On the 10th Day of Christmas…

On the 9th Day of Christmas…we rested at home.

*I found this wonderful quote to post on Facebook, then enjoyed reading all the New Year’s greetings from friends:

“Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad New Year to all the earth.”

~Martin Luther

*Attended Sunday service at our Little Church by the Sea~
  worship, a sermon, communion and fellowship ~ so hard to put into words the joy felt in the heart.

*The rest of the day spent quietly at home with Spence,
and I was finally able to edit some of my own family photos!
Here are a few moment from our Christmas Day:

A classic, Southern California Christmas

Champagne anyone?

Mom and Heidi

Grandpa Jim

  
 Mom and Jenny                                               Daniel

Spence…yes it was bright enough for sunglasses inside

David~ down but not out

Capturing memories

Brianna

Heidi 

     
Sunset

  
Time for Christmas Dinner

    
We gathered in the living room to exchange our presents

Gift Bags from Meme (my mom)

Mom handing out her presents to everyone.
We then take turns opening them so we all get to see.

      
Myself and Spence                                                  David’s modeling his new clothes

The BIG bag was for Jim

 
What a camera ham

More modeling of gifts

David, Bob and Jenny

    
Handmade ornaments (not earrings!) from Alicia and Nick in Colorado

Note the wadded wrapping paper in my mom’s hands…
a lot of sneaky throwing at one another goes on!

 
David and Bob  

Later homemade Pumpkin and Mince pies were enjoyed
as was the easy conversation and love.

 

 

On the 6th Day of Christmas…

*I woke to a still and cold morning. Fog lay like a thick blanket below our home,
 as I sipped hot, peppermint tea under a fleece blanket.
As I read this morning’s bible devotion, the sun rose over the hill and burst into the room!
The prayer expressed my feelings perfectly:

“God, You are the divine artist and I am overwhelmed by the many blessings you have bestowed upon me.
I pledge to live my life “out loud” this day. Help me not to be silent in my love for You, but make it widely known.”    Amen

*I created an instrumental station on Pandora that is all Christmas music.
 It’s perfect for this quiet time in the morning while Spence and Bri are still asleep .

*Later in the day, after chores, the gym and lunch,  I realize Spence, Bri and I are all in the living room together.
Spence is snoozing in his leather “command” chair while watching an old Marx Brother’s film,
Bri is working on a puzzle and I’m editing photos.  Gratitude fills my heart.

*Bri gets dolled up and leaves for an evening of prayer and festivities with her church for New Year’s Eve;
Spence and I head out for an early-bird dinner on Balboa Island. A thick blanket of cold fog hugs the coast,
so we bundle up to walk around the island afterwards to enjoy the many Christmas lights glowing in the mist.

 
Bay Front Walk

 
Cool Blue

     

More is better

Classic

       

 
  
Looking across the channel to Harbor Island

The Pavilion

“New Year’s eve is like every other night;
there is no pause, in the march of the universe,
no breathless moment of silence among created things
that the passage of another twelve months
may be noted;
and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening
that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.”

~Hamilton W. Maibe

On the 5th Day of Christmas…

*Drove over to my personal tailor’s home (aka my mom) to have my new jeans taken in at the waist. She’s done this for me since I was a teen, since I have a very small waist for my size. Thanks mom.

*Picked up Bri at the house she’s been taking care of this week. Made a pit stop at Starbucks, then headed up to Newport for shopping.  First stop, Roger’s Gardens, where I bought a blown-glass globe ornament for 50% off. It will be a gift for Cathy and Ben next year. (Because they love to travel I’ve been buying them globes for their Chrismas tree for over 10 years; it’s a fun to try and find a new design each year.)

*Next stop,  Nordstom’s to spend our Christmas Cash. Bri bought a large faced, Timex wrist watch with money given to her by my mom. And I bought a lovely, leather Hobo wallet with a gift certificate given to me a year ago anonymously. I was told in the letter to get myself something special…I still have no idea who sent it to me!

*Bri and I then wandered around Fashion Island, enjoying the winter nip in the air and all the Christmas decorations. She found a fun, lace top at Forever 21 and I bought candles at Bath & Body on sale.

