Happy Holidays!!!

Wow. I have quite a bit of catching up to do!! December was.......well, it was a complete blur. How did it go by so fast?!?! There's always the hurry to finish up year-end deadlines, the mad rush to get last minute gifts, the baking, the cooking, the cleaning for guests and then of course the wait for everyone to arrive. Ah....I LOVE the holidays!

This year especially. For the first time in I don't know how long (if ever), we didn't have to travel. Do you have ANY idea how awesome that was? It was so relaxing. 10 whole days of doing nothing but enjoying my time off, relaxing and having family visit us. 

Dad and Annie drove up on Christmas day. My MIL came over and we had a delicious Christmas feast of ham, scalloped potatoes, julienned squash and homemade apple pie!! YUM. The next day, we just kinda took it easy. We went to brunch and then drove them around a little to show them where we live. 

Monday was a beautiful day, so we all hopped in the car and went to the city to see the sights! We started at the Headlands since they wanted to take some pictures of the bridge. It was completely clear and not windy!! Perfect weather!!

Then we headed over to Fisherman's Warf. We walked around the arcade, looked at all the holiday decor, strolled through some shops, listened to the sea lions and then stopped and had clam chowder (the ladies) and fried shrimp (the guys) for lunch/early dinner. By the time we got back to the car, the sun was already setting - creating the most beautiful sunset.

Truly the most perfect day to show off the beautiful SF city!!

The next day, we had breakfast and then they left for home. I'm so glad they were able to come and visit. It's not everyday I get to enjoy their company at my house! We had a ton of fun and as always, the time went by way too quickly. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to plan another trip for them to come up and visit!

That evening, my step-sister and her family came to visit for a night. They've never been to our house before, so it was a treat to have them over.....even if it was only for a night. Jamie and I, of course, fell into our normal chatty routine and next thing we know, it's 2am!! Oh how I miss our late night coffee dates where we just talk each other's ears off all night. The next morning, her hubby and the kids took off for Sacramento so that they could visit with his family. Jamie stayed behind so we could continue our gab-fest (and sleep in a little). My mom's friend of many years ended up making a last minute trip to visit, so we thought it would all be fun to get together for dinner. When I was little, my mom and her friends would all hang out and all us kids would play together, so it was kind of like an impromptu reunion. It was a blast. Besides, I had to reunite my sister with her family anyways, so it was excellent timing. It's weird though, to see everyone after so long. Everyone's changed and gotten older!! Me included!!! But, it was fun to catch up with everyone, even if it was only for a short visit!!

Then, the rest of my vacation was spent at home. Soooo relaxing!!