365:334

fun: new year's eve photo session after a loud countdown with my cousin's kiddos!

365:333

your winter wonderland: a chilly day at pikes place marketplace, and my guy

365:332

sky view: portland, from departure bar at the nines

365:331

words: powell's bookstore in portland, philosophy section

365:330

night-time: dinner at suppenkuche in san francisco at the end of day one of our roadtrip up the pacific coast

365:329

grateful: for my parents.

365:328

morning: dad & sister's fella, working on their juggling as we opened gifts

365:327

favorite part of christmas eve: family dinner.

365:326

scarf: my guy loves his scarves, and has his own unique way of wearing them :)

365:325

tradition: christmas eve dinner with grandma.  this year we had it a few days early, because brother will be gone on christmas eve.  we also had the good fortune to be joined by boyfriend and sister's boyfriend, to add to the festive mood

365:324

peace:

365:323

tree topper: mom's electrocuted tree, before i demanded the squiggly things be removed and dispersed throughout the tree instead of converging at the top.

365:322

candy cane: a sleigh full, from the hot beverage table at dad's work party

365:321

stockings:

365:320

christmas tree: boyfriend is here, and the tree is finally decorated!

365:319

presents: under my tree. carefully selected and wrapped with love. eagerly awaiting their christmas morning unveiling.

365:318

outside christmas lights: drove past this little light show tonight...there are a remarkable number of absurdly well decorated homes here

365:317

favorite holiday song: i love a wide range of christmas music, but this year, i'm particularly enjoying this album...

365:316

a beautiful sight: high tide. about an hour after it was at its highest point of the year, helped out just a little by last night's rain.

365:315

family: we're not in the same place - not quite yet, give it a few days more - but here's a lovely one from when we were last together for thanksgiving

365:314

green: candy on a stick, the perfect holiday addition to any plant ;)

365:313

wrapping paper: even though it doesn't yet have ornaments, my tree is feeling the christmas love with the addition of some gifts...

365:312

something you're reading: dad just snagged this for me from the grandparents' extensive stash of literature. i love london dearly, and am looking forward to learning even more about that beautiful city

365:311

ornament(s): mine are still sitting on the ground, waiting impatiently for boyfriend's arrival. what lady can resist when her fella asks her to wait so they can deck the tree together??

365:310

bright: flames in the fireplace, with stockings carefully hung

365:309

shopping: e-shopping is the most common form of shopping for me (and everyone else, i think) lately. hoping to get into a real store one of these days...but then again, the problem with real stores is that it's just so easy to wander past something lovely and decide you want it...

365:308

today's temperature: foggy with a side of salt in the air. took this one out the window of the ritz carlton in dana point, where we had lunch in celebration of grandma's 95th birthday

365:307

joyous: iphone pictures of decor and store lettering on my evening run. i love christmastime here, with the shops and homes all decorated and cheer in the air

365:306

red: decorative poinsettia. the flower is called poinsettia in the united states name in honor of joel roberts poinsett, who introduced the plant in 1828. poinsett was a botanist, physician and the first us ambassador to mexico, where he first encountered the flower.

 

365:305

favorite holiday movie: a tie between the wee-sing best christmas ever movie, and the holiday

365:304

my view today: the christmas tree lot at home depot

december photo challenge

i may or may not follow this correctly.  we'll see.

365:303

cozying up the couch with some christmas cheer :)

365:302

i really don't even know what was going on here, except that b was not a fan

365:301

snuggles with snowmen

365:300

the beginnings of my christmas decor. i love this season...the joy and hope that fills the air is incredible. the wonderful treats of spending time with family...seeing the excitement on people's faces when you give them a gift that speaks of thoughtfulness and love...strangers giving to strangers without resentment, without reserve...ah. glad it's here!

 

365:299

bar-passing gifts to myself...a pair of toms and a trip to see boyfriend before i start firm life

365:298

bar-passing pressent from m&d...my face does not properly express my delight!

bonus shot:

365:297

nd v. usc tailgate...so, so exciting to watch nd go 12-0 for the season and "punch their ticket" for the BCS bowl in florida in january!!

365:296

family time the friday after turkey-day :)

365:295

thanksgiving dinner...grateful for so much this year!!

365:294

family trip to chuck-e-cheese's!

365:293

to be honest, when i started this journey of becoming healthier, i don't know that i genuinely believed i would ever reach my "goal" weight. i hadn't seen the number i put as my goal in over 7 years. i figured that it was okay if i never quite hit it, because i wasn't really aiming for an exact weight, just using it as a general target for a healthy body. nearly 8 months later, i've not only reached that target but gone below it. the most exciting part of that is not the number. it's the fact that without ever starving myself, i've managed to reset my senses to wanting healthier (and spicier! weird, right?) foods, to eating more appropriate portions, to enjoying exercising (in moderation, of course).  it's that i've never felt deprived (except maybe when i gave up soda and candy for lent and then again for october, but considering how unhealthy both of those are, that's a deprivation i'm okay with). i've learned the difference between true hunger and hunger that comes with boredom, and how to feed them both - one with food, one with something to do!  i've found healthier alternatives to old treats, and learned how different foods help or hurt our bodies. i've driven people nuts with my discussions on coconut oil, green smoothies and chia seeds. i've enjoyed learning so much about food, nutrition, health and myself, and i genuinely look forward to continuing that learning!

365:292

bicycle acrobatics

365:291

walking around on a lazy sunday evening

365:290

back in february, i nixed this dress as an option for a nice dinner with boyfriend because it was just too tight for comfort {or propriety, for that matter!}.  by easter weekend, it fit exactly - not too tight, but no wiggle room either. here we are in november, and after months of making smart choices in food and keeping myself active, it fits like this:

 

365:289

spent the morning on campus at notre dame, saying hello to old friends and feeling slightly nostalgic for law school...it's definitely better from the outside!  spent the evening meeting new people and celebrating the best news...i passed the california bar exam!!!

365:288

southwest boarding line...on my way to the midwest for a weekend with my man

365:287

oops.