Those Houston Lights (December 2015)

I really wonder if we'll ever live in another city that does Christmas lights like Houston does.  They were pretty unreal.  Check out years past, past and past.  Always a highlight of the Christmas season and something I think we'll all remember for a long time.  "CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!"

Random. Life. In Houston. (December 2015)

Fall colors occasionally and eventually make it to Houston.  What a day!

Miles' Monday-Thursday 1 hour swim practice was year round and outside year round and often after the sun was down.  Here I am all bundled up on a chilly evening.  Couldn't tell you how cold... maybe 50s?  My blood has turned to water after all these years spent in warm climates.  Minnesotans would be appalled!  I'll never forget ice skating with the youth in 3 degrees, thinking FOR SURE that my feet were frostbitten...

  

Dave got me an instant camera for our 10th wedding anniversary and we took a picture a day for that next year of our marriage.  It was really fun!  This is one of said pictures.  It pretty much kills me with its cuteness.

Waiting to see if practice would happen or not... lightning.

SANTA!!!!!  At Chick-fil-A!!

Sweet headphone lines.

Good ol' Houston traffic.

Torchy's.  I miss it so much!

Smoosh.  Smoosh was right by Torchy's.  Horrible combo for the gut and/or butt and thighs, but so, so good.

The temple.

Wow, I do not miss that giant mirror...

Some fancy doctor dinner Dave had to do for work at the Museum of Natural Science.  Pretty awsome venue!  That museum was awesome.

This is also outside Torchy's.

Houston rain.

Yep.  Torchy's.

Random. In Escondido. December 2015.

Some random snippets from our time in Escondido:

Miles could make Miis all day on the Wii.

Driving along, driving along...

That looks fun.

Playing cards with Grandma Donna.  In underwear, of course.  Grandma Donna is the best Grandma in the world.

Trying to find Miles a decent shirt for a family photo.  So fun.

DAM.

Escondido Kick Ball (December 2015)

California Hiking (December 2015)

Oh my goodness, I am so, so, so, SO thankful we live by mountains again!  Getting to go hiking whenever we'd go visit CA or ID or CO from Houston was always such a treat.  Such a highlight.  We would do it rain or shine just because we could and it was our only chance!  We are so happy and thankful to have that accessible all the time now that we live in Las Vegas.

Anyway, like I said, rain or shine.  Dave and I hiked Iron Mountain one drizzly, low cloud/foggy morning and it was wonderful:

I'm on top of the world.

Another day we did a favorite: Potato Chip Rock.  Miles (Miles is a stud of a hiker.  Potato Chip is not an easy or short hike.) and my mom and dad joined us on that one:

Love my dad's awesome hair.  :)