Holiday Recap

As my cousin Keri pointed out, yes, our holiday season was indeed crammed with events. We went up to Nor-Cal to stay with some Nam cousins for the first part of our Nam Holiday reunion, part 1. We had a lot of fun and ate way too much food, as is customary for these gatherings. Then, it was back to Santa Barbara for a few more days of work for me and Christmas Eve and Christmas with my family.

I, unfortunately, had to work on the 26th, and ended up pulling a 12 hour day (ick). Then, on the 28th, we headed back up North, but this time went all the way to South Lake Tahoe. We stayed in a cabin rented out by Jason's parents to take part in the Nam Holiday reunion, part 2. I haven't been in snow since I was three so it was so fun to be back in that environment again. Jason got a chance to snowboard for a few days after purchasing a 3-day lift ticket at Heavenly Resort. I don't do winter sports but I did get a chance to do some sledding, which was really fun and worth the sore butt. Although it was definitely beautiful, being in the snow 24-7 for 4.5 days reminded us of how truly blessed we are to live in Santa Barbara...snow is fun, but it can be a big headache, too. The first picture below was breathtaking but we had to take it from the hotel room to get the view so you can see a bit of the reflection in the glass.

Jason and I made the 9-hour drive back to Santa Barbara on New Year's Day (sadly, the 3rd year in a row that I've missed the Rose Parade). We celebrated Christmas #3 with my grandparents in Santa Maria on January 3rd.

And so it's 2009. A new year, filled with new hope and new adventures. I hope to make some new memories, more good than bad, and also aim to keep some resolutions, one of which is not to sweat the small stuff. I can't keep taking on the small stuff along with the big stuff...especially when I tend to treat small things like big things. On January 1st, Jason and I got Chinese food when we got back to SB (thankfully, a place was open near our house so we didn't have to cook dinner after our 9 hour drive), which of course came with fortune cookies. My fortune was startlingly appropriate, especially since it was the very first day of the new year. It read, "This year your highest priority will be your family." If you know me, you know why this was oddly right on target. When I read it, I got chills. Let's hope our focus is fruitful. A very happy new year to you all, from our house to yours!