"Oh there's no place like home for the holidays..."

Since moving to Washington over a year ago, I've only seen my family twice since last Christmas.

Being a wandering soul and adventurer comes at a bit of a cost.

But I have NEVER missed a Christmas.

After I worked Christmas Eve I jumped in my truck and turned my wheels southward for 6 hours and East for about 45 minutes until I was rolling into the 160 year old driveway I grew up on.

My parents are so cute, even though I had told them to go to sleep and I'd just sneak in really late and see them in the morning, there they were...half asleep on the couch when I walked in. Parents of adult children or not they still wait up! :)

I won't drag on about how great it was to see everyone and do things...so here's the highlights...

Spending Christmas day up in the snow as is tradition. The sun was blazing and beautiful and we had an amazing time
Frosting cookies with my 2 year old nephew. He sat on my lap for 30 minutes patiently decorating. The bells are his favorite! :)
Watching my parents with my nephew. Mom reading him stories on the couch (he adores her as he should) and Dad sneaking him cookies from the adult table (two mischievous boys)
Cooking a birthday dinner for my Big Brother with the help of the talented and marvelously 39 weeks pregnant Sweet Sister-in-Law who is the most amazing impromptu winging it cook I have ever known!

I love my family dearly. We have differences and have distance but I am so proud to say I belong to them :)