So, despite having lots of time on my hands during the break, I am way beyond behind on this blog and therefore am going to have to be a bit lazy in terms of catching up on everything. So, rather than go into real details, I will just highlight, in bullet and photo form, some of the fun things I did while at home. I apologize if you don't know who these people are but whatever...
--Dinner with Kim: Got to see Kimothy for the first time in ages. We had mexican food (another first in ages) and then she spent the night at our house while on her way down from LA to San Diego. It was awesome to get to catch up with her and I missed her a lot while I was in England
--Lunch with Ashley: Another amazing catch-up session (this time over Chick-fil-A). It was incredible to get to hear how excited Ashley is about the new job she's got working at a Christian camp in Wisconsin doing Camp Ministry. I am so stoked that she has found a place where she finally feels happy and settled. Its go great to see your friends doing well.
--Lunch with Kate and Gia: We were missing the 4th of our little quartet (with Hayley being in England or Australia or Mars for all we know), but it was awesome to hear what Kate and Gia were up to and get to chat with these awesome girls. Its great to stay in contact with old friends and teammates and while I'm usually not very good at it, with Kate and Gia its always been so easy and so rewarding.
--Kiley Kristmas Kookie Day: The annual sugar cookie decorating bonanza with the Kiley/Sullivan families. Got a chance to talk with Mackenzie about her upcoming wedding, meet Alyssa's new husband, and see the Kiley/Sullivan clan for the first time in a year.
--Catch up with Anson, Tom, and Tom's girlfriend Kelly: I haven't seen Tom since High School so it was great to hear what he's up to, meet his girlfriend, and realize that while some things change a lot over time, some things stay exactly the same...
--Christmas Eve service at Voyagers. This year was really nice. Lots of carols, a nice sermon by Pastor Gary, and an adorable little nativity story video. This year Hanukkah and Christmas overlapped so we lit our candles and sang our Hanukkah songs. Of course we did our Christmas Eve family photos as well.
--Christmas Day at Laguna Beach: As always, we went to the breach on Christmas Day. It was a beautiful day but the water was really really cold! We also sang our carols, played a family game, had an lovely Christmas dinner, and enjoyed each other's company tremendously. I love Christmas Day because its just an awesome family day.
--San Diego with the Hale family: We met up with the Hale family (and got to meet Margo's husband Scott and baby Katie) and wandered around San Diego. We started at Cabrillo and the Lighthouse (tons of childhood memories there), had lunch in Old Town, and then wandered around Old Town San Diego.
--Wine Tasting in Temecula: We went to several wineries, enjoyed some great wine (including chocolate wine, Almond champagne, and organic wine). It was another beautiful day (even in Temecula) and it was fun to do something new as a family. We also wandered around Old Town Temecula before driving home in a beautiful sunset!
--Happy Hour with the sisters: 3/4 of us are now 21 which makes it perfect because we still have a DD! It was nice to just spend some time, the 4 of us, actually in the same room! Naturally our conversation was pretty inane and focused around such hot-button topics as Supernatural or Doctor Who but that's who we are and that's what we do!
--Many beach days: Got to spend time at Laguna, Newport, and Aliso Beaches. Got to run and workout on the beach. Got to sit in the sun on the sand and read Pepe Reina's autobiography. Got to realize how blessed I am to be from Southern California
--New Years Eve at Mackenzie's wedding: For the second year in a row I got to celebrate the new year with a friend getting married. Mackenzie looked incredible and it was nice to finally meet Willie. Also got to see lots of people I haven't seen since high school including Jeff, Amy, and Joey.
--Dinner with Kim, Logan, and Corbin: Went up to LA to have dinner with some Academy friends and got to see Corbin and Logan for the first time since graduation. Was again great to get to catch up and hear some advice for IFS. I also got to see Corbin and Logan's beautiful house which was really impressive.
--Surfing with Anson: I'm not 100% sure what we did is allowed to be considered surfing but I refused to not paddle out and Anson humoured me. It was nice to get to have some one-on-one catch up with one of my closest friends and someone I can always count on to make me both laugh and shake my head in disbelief and amazement at the same time.
All in all, it was a great few weeks at home. Got some good workouts in (love being able to work out in the sun again), had plenty of time to relax, read some books, watched some TV and movies (the Sing Off especially!), and got to spend lots of time with family and friends. Just what I needed after the depression of leaving England and the excited nervousness of returning to the Air Force!
--Dinner with Kim: Got to see Kimothy for the first time in ages. We had mexican food (another first in ages) and then she spent the night at our house while on her way down from LA to San Diego. It was awesome to get to catch up with her and I missed her a lot while I was in England
--Lunch with Ashley: Another amazing catch-up session (this time over Chick-fil-A). It was incredible to get to hear how excited Ashley is about the new job she's got working at a Christian camp in Wisconsin doing Camp Ministry. I am so stoked that she has found a place where she finally feels happy and settled. Its go great to see your friends doing well.
--Lunch with Kate and Gia: We were missing the 4th of our little quartet (with Hayley being in England or Australia or Mars for all we know), but it was awesome to hear what Kate and Gia were up to and get to chat with these awesome girls. Its great to stay in contact with old friends and teammates and while I'm usually not very good at it, with Kate and Gia its always been so easy and so rewarding.
--Kiley Kristmas Kookie Day: The annual sugar cookie decorating bonanza with the Kiley/Sullivan families. Got a chance to talk with Mackenzie about her upcoming wedding, meet Alyssa's new husband, and see the Kiley/Sullivan clan for the first time in a year.
--Catch up with Anson, Tom, and Tom's girlfriend Kelly: I haven't seen Tom since High School so it was great to hear what he's up to, meet his girlfriend, and realize that while some things change a lot over time, some things stay exactly the same...
--Christmas Eve service at Voyagers. This year was really nice. Lots of carols, a nice sermon by Pastor Gary, and an adorable little nativity story video. This year Hanukkah and Christmas overlapped so we lit our candles and sang our Hanukkah songs. Of course we did our Christmas Eve family photos as well.
--Many beach days: Got to spend time at Laguna, Newport, and Aliso Beaches. Got to run and workout on the beach. Got to sit in the sun on the sand and read Pepe Reina's autobiography. Got to realize how blessed I am to be from Southern California
--New Years Eve at Mackenzie's wedding: For the second year in a row I got to celebrate the new year with a friend getting married. Mackenzie looked incredible and it was nice to finally meet Willie. Also got to see lots of people I haven't seen since high school including Jeff, Amy, and Joey.
--Dinner with Kim, Logan, and Corbin: Went up to LA to have dinner with some Academy friends and got to see Corbin and Logan for the first time since graduation. Was again great to get to catch up and hear some advice for IFS. I also got to see Corbin and Logan's beautiful house which was really impressive.
--Surfing with Anson: I'm not 100% sure what we did is allowed to be considered surfing but I refused to not paddle out and Anson humoured me. It was nice to get to have some one-on-one catch up with one of my closest friends and someone I can always count on to make me both laugh and shake my head in disbelief and amazement at the same time.
All in all, it was a great few weeks at home. Got some good workouts in (love being able to work out in the sun again), had plenty of time to relax, read some books, watched some TV and movies (the Sing Off especially!), and got to spend lots of time with family and friends. Just what I needed after the depression of leaving England and the excited nervousness of returning to the Air Force!
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