~I'm B-aaaaack!~

Hello, everyone! I'm back to blogging! I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas!

(Warning: L-o-n-g post ahead!)

Aaaah! What a lovely vacation I have had! When I commenced my blogging vacation, I had a few days left in which to get ready for our trip. It seemed as though everything was screaming for my attention. I buckled down and got everything done that needed doing, and we had a fantastic vacation!

We winged our way over to the West coast:


We stayed with Kevin's mom and her husband, and had a great time with them.

I got to MIRL (Meet In Real Life) a dear friend of mine, Susan. We have been friends for about two years now, I believe. She and I first met on a message board, and then we started instant messaging each other. When I realized it might be possible to meet up with her this Christmas, I was so excited!

Here we are:


We got coffee at Starbucks, and talked like...old friends! We had a great time together! Susan has been an incredible blessing to me this past year, and I'm extremely grateful for her friendship!

Later on that same day, we went over to Annecourager's house for dinner. Her husband was my husband's youth pastor when he was a teenager. We had a delightful (albeit short) visit with their family. Click over to Annecourager's to see a picture of me with my eyes closed. LOL



Then we made our way from Washington on down to California to see my family.

California has something that Michigan does not:

Sadly, they have discontinued the one item I wanted to order! (Sigh)

I couldn't believe how close I got to this hummingbird:

It was twilight, and I had to use the flash...but still...I was so close to the hummingbird! I haven't seen hummingbirds since last September! I guess they all made their way to warmer weather (I can't blame them!).

Sunday morning (Christmas Eve), we received the sad news that my great-grandmother had passed away. The last time I saw her was last Christmas:


We had planned on seeing her on Tuesday, but God called her home before then. I'm happy that she was a devout Christian, believing in the Lord as her Savior, and she is with Him. I will miss my Grandma Lydia!

Christmas morning tradition: all gifts opened at my mom's parent's house. Everyone typically gets a gift for everyone, so the tree room is bulging with gifts.


These are some of the gifts that appeared under the tree:


I made a scarf for most of my sisters. Not pictured is the hat that I made for my brother. I have previously blogged about some of these scarves, but I stopped blogging about them, because I didn't want my sisters to get suspicious. =)

Tuesday Kevin and I took off for some time for the two of us. We stayed at the coast.



The last picture is one of our favorite spots to visit, near Big Sur. This waterfall is the only waterfall in North America to flow directly into the ocean. It takes a little hike, and then you're there. Just gorgeous!

We also drove to San Francisco, and I had the nerve-shattering privilege fun of driving into the city. Kevin had been extremely sleepy while driving, so I had taken the wheel for him. I got to drive down Lombard Street. That was totally cool. Otherwise, I would have been happy to let Kevin drive! =)

Home again, home again, jiggedy-jog...our vacation time is used up, and Tuesday it's life back to normal!

Since I downloaded over 300 pictures from our trip, I'm sure I'll have a few more to share! I think this is enough for the time being though (especially for those of you with dial up! Sorry!).