Merry Christmas everyone!

Big hi and hugs from San Diego. John and I are staying at the Hotel La Jolla. We're on the 8th floor with a gorgeous view of La Jolla and the ocean. This picture just shows the left half of our view, there's actually a lot more ocean to the right. Yesterday the temperature was 74F. Ironically, neither one of us are looking out the window right now. We're at our computers plugging away.  I better tell John to turn around.

I'm admitting defeat with what I thought was a valiant effort at getting the wedding photos that much closer to being attached to thank you cards. I spent some time this week editing photos. I bought frames. And like any well-intentioned idiot amateur I bought a photo printer at the last hour on Christmas Eve. I got up at 6am, showered, chose the photos, set up the printer, and -- CRAPOLA. It would've been so nice to at least given my family framed photos and nice thank yous from the wedding that was FIVE months ago. But no. It will require more editing, contacting a professional, and so on and so forth. I really don't want these thank yous to go out without pictures but they might as well. Don't say anything, I know, I know I know. Better to say thank you period than be a perfectionist that never says anything at all.

Last night we did something great. My Aunt Val, Uncle Jon, Michelle and Kris, and Katie cooked a Chinese Leo dinner. Fried wontons, chow mein and Popo's black fried chicken. It was great because their new kitchen fit everybody. When I walked in the door Katie and Kris were making cookie batter, Michelle was taking cookies out of the oven, and Auntie Val and Uncle Jon were preparing other parts of the dinner. Michelle and I sat down and folded wontons, Uncle Jon went from the kitchen to the armchair watching the Charger game (That John and Jason were at). I loved it. Everybody helping  to cook a dinner that we all ended up sitting down for. John and Jason crashed the dinner just as we were about to eat. It was perfect timing. I don't think I've ever experienced that before - a meal that everyone cooks. Our friends did that for Thanksgiving and had a great time. Now I get it. It feels good to have everybody have a hand in it and then to sit down together. Even better that everything we ate was a family recipe. Yes, I could even redo the wontons myself.

I hope that you are enjoying time with your family wherever you are. Try to remember, as I struggle to remind mindself every day, love is the best gift you can give someone. It doesn't cost much and you don't even have to wrap it.

That said, John got me a designed logo for my next website idea, a cashmere sweater, some tank tops for Australia, headphones so I can listen to Coast to Coast AM in bed at night, AND Mac OS X Leopard  which I really wanted. I'm stoked! I surprised him with the only thing he wanted - Get Smart: The Complete Collection from Time Life. I told him last week that I didn't know you couldn't just buy it at a store. He says I even pretended to look for it as Best Buy and acted disappointed when we couldn't find it. But really I had ordered it in time and had it sent to my dad's house so he wouldn't see it.

So, Merry Christmas everybody! And Happy Holidays to all the non-Christmas friends. I hope that we get to see you soon and show you how much we love you. Yes indeedy.

CURRENT: San Diego
NEXT: Los Angeles (Tomorrow)
NEXT NEXT: Sydney Australia (New Year's Eve)

Comments

[Lubna]

Hi Jen and John
Belated Xmas greetings and wishing you both a terrific year ahead.
Happy New Year.
Warm regards
Dustyshoes