This year was an exciting Christmas as my family and I celebrated a little differently that usual --- instead of preparing a huge feast of traditional food with my Dad's side of the family - my twin brother flew to California to be with his girlfriend for a few weeks, and my parents drove to my place in DC.
I showed them all of the fun places I've been exploring the past few months including local parks, restaurants, a ride on the metro, and of course the famous DC national monuments.
We also made a ton of food, played board games, watched Christmas movies, and enjoyed spending a weekend relaxing together.
A ride on the metro, sunny afternoon, and great finds from a street side market......Click on the photo above to see photos from a day spent with friends as we explored all of the major attractions of DC.
My long lost best friend, Gwynne, came to visit me in DC back in October.... We met over 5 years ago when we first started working at a National High Adventure Boy Scout Camp in the middle of the Florida Keys. We taught kids how to sail, kayak, and paddleboard and became instant friends our first summer together.
She traveled from Wyoming and spent just shy of two weeks with me before heading off on her even bigger adventure to explore Costa Rica. We explored everything from city side parks, aviation museums, and of course the DC monuments.
In addition to exploring my local city, we also did a lot of relaxing - coloring, pumpkin carving, and just hanging out catching up with eachother. She also began the first steps of creating her own blog to include her unique travels, yoga, and food... which I will update the link here once it is complete!
...Click on the photo above to see a photo story of some of our adventures...
Although I truly love being an interior designer again, I really miss being out on the water. Last month I went on a search to find an affordable but convenient dock for my little 26' sailboat, Bandit in the DC area.
I started my research online and ended up visiting every marina in the Solomon's Island area. It needed to (of course be affordable but also) have deep enough water (4+ feet), electricity, free parking, a club house (with shower facility), water hookup, and access to open water for easy weekend sailing. After exploring all of the marinas, I think I will be going with the last one we visited and (ironically) the place I originally bought Bandit from, Town Creek Point Marina. I'm still figuring out all of the logistics but she will hopefully be in her new home this April! It will be amazing being able to sail for fun again going wherever the wind takes you! aka around the point to visit all the crab shacks, tiki bars, and beautiful scenery.
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| Walking a few of the docks on Solomon's Island |
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| Town Point Creek Marina |
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| Town Point Creek Marina |
This will be the first year that I will be hosting family at my place for a holiday function. I'm used to catering for the holidays - usually on a sailboat hosting a family or couple onboard looking to mix a fun vacation with learning how to sail. This year will be a lot of firsts for me - including my very own Christmas tree!I bought my tree this past August at an estate auction in Morgantown, WV (along with 4 others) for a total of $2.00. They were strewn all throughout a basement in many pieces and needed a lot of TLC. They were loaded up and reassembled in my parents driveway and hosed down with a water and soap. I chose my favorite looking tree and donated the rest to Goodwill, a local charity/thrift shop.
All of my decorations are shatter resistant - mixing traditional bulbs with craft ribbon and even handmade German paper stars. (Everything at my place needs to be cat-resistant). The tree is also a very unique "cat-resistant" design in that all of the branches hang from the 'top' of the tree. It leaves a bare metal pole at its center which is hard for my cats to try and climb.
All of my decorations are shatter resistant - mixing traditional bulbs with craft ribbon and even handmade German paper stars. (Everything at my place needs to be cat-resistant). The tree is also a very unique "cat-resistant" design in that all of the branches hang from the 'top' of the tree. It leaves a bare metal pole at its center which is hard for my cats to try and climb.
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| Stockings I made from left over material and clearance ornaments from JoAnn Fabrics |
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| Gold spray painted pine-cones make for great Christmas themed fillers and tree decorations! |
