WRAPPING it up!

I just typed a whole paragraph and deleted it because it was so BAH HUMBUG!  I was recovering from doing my expense report for work, which always sucks a little bit of my soul out.

December has been a blur--but we have had a lot of fun!  I know it's been a blur, because I've sat here for 15 minutes trying to figure out the sequence of events of the below photographs.  It's not important, I have concluded.

Last weekend, John and I were invited to a cocktail party and Christmas light tour of Birmingham. 

Great group shot!

We also snuck in a hike up at Oak Mountain.  There is nothing like the woods and some fresh air to replinish the soul!  We have both been working a lot the past month(s) and are grateful to be slowing down, somewhat anyway, here at year's end. 

If anything, my lifestyle these past four years has taught me to cherish my relationship, in every sense of the word.  It has made me a better wife.  It's unbelievably hard, and no one can understand it unless they too have experienced it.  Do not get me wrong, there are many perks along the way, and the greatest part is we are both well traveled.  I would not trade those experiences and the opportunity to see all that I have seen for anything.  It's been like cramming 20 years into 4, and sometimes it feels like 20 years haha.  I stumbled into an unlikely career path, from which an unsatiable appetite for the world was born.  I want to see and feel it all.  Material things are nothing compared to experiencing the world.  We plan to live below our means so that we can do just that.

I guess that's my life advice for the day, deep thoughts I know, but in conclusion, take nothing and no one for granted, and priortize experience over materialistic things.  Life is short, and you can't take all your "stuff" with you anyway.

Now, where was I...

John and I tried to make divinity because it is my favorite Christmas candy.

FAIL!  We had fun trying though, and that's what matters!  I was in crazy panic mode because it was hardening so fast--

It was more like marshmellow cream.

Sunday night we had a hot date to see A Christmas Story at the Alabama Theater.  I've wanted to do this for so long, and it was such a fun experience.  I adore the venue!  If you didn't go this year, you HAVE to next year.  (I'm really into emphasizing things today)

I still have a few more things to wrap, but mostly, I'm wrapping it up!