Cheers to our Virginia Friends!

I know, I know. We have not been keeping up with the blog - but sometimes it feels like we're barely keeping up with life!

The quick update is that after two+ years in Williamsburg, VA, Brian and I are back in Seattle. It is nice to be back to familiar territory, but we miss our friends in Virginia. So this quick post is dedicated to them.

Here are a few of the characters that we left behind, that will always be in our hearts:

Joe and Barbara became very good friends of ours. We met Joe at church because we were sitting in the same general area, and he adopted us. He calls us "the kids" and every week, saved us a seat in church. I'm already missing his commentary and warm smile. On numerous occasions, they opened their home to us. They kindly hosted us for Thanksgiving and me for my birthday and Easter. Now we have to figure out how to convince them to visit us over here!



And this is Joanie and Bernie! They are also friends from church, always ready with a hug and time for coffee.

Last, but definitely not least, are my buddies from LL. Livy and Dan are two co-workers that are friends that I'm so glad found their way into my life.

Miss you all!

DIY - Spices

When in doubt DIY!

What I really like about this creation of jambalaya spice was the layers that resulted during creation. They reminded me of the wild shaped glass jars filled with sand that we used to decorate as kids...

Unmixed Jambalaya Spice

Here's to 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This year we rung in the New Year at The Local Vine with Becca and Kevin, Anne (yes, our friend from NYC), Barb (our new friend from NYC), and Karissa and friends -

Definitely a fabulous start to the next 365 days!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

December 30, 2008

It wouldn't be a visit to Seattle without too many things to do...

We are so lucky to have so many friends in Seattle! This year we were only in town for a week, and we were glad to head back to Virginia to relax. Since we're moving back to Seattle this year, we didn't concentrate on seeing everyone, and we spent some good time with people we didn't get photos of, but here were some fun photographed moments:

Dinner at the Civitts' with the O'Neils and Welchs.


We cheered on Sarah's cousin Kendall as her team won the 7th grade basketball tournament.


Lunch with Cousin's Kendall and Lauren.

Merry Christmas 2008!

Brian and I were so lucky to spend time with our families in both Minnesota and Seattle. We had a blast in both places - although in MN, we really missed Ryan and Laura who were stranded in Portland because of weather.

During our Seattle Christmas, we had so much fun, we forgot to get out the camera. This year was particularly fun because Nick and Carolyn hung out with us all day! Here's a few takes from our time in the snowy mid-west:

Oh, the time we spend in the kitchen!

The Ruhwedel/Porter/Bosmas

Grandma and Grandpa are a hoot to spend time with!
We play a lot of cards, talk and laugh. They make us feel so special when we brave the mile walk across the lake to visit them (when it's really cold, we just drive).

This year, they were cracking us up with a particular story. They were out shopping in St. Cloud, and Grandpa commented how many nice people there were because everyone was holding the doors open for them. Grandma responded, "We are really old, because even the old people are even holding the doors for us." Ha! We should be so lucky!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Thanksgiving in NYC

We took the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving in NYC this year - what a BLAST!

We stay with our good friend Anne, and on this visit, we spent a lot of time with Barb, too.

We watched the Macy's Day Parade with Morgan(my BFF), Sage and Lisa - friends from William & Mary that now live in NYC. Usually on Thanksgiving, we turn the TV on and have the parade on in the background. It was fun to actual be there!

It was our first year at the parade, and the same was true for Horton, Buzz Lightyear and Shrek.

But everyone knows, that Santa steals the show!


We had an AMAZING turkey dinner with some friends of Anne's (they're our friends now, too!) in Connecticut - the conversation was lively, wine delicious, and the laughs continuous.

We walked around NYC and enjoyed the Christmas sites and holiday windows.

Not shown: Fabulous dinners, cocktails, stories, hugs,
and all the memories of just living life.