Christmas with the Boys

Finally, Anna and I had Christmas with Jeremy and Jacob. We always have fun with them!

Christmas with Mom

My second Christmas was at Anna's house in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mom came down from Raleigh. I think she was a little surprised that I gave her so many chili pepper accessories for her kitchen---I guess I've spent too much time in the Southwest!















I LOVE the new cycling jersey I got!




















We get a little crazy playing games in my family.

Christmas with Dad and Beth

This year I celebrated Christmas three times! First, my sisters and I met Dad and Beth in the mountains for a cozy Christmas retreat. Here's my favorite picture of all of us:














Daniel was taking the picture, so here's a picture of him, just to be fair:














Dad is a crazy collector of John Deere paraphernalia, so I got him a fun throw.

Fun in Denver

Earlier this month, I took a short trip to Denver to see old friends. I went to Judge Tymkovich's holiday party Friday evening and then hung out with friends Clay, Aerie, and Santosh (below).















Saturday I went out to lunch with my friend Brittney before heading up to Longmont to visit Kelly (below), along with her husband Jon and their 3 adorable kids.















The best part was that it snowed! (Jon is kindly shoveling the driveway, so that I can get my car out and drive to the airport).

Christmas in West Texas

West Texas is "different," even during the holidays. I recently came across these lovely Christmas wreaths made of shotgun shells. I wonder what the neighbors would think if I were to hang one on my door in Northern Virginia next year.

Me and Joan Jett

I learned a valuable lesson last week: If I give my stylist leave to just "make me look cute," his definition of "cute" might not be what I expect. I now look surprisingly like Joan Jett in her early days. Just look at us both! (I'm not very good at imitating her serious look, though.)