today's lunch

in-n-out is a true california treat. i had mine with grilled onions. yum!

today was filled with activities such as a peaceful morning walk through my grandpa's old olive grove and a trip to a local 9,000-cow dairy farm. tomorrow we're driving up into the mountains, and then we're traveling home on wednesday. until the future!

en route to fresno

greetings from sunny las vegas, nevada! we're here for a layover—been up since 3:15 this morning and with the help of some caffeine and catnaps, we're still going strong. :)

in Christ alone

merry Christmas!

a few weeks ago, my parents gave us a book named come thou long-expected Jesus—a collection of advent readings. yesterday's reading reminded me that Jesus "tabernacled" with us. he is the "place" where we now commune with God. and Christ Jesus was born a martyr—He came to die. Christmas points to the cross. it was a beautiful reading and helped me remember the weight of what we celebrate this time of year.


our day was filled to the brim with blessing upon blessing. we were able to spend the day with both our families, and it was such a treat. i hope your day was blessed, too!

well, folks, even though it is only 8 p.m., we've got a 6 a.m. flight to catch, which means we're off to bed. we're flying to fresno, california, to visit my grandpa. i hope to share some news from the road, but if not, until the future!

Christmas light date night 2010

hello all! just one week 'til Christmas! :)

last night, ben and i had a date night to eat some pizza, drink some hot beverages, and see some Christmas lights. first, we visited beek's pizza, anxious for some pepperoni deliciousness. this is the THIRD time we've gone to a pizza place and discovered it is take-out or delivery only! you think we'd learn to check the web site ahead of time. :) well, we put in our order, walked across the street to kowalski's for paper plates and napkins, and had a delicious meal in ben's car.

we then proceeded to a special street in a nearby city that shares a name with me (not my real name but one of my many nicknames). with caribou in hand, we drove the streets looking at Christmas lights—but, i admit, i think we did more looking at the actual houses. gorgeous!

all photos have been blurred to protect the innocent! :) :)

it was a great time. we've done this a few times in the past years and it is just one of those fun, low-key, ben-and-amy traditions that i love so much. 

tonight we are going to my parents' Christmas party and tomorrow we celebrate Christmas with ben's family. should be a wonderful weekend.

i thank God

for this man, who not only clears the driveway, but makes sure to check in on me from the kitchen window.