Holiday Wrap-Up: Part I

Holy moly. I feel like I’ve been away from the blog for eons! What a crazy holiday season this was; absolutely everything has been turned upside down by the move. It really does feel like a new decade. Let’s start with the actual Christmas:

Rob, Margaret and I drove down to San Luis Obispo on Wednesday night with a car-full of gifts. We made it home just in time for a late dinner with my parents – roast pork with new potatoes and salad. Yum!

The next morning, we had an early breakfast and drove to Morro Bay for a bit of boating. Christmas always seems to bring the absolute best weather to the coast, it was sunny with no wind in the higher 60’s. Lovely boat ride around the still bay. Picked up crab for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner down by the docks. Back at home we had Rob’s sister, brother-in-law and gaggle of boys over. The family dog loved having a bunch of boys to play with.

We shared a giant pizza lunch followed by cookie decorating. The boys made some frosting/sprinkle masterpieces. The littlest one ate about 15 cookies while we weren’t watching.

In the evening, we dressed up for the Christmas Eve service at church. This year involved a reading of the supper scene from A Christmas Carol, which left us all drooling and wishing we were back home with our own festive feasts! Soon enough, it was time for crab and artichokes with our 92-year old cousin Jane.

Christmas morning the next day! It was a “white” Christmas with a thick frost on the ground. We had an amazing amount of gifts for just the four of us. Orange cranberry bread, coffee and wearing feathered headbands with pajamas.

After breakfast, gifts and calls, Rob and I took the neighbor’s kayaks out on the lake behind my parent’s house. It was an exceptionally nice day – not like the wind tunnel that this lake is usually known for.

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with my aunt and uncle and preparing for dinner. I was particularly happy with the centerpiece I put together from the garden.

A huge Christmas feast for my aunt, uncle and a couple family friends. Crab and artichoke puffs to start, followed by turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, creamed onions, salad, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and apple pie. A tremendous amount of food! We opened our Christmas crackers after dinner, donned the tissue crowns, compared our corny jokes and trinkets.

The next morning, I went on a visiting tour to check in on old friends while Rob went for a bike ride with Shane. First stop: to Grover Beach with croissants and mangoes in tow to see one of my oldest friend’s new baby for the first time. Ethan, an ecceptionally cute little guy at four months.

Then lunch with Sarah at Big Sky, a great deal of puzzle work back at the house and a wedding reception for the son of an Indian family who have lived down the street for ages. The whole neighborhood and everyone in the county with a sari were in attendance to wish the new couple well.

Rob and I got up early on Sunday morning to head back to San Francisco. We were rushing to be in town for signing the lease for our new apartment at 2:00… {tune in tomorrow!}