Christmas in San Diego and winter in Champaign

So I'm definitely behind on the blog, even for my standards. I went and did like I do and took on way too much this winter... oops! But here's some of our latest.


Two weeks ago we returned from our first visit back to San Diego. So much has happened since then it feels more like two months.
It was the perfect trip. My favorite Christmas celebration ever, I think, maybe because it was combined with our first trip home in seven months. A lot has changed at home and it was exciting and sometimes overwhelming to get caught up. We saw a lot of the people we have missed, but not enough of anyone. We weren't ready to come home and spent much of our down time out there scheming on how to return someday. The ocean was as glorious as we remembered, the weather was better, and the people made it really feel like home again.

However, since returning, we've hardly had time to miss San Diego. In a good way.
We had our first show with our band (currently called "Say it with a smile" but we're not hooked). I had my first few games with my two volleyball teams at Judah Christian school, and I got back into the thick of it with youth ministry at First Pres. It's been tiring to say the least. But relief came in the unexpected form of a cold front this week. Subzero highs cancelled several events and left me with an entire day off!


In other news, our pup Kona has left us. Her medical conditions turned out to be too much for us or for our wallet, so we said good-bye today. Sad to see her go and especially not knowing where she'll end up, but we are about four times busier now than when we got her, so we're looking forward to just having Banjo again.

So, kind of a boring post... update style.

While I'm at it -
Favorite things about winter (so far):


-snow (we haven't had much though)

-knit hats and scarflets

-dark hot chocolate (sometimes with vodka)

-huddling up in coffee shops and bars with the rest of town

-no yard work

-checking the weather first thing in the morning and feeling like a warrior about it


and just for good measure - my least favorite thing is the ice. it makes me feel like a toddler... life suddenly becomes three times as hard and walking takes every bit of my concentration!