Home stop.

The Hahn Family reunion was a lot of fun! There were pool and air hockey tables which got plenty of use; as well as a few board games that were played. Much of my time was occupied running around with my cousin's 7 and 2 year-old that were always full of energy. It was nice to catch up and relax.

Anyway, we have stopped home to collect ourselves before heading on part 2 of the winter vacation. Unpacking, washing and then repacking. I know you must feel horrible for us...

Hocking Hills.

We are headed to Hocking Hills today for the Hahn Family reunion! Hopefully as we head toward southern Ohio we will drive out of the snow that was dumped on the Cleveland area last night. Although it is very pretty, it makes the roads a bit more perilous when traveling.

Gingerbread Contest.

Last night, my mother held the Unknown-th Annual Gingerbread Contest here in Solon! The competition was quite stiff and closer this year than last. In my opinion, Joe and I had one of the most ingenuous ideas that showed real creativity and preparedness. However, it was hard to beat the presentation by Ellie and Gracie whose use of gummy bears was inspiring. The double decker, which took 3 grown men to put together, did not look safe and seemed only to succeed because of their over the top attempt to woo the judges (I think there was bribery involved too).

Here is the log cabin Joe and I so masterfully assembled:

Merry Christmas!

One day belated...Merry Christmas one and all! Hope everyone had a very nice day.

Last Day.

Today was a busy day at work! It is the last day before the holidays and before we go on our winter vacation. Tomorrow we are headed back to Solon, then go to Hocking Hills for the Hahn Family reunion, then to Florida and lastly the Bahamas. I'm looking forward to it all!

Winter Solstice.

Today's advent:

"Today is winter solstice,
Shortest day of the year.
It can mean only one thing-
Christmas is near!"

I'm very glad the days will be getting longer from here on. Let there be light!

Wrapping.

I finally got around to wrapping presents yesterday. I sat down with 4 rolls of wrapping paper, scissors, tape and the presents and wrapped while watching The Holiday. The movie made it fun and some gifts under the tree make it look a bit more festive!

Advent.

Over Thanksgiving, my mom surprised Joe and I with a box and within that box were a bunch of little boxes and containers with dates on them. A homemade advent! We have had a blast opening them everyday.

Ugly Sweater.

Joe and I went to the Salvation Army today to pick up some garb for the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party we have tomorrow night. We both got some good sweaters and immediately came home and threw them in a hot wash. I knew the risk of shrinking...but didn't expect it to be too bad...


At least this makes it uglier I guess...

A new toy!

And yes, it has to squeak...

Video of the Month.

Penguins!

Joe and I are going to the Pittsburgh Penguins game with his dad tonight - they are playing the Flyers so it should be a good game. It's the first game we will have been to this season and hopefully it won't be the last!

Bailey's First Christmas

Setting up our Christmas tree last week:

Tables have turned.

You're Beautiful.

My older sister, Katie, sent me this link which I found very interesting. Click on Portfolio in the top menu and several small photos will appear across the bottom. Click on the photo and a larger photo will appear...

The changes are pretty amazing and it just goes to show that magazines really do set bad body (and face) images for us to look up to.

Puerto Rico: Sunday

On Sunday, we had an excursion to El Yunque, the rain forest in the middle of Puerto Rico. After a 40 minute drive, we arrived at an observation tower where we had a great view over top of quite a bit of the rain forest and we could see all the way to the ocean!

Next, we made a stop where we were showed to a trail that took us further into El Yunque and finally to La Mina Waterfall. It was nice because we were able to go along the trail at our own pace and there was often no one in sight or ear shot so we were really able to take in the sounds. We stopped at a second waterfall and then had lunch before we were dropped back off at our hotel.

Puerto Rico: Saturday

On Saturday, we had breakfast on the terrace overlooking the pools and ocean while we discussed what to do that day. We decided to take a cab and explore Old San Juan. The taxi driver, Miguel, was very nice and gave us a tour on our drive and suggested we see the fort in town. Fort San Felipe del Morro was very neat to see.

After that we walked through the streets of Old San Juan, stopped in some small shops along the way and finally stopped in a brewery for a refreshment. After that we went to a local restaurant called Raices for an authentic Puerto Rican lunch. It was delicious! We finished off our excursion with a little more exploring and then took a cab back to our hotel.

Puerto Rico: Friday

Joe and I arrived Thursday evening so we really didn't delve into our trip until Friday. We had an aggressive plan of relaxing the entire day - and we did just that. Starbucks coffee started our day off right (Starbucks is everywhere in the world) and followed it up by lounging under one of the cabana/beach chairs.

A nice 3 mile stroll along the beach was the most strenuous activity of the day. We were quite warm from sunbathing in the 80 degree, humid weather so we took a dip in the pool and swam up to the bar to get a refreshment. Fruit in a drink always makes you feel healthy...we were very healthy this trip.

Back!

We are back in the cold New Castle region. We had a very good time in Puerto Rico and would definitely return! The only negative part of the trip was that I ended up getting bit by bed bugs...Joe somehow didn't at all? Itching set in which is never enjoyable. I will do a series of three posts over the next few days to catch you up on what we saw and did! It's too late to do any of that now - unpacking and then to sleep. Anyway, don't let the bed bugs bite...

goodnight.

Puerto Rico

It started raining today, so Joe and I decided to go to Puerto Rico for the long weekend for some better weather. We planned the trip quite a few months ago - so you could call us Nostradamus or just skilled weathermen...if you like. Either way, we are excited about the trip and will be back on Monday evening.

Expect pictures and updates if we have easy access to the internet...

I Love Christmas Time!