ice skating party + happy winter weekend!

    

I could not be more smitten with this ice skating party that Abby alerted me too! I love winter picnics. Cyd from the Sweetest Occasion posted the party which was held in the backyard (in Maine) of Kate from Beautiful Days.  An ice skating pond in your backyard? This is the stuff that dreams are made of. My dreams anyways.

A few thoughts:

I am behind on posting projects and hope to have a special one to share with you on Monday. We will see.

Life seems to be flying by so quickly. Anyone else notice this? This list of the 5 most common regrets inspires me to savor the moments and to live in the present.

I made a pact to not complain for a week. Anyone want to join me? So far lovely things have opened up. Turns out they were right under my nose all the while.

Happy Weekend!

Photos by Geneve Hoffman.

Comments

[saskia]

An iceskating party that sounds like big fun! Enjoy!! xx

[Alice]

This is exactly what I needed to get me in the Christmas spirit! Thanks for the cozy images and inspiring words.

[jane]

i will join you :)

[erin, reading my tea leaves]

the stuff of dreams for sure. and i'll join you, too! i've been grumbling far too much lately.

[Chaucee]

Love this!

[Honora]

Love your thoughts on cheering up. I'm in!!

[cara]

needed that link on regrets. thanks chelsea!

[Melissa Allam]

Oh, looks so much fun and pretty too. I'd love to do something like this.

[Emily]

That looks like beyond fun...love it!
xxx to you-- Emily from EL Vintage

[sarah]

absolutely I'll join you! Though I don't expect to have much to complain about this week =) - it's finals week, but all my things are due early. So, aside from grading, it should be a light week - which is good, I have such a HUGE list of things to do on my Christmas list. (Like all those Christmas presents I can't wait to start making!)

speaking of which, I looked at that link to the five common regrets, I absolutely agree with the importance of honesty. It can be really frightening to be honest (I levelled with a professor in my doctoral program, publicly, who is also someone I've been friends with for years). But at the same time, I find I can't live any other way; I'm so much happier when I don't have to expend energy keeping track of what I'm not telling which groups of people, you know?

But I will say that, for someone going into a low-paying, time-consuming white collar field (at least, I hope so!), sometimes a time-consuming job isn't detrimental to living a meaningful life. You just have to think about time as a type of investment - and what are you buying with each career? If the values align, if, as one of my profs is fond of saying "the vocation matches your avocation," it can actually enhance your satisfaction with life - because all those work hours become meaningful ones. =)

happy holidays! wish we were all skating on a beautiful backyard pond in Maine!!

[jessica]

Brilliant! How fun would that be...

[Anna of {Green Gable}]

What a lovely party-I thought it was as styled photo-shoot. How cool that it was a real life event! It reminds of being back in Canada, where a lot of folks build their own ice rinks in the back yard!

xo, Anna of green gable
http://annaofgreengables.blogspot.com/

[Kellie Collis]

Sounds like a really awesome weekend party! Enjoy! Kellie xx

[Cyd]

So in love with this party, glad you love it, too! I'm with you on the no complaining pact. :-) Hope you're having a great weekend! xo

[treva]

I'm totally with you on the "not complaining" train but worried I'll have nothing to talk about. I guess I'll figure something out.

[Leslie]

An ice skating party sounds wonderful!

[Kate]

Thanks for sharing the party and glad that our little back yard gathering is inspiring your readers! It was a great mid winter celebration of family, friends and little ones! Hoping for more this winter!

[Dottie]

Pretty pictures. I'll have to add "ice skating party" to my winter agenda. Luckily, Chicago has some nice free rinks, I just need to round up friends who are hardy and coordinated enough to be game. :)

[size too small]

this is absolutely amazing.

[jen jafarzadeh]

this party is pure magic!! and the photos are so pretty. cheers to positivity (I need to embrace your no-complaining mantra) and living in the present.

[rebecca.]

what a lovely winter wonderland! i thought it was a photo shoot as well, it reminds me of one that was in domino one year...

it was 86 degrees and sunny here in los angeles yesterday so we are far off from an ice skating party.

thanks for that link to the 5 regrets, i plan on sharing it with everyone!

and count me in for a week (and hopefully longer) of no complaining. xoxo.

[Jane Flanagan]

I love your pact not to complain!! These pictures - this entire post - is so inspiring. Hope you had a great weekend, Chelsea!

[Liz Denfeld]

definitely what dreams are made of! I wish it snowed more in Portland!! And I love your pact to not complain. I have to admit I do it way more than I should. I think I'm going to give it a try :)

[Briana]

Oh I adore this! Jealous of the photo op more than anything probably ;)

[Janet]

Oh, this makes me so homesick! My skates are sitting in my closet gathering dust {sigh}. The last skating party we had however, I think we spent more time shoveling ice off the pond than skating. But, the comraderie is half the fun!

[joslyn]

i will join you! i am 100% in. i love this idea friend. brilliant and a perfect way to honor the holidays. thank you.

[cindy]

the party and photos look really gorgeous. i'm so anxious to visit maine. i'm a bit late, but will try not to complain this week. it's going to be tough week, so it will be a challenge, but i'm not complaining ;). certainly, won't do it just before falling a sleep. only good thoughts. xo, c

[Jenn]

This is quite possibly the BEST thing ever...and I don't even remember how to ice skate.

Apparently, it's different from learning how to ride a bike, although I forgot that too. :)

[Lauren]

why oh why can't we have frozen ponds for ice skating parties here in oregon?? ....well....except for last winter when we had the freak snow and the west moreland pond froze over and people were playing hockey on it. quite a funny sight :).

[Victoria]

How fabulous would that be??? I love the thought of an ice skating party!

[abby]

I wish we could all have a big ice skating party together.
I adore the five regrets thing...it's so important to think about these things!
I find it really difficult to say exactly what I want to people, but when I do-I *always* feel better, always.
Thanks for the reminder to savor the moments and be true to your self. I feel lucky to have worked with you this past year and I am excited to see how this next year comes along for you, Chelsea.
Much love and hope you have a very merry Christmas.

[Samantha]

Your Winter Wonderland is amazingly inviting! Thank you for your inspiring words and pictures. Simply beautiful. Happy Holidays! xo Samantha

[steph]

oh wow! wow! wow!

[Katy]

Oh my gosh! So wish I had my own ice skating pond.

[Anna]

AWESOME!
I wish I knew how to ice skate, or that I have even been! :)
It's on my bucket list!

[veronica]

i will join you! found this post from A Cup of Jo. i just sent out an email to my sig oth complaining about something random. shouldn't the little communication we have during the work day be more inspired? love your idea!

[Danielle]

There is nothing that warms my heart more than a bucket of ice skates...

[annawithlove]

this looks amazing! so lovely!

http://www.annawithlove.com

[Erin]

this is too freakin' adorable for words. Now if we'd had the opportunity to enjoy a party like this over the holidays it would have made the family crazy a bit more tolerable - but some skiing certainly helped! I hope you made it through it all unscathed! Cheers - to a very eventful and successful 2011!