Bill actually had to leave the very next day upon returning from our Hawaii trip in order to head up to a work conference in Las Vegas, which went right on through the first week of December. The purpose of this trip was to rewrite, edit, and update some of the military publications that are currently in use. By the sounds of it, this seemed to be a very tedious task and I think that Bill was ready to come home after that. Unfortunately, he did not win big while in Vegas, which only means that he will have to return and take me with him next time :)
Even though we just got back from our Hawaiian Wedding Ceremony last month, Bill and I were able to celebrate our "official" one year anniversary on December 10th!! It is hard to believe we have been married for a whole year already. Even a year later, I am still trying to figure out how I got to be so lucky and am overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude. I feel so blessed that I get that I get to share my life with and be married to my best friend. I love you, Bill, and look forward to spending many more fun filled years together, even though you can be a piece of work sometimes -- you can't be right ALLL the time you know!!! ;)
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| Bill and I |
For our one year anniversary, Bill took me to the
ballet in Phoenix. We met up with our friends, Sean and Alison, who took us out for a celebratory dinner at a fabulous steakhouse before the show. After dinner, we headed downtown to Symphony Hall where we watched the Nutcracker. It was my first time to the ballet and the first time I had actually seen the Nutcracker as well. It was a unique experience that I really enjoyed. It definitely got us into the holiday spirit, which made up for our lack of decorations back at home. Following the show, we grabbed some drinks before calling it a night.
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| Sean & Bill December 2011 |
We always have a fantastic time with Sean and Alison and we look forward to our next trip with them!
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| Sean, Alison, Myself, and Bill December 2011 |
Also, this month we spent some time attending holiday outings with the Huey Shop. We made it out to see Ron White, also known as "Tater Salad" who put on a show out at the Quechan Casino here in Yuma. He was HILARIOUS, but very crass. I would definitely go see him again and I look forward to catching a few more comedy shows in the future as I would LOVE to see Chelsea Handler someday. Maybe when I make that trip to Vegas!
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| Dinner at Market Place |
We also attended an ugly sweater dinner at the Market Place Wine and Bistro one evening. Clearly, only a select few chose to participate...haha.
The holidays are always tough when living so far from both sets of parents. This year, we were supposed to travel back to New York to spend the holidays with my family. Unfortunately, due to lack of vacation time and all of our travels in November, we were unable to make it back to my parent's house this year. Though I missed our traditional holiday festivities, we were still able to spend some time with family and friends here, which made for a great holiday nonetheless.
Bill's brother, CJ, is a pilot for Southwest and had to fly during the holiday, which put him in San Diego over Christmas Eve. With San Diego being so close, Bill and I made a quick trip with the airplane and spent the night in San Diego with him. We stayed downtown and grabbed some dinner at The Palms Steakhouse located right in the Gas Lamp Quarter District. This was an excellent choice and afforded me the opportunity to have some Christmas Crab Cakes. If you can't make it home for the holidays, there really is no better place to be stuck than in sunny and seventy degree San Diego...
We got to land right downtown, which made us a small fish in a big pond. Here are some shots from the approach:
Christmas Day was a beautiful day to fly. Here are some shots that we took leaving San Diego and approaching Yuma....
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| San Diego |
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| Final Approach |
Christmas Day was a beautiful day to fly. Here are some shots that we took leaving San Diego and approaching Yuma....
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| San Diego Skyline |
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| Coronado You can see the Hotel Del |
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| North Island |
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| Tijuana, MX |
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| The Mexican Border! |
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| More of the border.... |
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| Our House!! (The one without the car in the driveway) |
Christmas Day we said our goodbyes to CJ so that he could get back to TX and so that we could get back to Yuma to have Christmas lunch/dinner with our friends; the Kovals. Jen cooked herself silly making ham, carrots, corn, and some delicious cheesecake. I can't say it enough, but we feel so fortunate to have Mark, Jen, Landon, and Laylah out here with us! They make Yuma feel just a little more like home even though we don't get together nearly enough. Maybe once the Bachelor starts in January!
With all of that being said, there was little time for much else this past month. As a result, Bill and I have definitely fallen off the workout wagon. I don't think I have done anything fitness related since before Hawaii and now feel like a blob. Therefore, for the benefit of both our aging bodies, we have decided to forgo the Phoenix Half Marathon next month. How I thought that it was a good idea to schedule a race like that following the holiday season is beyond me. I am sad about skipping this race, but look forward to getting back in shape along with everyone else starting January 1st, which leaves us one last weekend to be lazy!
In order to make the most of it, we will be spending our New Year's weekend in Flagstaff, AZ. Flagstaff is located in Northern Arizona, so it will be a little chilly up there and we might even see snow! That'll be a first for us since leaving NC. We are pretty excited to explore the Northern Arizona Region and hope to ring in the New Year with some hiking and sightseeing.
As I reflect on this past year, I am grateful for all of the great experiences that 2011 held for us. I hope that 2011 was just as magical for you as it was for us and we wish everyone another prosperous and healthy New Year as we welcome 2012!!
