Wrapping Up

{ Despite my blue mood, Christmas decorations must go up!:) }

The holidays are over and I for one am very glad. The few days leading up to Christmas and through to New Years I did manage to find the spirit and actually have a fabulous time, but this season was hard. If I'm being honest the past nine months have been hard. I've done my best to navigate a very difficult situation and I'll be navigating it a while longer. If I look back over my life though, I always seem to take the long way around. Things rarely come to me wrapped up in bows. In fact, I more often than naught seem to only get my "happy ending" after all hope seems lost. So I will hope and be patient a bit longer, knowing that those "happy endings" have come in varied forms, but were always ridiculously amazing and better than I ever could have hoped for. I have to trust in that.

As I said, I did manage to get into the holiday spirit just in the nick of time to enjoy all of the fun goings on with friends and neighbors in Church Hill. See this year I made what me and my friend Mandy call a "big girl decision". Although I could have spent the holidays with my mother and my sister's family in Atlanta, I just knew that wasn't the right decision for me this year. I needed to rest in my own bed and have the kind of holiday I wanted. So I stayed home and celebrated with friends that I am fabulously lucky to have. They are also my family and I love them dearly. I do feel rested and recharged for the New Year so I know I made the right decision. Here's some pics from the season I hope you enjoy!

{ An amazing meal I had at The Four Seasons Baltimore for a work trip }

{ Celebrating with friends at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond }

{ A little Christmas Eve bubbly }

{ My neighborhood is the best because neighbors randomly show up with wine and freshly caught oysters! }

{ A cozy fire on Christmas Eve }

{ Miss Austen gets to put on her fancy collar for my neighbors' Christmas Eve Open House }

{ Miss Austen being productive as usual }

{ This is our blogger support group. Thanks Karen and Kathryn! }

{ A fun photo shoot I did with friends }

{ Roast Chicken at Karen and Ted's! }

{ A beautiful evening }

{ I found these curry potato chips at World Market while shopping for presents and I'm addicted }

{ Waking up the day after Christmas and looking at the scale was not fun. Time to hit the gym! }

{ Picking out paint colors for my living room makeover! }

{ Trying new things so I whipped up Scallops with Champagne and Mustard Sauce, yum! }

{ My date for New Years! }

{ Getting ready to party like we're in our twenties when we are all really over 30, ouch! }

{ An amazing New Years dinner at Dutch & Co. }

{ Miss A and I ready for a wonderful, happy, love-filled, challenging, hard, but hopefully in the end amazing 2014! }