Merry Christmas!

I have been lucky this year to be able to enjoy the Christmas season - oh the joy of not having finals to worry about!  Our first Christmas together started with us getting our first Christmas tree, a North Carolina Fraser fir, the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Then, I made the first batch of Christmas cookies with my new friend Caitlin. A few weeks later, we drove up to Columbus to see Peter's family, and I made a second batch of Christmas cookies that included Spritz cookies with the new Spritz maker Jessie's family got me for my bridal shower.  I have such good memories of making them with her at her house as a kid!  The Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch cookies were so good and easy, too.  I made them again once I got to Seattle.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

I love getting Christmas cards! 

We got a huge snow storm the week before Christmas.
I'm enjoying living someplace with real seasons!

Bryce with the tree we harvested from the pasture.

The weekend before Christmas, Peter left for a 5 day camping trip to Death Valley and Mojave Desert, and I finished up work before flying to Seattle the next week.  We had a wonderful, quiet Christmas with my family in Mount Vernon.  I went to Calico Cupboard, my favorite brunch place THREE days in a row, spent time with Betsy, Becca, and her fiance Steve, and Peter finally got to meet Carmen's husband, Dusty, when the two of them, Brittany, her husband Thad, and Peter and I met up at the Conway Tavern.  Peter and Bryce got to ski Mt. Baker, too.  Merry Christmas!