*We drove home along Pacific Coast Hwy, I do so enjoy driving our Mustang, and stopped at Crystal Promenade for lunch at Z Pizza. Sitting outside in the sunshine, an older couple asked if the could share our table. What an unexpected delight that became. They sipped their coffee and chatted, then she headed off to one of her favorite shops while he shared stories of his past. He was from Iran, had won a $5,000 design contest at age 14, went to a famous fine art college in Europe, designed for stage, shop windows and stained glass, then while visiting a friend in California, was hired by Disney’s animation studio.  But of more value, was the family he had raised in Laguna and the foster children they had helped, those were the stories that lit up his eyes. His name was Hamid, I gave him my card… I hope we run into him again someday.

      
My new Hobo Wallet

    
An Ornithogalum, bought at Roger’s Gardens to grace our living room
and a wonderfully scented holiday candle from Bath & Body “Fresh Balsam”

On the 4th Day of Christmas…

*I was up at 6 am, but Spence was up at 5 am! He and a buddy headed out to the desert for a day of hiking in Joshua Tree. Meanwhile I met a family for a portrait session up in the hills above Laguna just after sunrise.

*We tramped all over the hills, but the best shot was right at the end, when we wandered into Moulton Meadows Park where I had them sit down under back lite pine trees:

The Inouye Family

 
After the session,
 I stayed behind to enjoy the morning light
and explore the park

Pepper trees

Saddleback Mountain

*Next stop, work out at the gym and then a latte afterwards.

*Returned home, showered, had an early lunch, then I head downtown for a little after-Christmas-sale shopping. I was lucky to find a parking space! It was like summer time on a weekend, the roads were grid locked and the boardwalk full of people strolling by the beach. I enjoyed wandering in and out of the stores, even buying a few things…a Starbucks mug, a scented candle and some faux holiday greenery…50% off makes it more fun.

*The rest of the day was spent on chores and editing photos while watching old movies. As the sun began to set, the fog drifted up our canyon.  After days of sunshine and dry wind, there seems to be a change in the weather coming.
 

*I woke to another cool but bright sun-filled day. Spent some quiet time with the Lord, read a few Christmas devotions and then visited with friends on Facebook. Bri was online so I asked if I could drop by at the home she is house sitting this week:

       
The house is still decorated for the Season
and the two dogs are so sweet ( this is Rusty )
It’s like she’s on a paid vacation!

 

 
Next I headed to my gym, The Art of Fitness, to workout.
This is the view from the elliptical machine where I like to run for 30 min.
I then use various weight machines before cool down stretches.
This time Dennis and Burt (two of the trainers) gave me lots of tips on building muscle,
so I really had a WORK OUT

As my reward, I head over to the Laguna Coffee Co next door

 
Captured this photo of a long time friend, Jake,
enjoying coffee after his workout.

   
Yum…a medium latte with extra foam
served with a smile by Rene and Aga!

* Returned home for lunch, a few house chores and then got to work on editing 3 portrait sessions
I had done right before the Christmas weekend. Later in the day I glanced up and saw the setting sun
was illuminating our snow globe, so of course I had to take this picture:

                                                     

          *Spence and I had our Tortellini and vegetable dinner in the living room so we could sit by the fire.

  And finished the evening watching “The Polar Express” once again.

Thank you Lord
for this GOOD day.

*I gave myself permission to cuddle under the quilt and sleep in.

*Bri took off to go mountain biking with her cousins Dan and Pat, Uncle Bob and Jonathan

*I went to the gym, ran 30 minutes on the elliptical, then the rest of the day was spent resting from the pre-Christmas Day rush. I feel I’ve been going none stop since early November with family portrait sessions, editing photos and keeping the Sawdust Winter Fantasy and LOCA Facebook pages updated.

*Our nephew Dan came over after the bike ride and helped Spence with his computer. He really sped up our Firefox web browser too
(It’s great having a Geek Squad guy in the family)

*Finally, it was nice to have time to edit my own family photos
and here’s the first batch from Christmas morning:

Bri’s Wrapping Theme for 2011
(Targets $1 a roll giftwrap!)

   
Our live Christmas tree and my wrapping paper theme

Spence modeling his new Aloha shirt
(bought it brand new at a Volcum sample sale)

     
My new Dyson vacuum…finally some serious cleaning power!

         
Alicia sent Bri her snowboard helmet
since she and Nick are heading to a tropical island to finish his medical college!
And Bri made me this contemporary ornament from beach glass, wire and beads.

Decorating was very minimal this year
just a few of our favorites…candlesticks made by Spence’ sister JoAnn,
snow globes collected when we were first married,
an etching created by a Sawdust artist, a little shepherd and rustic church
found at an after Christmas sale long ago.