Well I have shut down my Facebook account for many different reasons and I have to say I do not miss it at all! But I do miss keeping in touch with family, so I have dusted off my old family photo blog and will endeavor to post and send regularly.
We had a pretty quite Christmas this year in our cozy little rental, with Nany. Before the big day though we made a trip up to Leavenworth for the big Holiday Festival.
You can see the gorgeous mountains in the background!
Leavenworth is really a cute little town that has so many activities year round, but they really know how to do a Christmas Festival!
We couldn't resist getting a photo of the "Baren Haus",
Beren really got a kick out of this!
My closest friend, as you all may know, has recently relocated to Arizona. We have been missing them so much that Beren and I couldn't pass up an opportunity to head down and soak up some much needed family time, oh ya and some Sun!
I have to say I was very apprehensive about traveling to the dessert. Anyone who knows me knows that Trees, Rain and cooler climates are my happy place. So the idea of SUN, cacti and rocks was a bit cringe worthy. I was assured by many however that January is the PERFECT time to visit Arizona, and I have to admit they were Right!
It was a cool 70 degrees with a pleasant breeze everyday while we were there.
One of the highlights of our trip was Hiking in Sedona. We started at Cathedral Rock and hiked 7 miles through the stunning Red Rock trails.
Beren and I marveled at how different yet abundant the plant life was.
The photos truly do not do it justice.
This was one of our favorites because it almost looked like statues carved into the stone.
If you ever get a chance to travel here I highly recommend it, and that really is saying something coming from this tree lover. Just make sure you go in the middle of winter ;0)
We all need a little help from our friends sometimes.
The sun began to set as we wrapped up our hike,
and these two were feeling very accomplished at finishing this adventure!
My most favorite part of the trip though was just hangin pool side,
watching the kids play till they dropped and chatting with my Bestie!
**Happy Birthday Beren**
To top of our month we celebrated this young man turning 14!
He wanted a Dungeons & Dragons Cake, this image is from the logo on all the books.
I think he was pretty happy, which makes me pretty happy!!
It has been an incredibly difficult year for the three of us but we are pulling through and with the love and support from all of you we are finally starting to heal.
I wake up every morning and list all the things I am grateful for. That list is getting longer and longer everyday!
