is about 40 minutes.  So, we should meet in the middle in 20 minutes.  About the same time her tire should go flat.  Fortunately, on her trip home, she hits all green lights and calls me after 10 minutes:  She’s at mile marker 20, I’m at 24.  I get off at the next exit and wait a couple of minutes and then turn around.  Well… I hit all the red lights, took a wrong turn and now I’m about 5 minutes and two miles behind her and it’s now 11:48.  Where’s our Happy New Year kiss? 

Over the next 10 minutes I make a little bit of head way, but she continues to hit all the green lights and hit all the red lights.  Oh someone is testing our patience today.  It’s now 11:57 and we’re on the home stretch.  I can see her pull into the driveway, I’m right behind her pulling into the garage…11:58. 

“Honey, hurry up and kiss me.”  12:00 am.  Happy New Year and we make it.  2008 gone and 2009 starts in the garage.  I won’t read into the meaning of that night, I will just be thankful that we are together AND safe at midnight.  Hooray.

So, now our regularly scheduled blog:

It just wouldn’t be January without a blog about Possibilities.  That would be like Christmas without the tree or Easter without chocolate.  This year will bring possibilities to Ava/I and all of those around us.  It has to be that way, because if it’s not, we’ve squandered another perfectly good year. 

This last day of 2008, I woke up with Ava at 5:30 am.  It’s not a petty time to be up.  It’s dark outside.  The house is cold and it will be awhile before it warms up.  I haven’t had any coffee yet and my body is saying “We have two more hours to sleep.  What are you doing?”  My head is thinking the same thing…”Just go lay down for thirty minutes… come on, give it a try… thirty minutes.”  But my heart is saying, “No way.  We are totally getting this lazy body out of bed.”  We all know in matters like this, the heart always wins.  So, I’m up, making some coffee and eating breakfast like I have for the last 44 years.  No really…  for the last 44 years.  When they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it’s true.  And not coffee and a cigarette on the way to the office.

I surf the internet for 20 minutes or so and finish up my first cup of java.  I’m starting to feel that sense of urgency.  It’s time to move.  Today is the day.  It has taken me 40 days to get to this point, but I am finally there.  It’s time to paint the baby’s room.  Wahoo Diane and Eve are coming over at 10 am and I have done NOTHING to prepare the room.

I grab the XM radio, my second cup of java and my cell phone and I’m off for the last great adventure of 2008.  As you can tell by now, I like to give history in my blogs and today is no exception.  The baby’s room has a lot of history in it.  It was the last bedroom to be painted a couple of years ago.  It has a lot of emotion in that room because one of the things I’m most famous for is writing on my walls.  Yes, either with a marker, a paintbrush, a pen, it doesn’t matter if there is something in my head at that time, it is coming out in some form.  And this bedroom was my room of possibilities/hopes and dreams.  I wrote out all my intentions.  I wrote quotes, lyrics from songs and just words.  It was my journal in three inch font.  It pulled me out of place that I’ll never see again (insert dramatic music here).  Don’t panic, it was just an old girlfriend that is long LONG gone now.  But it was the start of something new, fresh and open.  It was my possibility room.

Well guess what room the baby gets….  You bet.  That same possibilities room.  So after taking several deep breaths and playing something a bit faster than smooth jazz, I started to move.  I reorganized the office since stuff in the Possibilities room would be moved to this room.  I took apart the futon, I moved stuff, I threw out stuff, I added stuff to the donate pile, I started to clear out the room of old stuff so that I could make room for all the new stuff.  I was moving physically and emotionally.  I was getting lighter and the day was getting brighter. 

I was almost done when Diane showed up with an eager attitude.  Eve was coming later.  So Diane and I finished clearing out the room.  We open the blinds, took out the garbage, moved more stuff in and out.  Out with the stuff and in with paint, brushes, drop clothes and good energy and excitement. 

Along with that, I brought some markers.  I wanted everyone to write something on the walls, if they wanted.  I had black/red/blue markers as well as yellow highlighters.  This way, they could write something that no one could see.  Silent intentions as well as bold wishes…it was perfect for the room. 

As we progressed on moving stuff, we decided to paint the ceiling, but I didn’t have any paint.  So, Diane ran out to the hardware store for more primer, ceiling paint and the final wall paint.  Sage green and buttercup yellow.  I continued to prime and straighten up the house.  We were going to have more visitors.  Jodi and Kelly. 
 
Eventually everyone showed up and we had a little love writing fest in the room.  It was a perfect and blessed way to begin the room…with hope and possibilities and dear friends.  It was always my intention to paint over the words, forever sealing them into the walls and surrounding the room with good positive energy.  We read every one’s words.  Some where quotes, others where intentions and good wishes.  Some were silent, but most of them were bold.

I decided to put some symbols in the closet.  For me, it seems like this whole journey started in the closet, so I wanted to find a way to be sure to make my intentions know.  I had three simple things - a peace sign, a heart and the word joy.  Peace, love and joy.  I put these on the wall using stickers.  Once the closet is painted, I will remove them and display them proudly.  Not only as a reminder of where I’ve been and how hard I worked to get out, but where I’m going.  We can certainly find peace, love and joy while staying in the closet, but there is a vast amount of possibilities out of the closet.

 Happy New Year!

Sweet dreams my Ava and Ava Junior.