Oh, and who needs Santa...

when you look out the window on Christmas morning and see this!?!

Trying...

to get back into the swing of things after a long holiday weekend.

I feel refreshed and full. Both my stomach and my spirit were crammed full of so many goodies this past week. I was reminded why I love being part of a big family, and I treasure all the warm memories we made together this Christmas. Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, husbands, nieces, nephews. The house was crowded, the kids were a riot, and all was merry and bright.

And of course I had my new camera in everyone's face all weekend. So much fun!! I leave you today with these little goodies:

Ahhhhhhh.....

Bear hugs from brothers...

Dad's omelets and toast...

The classic Christmas tree that I've decorated every year my entire life...

The smells of my childhood...

IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME!



Happy Holidays!! Enjoy all the love, peace and joy of the season!

Is there anything like it?

Try it sometime this month. Turn off all the house lights, turn on all of the Christmas lights - the tree, the lighted garland, candles - and just sit. Feel free to add some hot chocolate or spiced cider and some traditional holiday tunes, and then just be. Don't think about the gifts you have to buy yet, the cards you have to send, the baking you have to do. Just be in the moment. Soak up the peace, the sparkle, the magic of it all.

Really, is there anything like it?

I DID IT!

And I'm still alive to tell you about it. That's the real treat!

Today, I learned to snowboard all over. You know that landfill-turned-ski-hill I learned on? Yeah, this was a whole different beast. Luckily, the snow here was much, much softer so the tremendous face-plants I did were border-line fun!

It was a gorgeous day on the mountain. Light snow, great temperature, and not really any wind. It was, however, foggy, so for those of us who had no idea where the heck we were going - as we try to guess which is the "blue" run and which is the black diamond that apparently run right next to each other, but I digress - that was the challenge.

So my bum is a little sore, my knees don't like me very much, and I did a little chiropractic work to my neck on one of my spills. But then I remember that moment when we were at the top of the mountain and in the distance the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the surrounding mountains. All I can say is that it was absolutely breath-taking. If for no other reason, that minute the sun was lighting up the landscape made the whole day worth it.

Now, where is that ice pack???