Christmas in ABQ

I can't believe the year is almost over. Right now, I'm enjoying some very lazy days in Denver with Damon and Diana. It's been snowing since mid-morning, and I'm happy we don't have anywhere to go.

Last week, we were in ABQ.  We had a great time seeing both families and some friends. I was also delighted by the warm weather--temps in the 50s pretty much the whole time. It was just what I needed. I had lunch one day with my friends and former co-workers from H-town, and another day Mark and I got to see some friends from high school that we hadn't seen in a while. We also had dinner with some very good friends of ours who have the cutest kids we know. It's amazing to see how much they've grown and changed since we saw them in the summer.

Of course, the main event was the family time. We stayed with my parents for the first half of our trip and Mark's parents for the second half. My mom hosted another fantastic mother-daughter tea, and I talked her into letting me make more of my new favorite sugar cookies (I may post some pics of the delicious food later...). We also got to visit some of our favorite local restaurants and eat all of the best holiday desserts. As usual, we enjoyed our Christmas Eve with Mark's family and Christmas day with mine. We were overwhelmed by many generous gifts, and I even managed to surprise Dad with his annual banana bread by wrapping it in a box this year. Despite being there for just over a week, the days sure flew by. I'm thankful for video chat and all the other ways we can stay in touch. (So, mom, don't forget to bring your laptop home every once in a while so we can "see" each other!).

After that wonderful but hectic time in ABQ, it is nice to be sleeping in and taking it easy for a few days now before reality sets in again next week. It's also as good a time as any to fight the cold I seem to have...

Overall, there's nothing like Christmas at home to remind me of all the ways I have been blessed. I'm so thankful for all God's done for us this year, and looking forward to finding out what He has for us in 2011!