HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am back. After a crazy and bittersweet Christmas season and a wonderful trip to Northern California. I AM BACK! After losing Jagger and all the sadness we were feeling, a vacation was a daunting but welcome adventure. We headed to Carmel area to celebrate some happy things: my cousin Alli's wedding to Casey, a wonderful guy and my amazing grandmother's 90th Birthday on New Year's Eve!!! It was an uneventful flight, THANK YOU GOD! We arrived and dove right into wedding details, fun with family and lots of drinking and eating:) Our days were filled with laughter, running, beautiful sights, lots of fun, did I mention eating and drinking. I always laugh when we are around my family, because as loud and hilarious as my immediate family is, my extended family is just an extension of that. It's all fun. We had a ball and surprisingly I even got in a 10K race and 8 and 4 mile runs in, as well as a 2+ hour hike and a short but terribly difficult bike ride on one of those canopy bikes (look it up) it seats 6 plus 2 kids in the basket. Not to mention it is not easy to bike while hysterically laughing. My butt hurts just thinking about it :) Reminders of Jagger were around but I only caught myself crying once or twice and it helped to tell people about the funny times with him. Plus it helped that Kelsey (my baby sis) and I rented a house with our California sissies and we got to all be together which was really fun and needed. We had a gorgeous view of the ocean, were only a couple miles from the fun of Cannery Row in Pacific Grove and moments away from a great run on a beautiful coastline. I am blessed to have access to such a beautiful place. I have been going there pretty much every year since I was born, and this last New Year's Eve was the 12th anniversary of Joe and I's engagement, which is always fun to reminisce about. Since my grandmother "Pama"s birthday is on New Years Eve, the whole family gathers. So they were all there the night we got engaged. Like that night 12 years ago we ate and drank, a common theme. Oh and laugh and sing?! My Uncle J.P. plays the guitar this year backed up by my sisters, Beau :) We sing the same songs every year but they never get old. Even my kids now look forward to the sing a long. It is great fun. This New Year was the first in many, (that i wasn't pregnant) that I woke up the next morning not being hungover. I actually even got up nd ran a 10K! How's that for a new year, new me!
I will be posting tomorrow my Winter Resolutions. Remember seasonal resolutions, not yearly for me. But until then here re some pics from the trip. I apologize for my absence the past couple weeks, but like I said I am back! And I am rady to rock the New year! So join me!