We had the sweeeeetest of treats this last week, having our friends Tucker and Erin staying with us here in San Diego. We ate lots of bean and cheese burritos, watched sunsets and surfers, and pranced around the Safari Park like the wide-eyed kids we actually are.

I have been trying to be more intentional about grabbing my real camera in place of my iPhone to capture our everyday moments that we can enoy forever. Thankfully, on this evening at the beach, I remembered to do just that.

*a road trip re-cap via iPhone photos*

Last week we threw on our velour track suits, grabbed our chess boards, and packed up the car to head South (West) with the rest of the elder generation. Of course those first two things aren’t true, but we did make our way from Northern Michigan to Southern California for some good ol’ winter hibernation.

We began our trek down through Chicago (to give extra kisses to the nephews of course) and journeyed on through Nebraska where we spotted cows. Actually, I mean where we were taken over by cows. So. Many. Cows.

It’s hard to turn on your TV these recent days and not feel overwhelmed; the urge to wrap your arms around those you love and pull them a little bit closer suddenly deepens. The best part of the holidays is being able to do just that, and being surrounded by family has a beautiful way of reminding you of all the light that is in this world beaming through the darkness.

We had the sweet treat to be surrounded by all of my (Amy’s) family members for Thanksgiving, celebrating on Friday – and even replaying the Macy’s Parade to enjoy together. My sisters and I split up the cooking duties this year, and if there’s one thing to know about our bunch, it’s that we have a pretty spectacularly huge love for good food.