The Come Back

Ok so I know these apologizes are getting old but sorry for neglecting you… again.

The truth of the matter is, when things get busy, the blog is really low on the priority list so it is the first to be neglected.

That is just the way things are.

If you don’t like it, you can leave.

Just kidding!

Please don’t leave.

So the reason you have been so neglected is for two main reasons,

1. With a broken camera, the motivation to blog was lost. A blog without pictures is very boring.

I know that is really juvenile, it's like only reading books with pictures but I can't deny the truth.

Even on my favorite of blogs, if there are no pictures, I am less likely to read it.

2. With Christmas looming I panicked because I had planned on making most of the presents, I just hadn’t planned on how much time it would take.

I truly loved making all the presents and it made me so excited to give the presents but I have learned my lesson and will be starting much earlier this next year.

Well now that I have a new camera lens (thanks Michael and Patti!) and Christmas is over, I have no excuse not to blog.

Well, unless a new excuse comes up that is.

Then you'll be hearing another apology again.

Sorry in advance.

So Christmas…

This is the one time a year we go home.

Sad I know, but then again, everyone comes to visit us during the year so it works out alright.

So we went home for a total of 8 days not counting the days we flew in and out.

That is 8 days to visit with both our families which, much to our relief, live in the same area.

It is always fun to come home and visit with everyone but also stressful because everyone wants to spend a lot of time with us so it can be hard to please everyone.

It’s tough being so popular.

As soon as we figure out what days we will be home I email everyone the dates and tell them to start booking their times to visit with us.

No I am not kidding.

It works out really well this way and I try to make sure we spend close to the same amount of time with both sides of the family.

In stressful times the OCD organizer/planner side of me comes out in full force (I get that from my parents).

So I didn't get the new camera lens until the end of our trip so I dont have many pictures but here are a few I do have.

This is Christmas day when our niece Avila got more presents from her adoring grandparents than you could count.

And she ate an entire donut in a matter of minutes.

She had a bit of energy that day.



Here's Stephen sister Michelle and her baby Emma.



Stephen's dad and his fiance Patti.



They announced that day, to everyones excitement and joy, that they were engaged.

Oh and they are having the wedding here in Hawaii during the annual Labor Day trip.

It should be quite the fun and exciting shindig!

Then on our last day in California we celebrated my mom's birthday.

We celebrated Napa style and went wine tasting at this place:



Which looks like this:



With a view like this:



With wine caves like this:



Full of barrels like this:




Then we went to a winery call Del Dotto that didn't allow photography but I was super sneaky and snapped this shot.




Gorgeous huh!

Other highlights of our trip,

Met my niece Kalynn for the first time.

Watched Stephen and my mom battle it out to the death on the Wii.

Saw Tower of Power with Stephen's dad and Patti (Stephen's dad wore ear plugs the whole time).

Had drinks with my parents and Scott Beattie (the mixologist and author of Artisanal Cocktails).

My niece Avila on seeing Stephen one day without me asked "Where's Auntie Megan?"

Visited my favorite stores in Berkeley with my bestest friends the Dunne Family.

Went to see the movie Tangled with Anna and Tyler who informed me after the movie was over that her favorite part of the movie was "the scary part" because she is 3 now and likes scary movies.

Stephen sharing his home brewed beer with everyone and everyone loving it (we brought 48 bottles in a suitcase).

All in all it was a pretty great Christmas.