December 2015 | Christmas w/the family 2015

This year, the weekend before Christmas, we all went to my parents house for a weekend full of holiday cheer.... presents, cookie cooking and competition (we get competitive), a Zina dinner, etc. It was really great. 

 ^ my parents with little M. So cute.

 Early Saturday morning I asked my parents- "oh nice picnic table! When did you get it?"
oops.....
Tyler had made it for my parents for Christmas!  It's awesome, and huge, and we naturally had to eat breakfast there :

Then we made sugar cookies (sweaters)

^ Micah judged. And it doesn't matter who the winner was because it was all in good fun! ....But also, I won :)

^Caleb came in 3rd

^ & M in 2nd.

Annnndddd my favorite picture of all weekend, the 3 parents stuffed on a couch:

December 2015 | Matt comes to PDX!

One of the benefits of travel is meeting amazing people from all over the country (and world!), but it's a blessing, and a curse, sometimes, too. Matt and I met when we were teachers together in the marshall islands.  Since then we have met in Laguna Beach, and even traveled to South America together last summer for a month! Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I had all my amazing friends in one city instead of spread all over, but it's nice when they come to visit. 

While Matt was here we went to Pittock Mansion (I hadn't been since high school, and it was great!), walked on the waterfront, went to see the lights at The Grotto (do not recommend), saw a movie (Sisters, it was really funny) and went to Fort Vancouver. Its always fun doing "touristy" things in my own city, since it's never something I really do on my own.