We are taking a cue from the woodland creatures and beginning a hibernating phase of sorts. With the Christmas season over and social engagements diminishing, we are finding ourselves slowing down and relaxing more. It's been very enjoyable. Blankets, candles, warm drinks in mugs, reading for class as well as for pleasure, playing the guitar (all after exercising and walking the dog of course). It's a relief to let yourself just soak up a slower pace for a while and not feel bad about it.

However, the cherry blossoms are beginning to peek out again. Which stirs my delight for my favorite time of year in the Bay Area: early Spring!

My family was with us the 23rd through the 27th, but my Dad stayed longer so he and I could do a little father-daughter trip. He worked remotely in our apartment and Shinobi loved getting to play with his grandpa all day.

On Thursday morning, bright and early, we flew to San Diego. We got to visit my Dad's college roommate Ned (Uncle Ned) and Ned's wife Laura. They are such a God-honoring, enjoyable pair. Ned gave us a seven hour tour of San Diego and we were able to take in some beautiful sights like the harbor, Balboa Park, Mission Beach, and Mt. Soledad in La Jolla. That night we went to a dinner party with a string quintet made up of five young siblings. It was a true delight. The quintet is called The Bunnell Strings.

Another bright and early morning, on Friday we drove North to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl! Uncle Ned knew all sorts of sneaky routes so the trip was as smooth as can be. I was very sad that the Ducks lost, but it was still such a fun experience. Especially after getting to watch such an exciting season. I wish they had just had possession of the ball more, but I digress...

Saturday morning was bright and early too and we flew back to San Jose. Jonathan had Heath to keep him company while I was away and he was very glad to get to see him. 

And now we are back to the work week. Jonathan has been sick with a sore throat and I have been catching up on sleep from my wild trip ;). Jonathan is going skiing at Heavenly in Tahoe this weekend with Nick and Pete and I will be trying to get a jumpstart on my new term of Accounting. Happy New Year to all!

My Dad, Mom, and Sister came down to stay with us for Christmas this year! It was a real treat to be the one to get the tree, decorate, and do all the cooking and baking. Our place is small, but it was full of cheer. I made my first-ever turkey which was quite an adventure. I was glad to have my mom there to help. Jonathan started a new tradition of making a chocolate cream pie, hopefully it continues because it was good. In addition to our normal traditions, we also went to Comedy Sportz, strolled around Stanford, played games, and enjoyed the sunshine. We felt so blessed to have them with us.

I went to the San Francisco Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker this weekend with Stacey and Charissa. It was so beautiful. The whole time I was grinning because everything was just lovely. The War Memorial Opera House is gorgeous inside and out, too. What a treat! I learned that the first performance of the Nutcracker in the United States was in 1944 by the San Francisco Ballet at the same Opera House, so I felt so blessed to have the opportunity to see something like that.

My cookie party was a lot of fun and a great group of ladies showed up. I was amazed by the abundance of cookies that were contributed. We filled 15 gift boxes plus some gallon freezer bags and still managed to sample a few and take some home. These are the recipes I made and they tasted fantastic: 
Raspberry Pinwheels
Sugar Cookies
Mulled Cider

And here are some photos:

Our friend Jeff is coming to visit this weekend and then my family is coming down Wednesday to begin our Christmas celebration!