Warmest wishes to all who have helped us through this tumultuous year. After M. finishes the Christmas pageant at church, we'll meet at my folks house for a traditional Swedish smorgasbord in homage to my Danish/Swedish roots! I hope it is a tradition that M. and I carry on in our household in future years. I chose the photo above (from Country Living) because the carved horse and santa look so distinctively Scandinavian.

After Christmas, we're headed to Vermont to go snowshoeing! This had been our annual tradition save for last year when we had to cancel last year post-fire. Being able to go this year makes us feel like we really are getting back to normalcy and I think we're both really looking forward to our first time away, just the two of us, in over a year. We always take it as a time not only to slow down and relax, but to reflect on the past year and talk about hopes for the following.... I'm most looking forward to the hush of a vermont landscape blanketed in snow, the way M.'s cheeks get so rosy in the cold, the crunch of our snowshoes... taking it all in like a cleansing breath-- the serenity of just the two of us surrounded by such beauty. (snowshoe photo from Sundance Catalogue-- our snowshoes are distinctly more modern ;)