Hmm, I’m not quite sure where to begin so let’s do highlights, shall we?

1) The day before we left for Santa Cruz was a rainy one complete with… THUNDER! ..which made Greg and I do a silent happy dance from separate rooms (considering he was on an important conference call : ) ) and sent Bentley bolting to his safe place under the bed like a scared little girl. I always suspected he was afraid of thunder considering he’s from Missouri and how terrified he is when we bring in the rumbling trash cans. Not the most manly but certainly the most dear.

2) Driving the long drive up north with these guys and having the most wonderful conversation the whole time (woah, I know) about future hopes and dreams : )

3) Getting to celebrate Christmas #1 with my family. Unfortunately, everyone involved with Christmas #1 was confused for the rest of the season — Greg kept calling Christmas Eve, New Years Eve. The enthusiasm was lost for waking up early on actual Christmas Eve. We all wondered why everyone was so grumpy on fake Christmas. It was confusing. Alas, such is life.

^^a bit biased but, best Christmas house ever??

^^yes, we still have some party tricks up our sleeves..

^^Ruari reminding Mr. Yellowhairs that all this belongs to him. So brave, Little Red, so brave.

^^kindred spirits

^^not so accidentally spit on that poor sleeping sea lion and saw it raise its little head in a “what the!?” motion

4) Getting to avoid this line of doom cause Greg’s a friend of Southwest. 

Getting a high five from my husband because I reminded him of said friendship. I LOVE high fives!!

5) Getting the Indiana tour from my beloved.

^^our not so inconspicuous drive-by of Greg’s childhood home : )

6) Trying to walk over the pretty bridge but having to turn around cause it was SO. beyond. cold. That said, you can understand the forced smiles below.

But getting to experience the full potential of a warm drink afterwards : ) : )

^^Christmas drinks on Christmas eve <3

7) Playing poker with these clowns late into the night.

8) Here is a moment of pure honesty. I am not a morning person. Having that morning come three hours earlier than the normal early morning is not my favorite. At all. BUT that being said, I was so glad we roused ourselves to watch my NIECE and NEPHEW (heck yes I have those now! Taylor, you are still not off the hook) open their presents at 7am. Not to mention, that early rising came with coffee and mimosas so really, how can one complain : )

9) But for the most favorite moment of them all, as we were leaving Doug and Tami’s (where we were opening presents), it started to SNOW!!!! Not enough to stick but SNOW!! On CHRISTMAS!! Enter adults morphing into happy frolicking children.

10) Jennifer’s house – getting to stay in this cozy room with the magical lights, meeting this big dog, seeing the giant tree and playing the dancing game.

^^sweetest gentle giant

11) The snowy drive to Christina’s house. Lory and Greg couldn’t see but I was ridiculously giddy in the back seat, feverishly taking awful photos the whole time of the whiteness that surrounded : ) It was much more beautiful in person. 12) The surprise party at Christina’s house. So, in February we visited Greg’s sister, Dominique, in Florida. I was told “my family is super casual – maybe bring just one casual nice outfit just in case..” Ugh, there were like three cocktail parties and this lady showed up in a bulky sweater and faded jeans. Not this time, I thought. I packed lots of lovely things – just in case. However, to go to Jennifer and Christina’s, I was told by my dear husband, “don’t bring your whole suitcase – it’s just a lazy day at home and you can wear your pajamas on the ride home the next day.” Enter, family surprise party the first night and surprise brunch the next morning -_- Sigh. Despite being mightily underdressed ONCE again, I so enjoyed meeting his aunts and uncles and cousins outside of the wedding environment where you see about a bajillion faces within 10 minutes of going through the life shock of committing your life to someone. They were all so warm and gave spectacular hugs. I liked them a lot.

13) Getting to go to Greg’s favorite restaurant in Lafayette. It was like a proper pub with real Irish food and each thing! Big points. 

14) Finishing this stupid sudoku on the plane ride home. Ya, it was that stupidly difficult. Thus, I am stupidly proud for sticking to it to the messy end. Mostly because I was pretending I was a CIA agent solving a spectacularly serious and life threatening puzzle. America and all the world was lying in my child sized hands! Cue Greg’s confusion as to why I was so despondent when failing the first time. BUT! if at first you don’t succeed..

15) The King tide!!! Minus have a jumping, pulling dog, an uneven, slippery surface, bangs in your face and a husband blowing cigar smoke in your direction — other than that, it was wonderful and beautiful and oh so happy.

16) New Years! Any day where I get to stay home and still wear my party dress is a good one. 

^^holla! man in tux!!

^^the table of ghosts

17) Our little Irish night. How often do you have a bagpiper in your house? I’ve also never listened to lively celtic music whilst sitting in one non moving seat. That went against my Irish roots and stomping foot. Still fun though : ) He even played our wedding song for us!

18) Last but not least, going on a hike with this dog when we got back home. So, there was a time when Greg and Klein and Taylor and I went to Napa. We cooked dinner for the boys (like a please marry me dinner – aka good). Anyways, Klein sat there smiling and coined the phrase, “I’m so happy right now.” Anyways, all that to say, all I could say for the whole hike was, “I’m so happy right now! I’m so happy right now!” Alas, I have found my happy place and it is only a short drive up the hill from my house! And holy cow it’s gorgeous! Seriously I took so many pictures but they all suck and don’t even begin to capture how pretty. Plus, oh my. That dog. He was so good. I let him off his leash and he stayed right by me the whole time! He’d sort of run ahead and explore then run back to check on me. Ah, so good. We bonded. Mightily. Happy New Year everyone!! 

^^tuckered out pup