The One with Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

As I write this (first ever!) blog post while snuggled on the couch with my husband, I find myself wondering, "how does a girl (woman??) begin a blog, anyway?". Which reminds me; I'm 8 days shy of birthday number 28 and I still find it easier to refer to myself as a "girl" than a "woman". When do you cross that imaginary line from girlhood into womanhood? I thought (perhaps mistakenly) that marriage might push me over the line, but instead I often feel like a 12-year-old playing house. Except when I was actually a child playing house I didn't have to pay bills, mop floors, wash dishes, or clean the bathroom - which (as it turns out) are all incredibly annoying things you really have to do when you are 27 and playing house.

George and I are excitedly preparing for our trip to New York for Christmas vacation. Our first Christmas as husband and wife has been so much fun so far, and I can't wait to share the holidays with all of his (my!) (our!) family. I also get to see my lovely bff, Colleen; her husband, John; and their growing baby bump of a little boy. I last saw Colleen at my wedding in September, when her pregnancy was still a secret from most people. I can't wait to see her again now that the secret is out in the open and she is so beautifully (and visibly) pregnant!

It seems I really need to step up my photog skills if I am to be any kind of "real" blogger. Every blog I read (and there are many; George often laments the amount of time I spend on my computer "stalking" the beautiful blogs of other lovely ladies) devotes a vast amount of blog space to photos. I'll get to work on those photography skills, but to hold you over until then, here are a few pics of our gorgeous Christmas tree:our tree with just lights

all decked out

That's all for tonight; hot cocoa and my husband are calling <3 Happy Holidays!