Christmas 2012

Wishing a blessed and joyous Christmas to everyone! We are enjoying our first Christmas holiday as newlyweds at the Lowery's in Texas, and then at the Joseph's in New Jersey. We wish you all a Happy New Year! Keep us in your prayers as we fly to Guam on January 5th.

St. Nick

We are well into our first week of Advent! Chris and I went to the Christmas Tree lot on base and got small branches to make our advent wreath. Chris did a great job crafting it! 

Thank you Rebecca Lowery for sending us that cedar wood block. Even though we couldn't burn it in a cool fire on the beach, it has still served a purpose :)

Chris said to me the other day, "We have to go out, there's something we need for our family." Imagine my delight when I found out THIS is what he meant. I knew I loved him!

For a wonderful holiday activity, Liz spent the day baking "Treats for Troops" with Kelsey and her one year old, Maddie. Kelsey's husband, Cory, is one of Chris' classmates. They are a great family and we've really enjoyed getting to know them these last few months.

Maddie drinking her milk, wondering where the cookies are.

 Ingredients for the best cookies on earth: Chocolate Cherry Wine Cookies!

 

 "Wait... I wanted some of the wine cookies!"

Happy Saint Nick's Day! Have a blessed Advent!

(....19 days till Christmas)

Let the Holidays begin...

Our first Thanksgiving as a married couple has come and gone, leaving many great memories.  We were honored with some top-notch guests for the week: Liz's best friend Sara, Chris' parents Steve and MaryAnn, and his brother Ben.

As  preparations for the holiday were underway, we decided to make a turkey pinata. It took some work, but it may be the start of a very long-lasting tradition!

Having spent our childhood next door to one another, Sara and I relived a few of the "good old days." A favorite shared hobby: crafting greeting cards!

Thursday arrives! As we were cooking up a storm, the pinata made its debut. It was a big hit (no pun intended). Pictured with MaryAnn's own lovely Thanksgiving craft.

Chris and Ben hang the pinata out front for all to see. This is what real men do while the women slave away in the kitchen!

Apple pie! 

We roasted a turkey and a ham, cooked up an array of everyone's favorite dishes, and baked four delectable pies. We are still eating leftovers 2 weeks later. 

After dinner, we all went to the beach for a sunset stroll and some refreshing ocean air. 

That evening we played a great round of Balderdash. Chris and Ben also discovered they own the exact same shirt. It was so tough telling them apart. 

We actually did the pinata the morning after Thanksgiving. Everyone, including MaryAnn and Steve, had their turn! It was a swinging time (pun intended)!

Taking a whack at it... Go Sara!

Next came the Cookie Decorating Contest. Even Steve decorated one! 

On Friday, we sadly said goodbye to Sara. Thank you for coming to visit us, Sara!!! 

Chris and I joined MaryAnn, Steve, and Ben for the weekend in the little town of Tehachapi. 

We had a rollicking good time!

On an adventurous hike to Red Rock we found some cool rock formations.

Steve preparing for a group shot through the "Window Rock."

Getting ready to say "cheese."

Next, we found the Camel!

Why face the back of a camel's head when you can look at your beautiful wife?

Who's who?

Back at the Joseph's cozy cabin working at the "overflow" table of a huge puzzle we all did.

Such a fun and relaxing holiday!  

Halloween and Festivities

Happy Halloween!!! 

Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Creepy Inmate (?), The Joker

Our lovely pumpkins, along with all the cool free gourds we got with them!

Some serious carvers. 

Nothing too scary for us this year! 

American Flag by Liz, Bert by Chris

Don't forget to roast your pumpkin seeds! Yum!

 On another evening, we decided to make our own cheese. It's long been on our list of to-do's. 

Chris' parents gifted us with this mozzarella kit last Christmas. 

Oh my goodness! The whey separated! It's working!!!

 Carefully separating the curds from the whey. 

Stretching the cheese! We were so excited it worked! Thanks Steve and MaryAnn!

 Somewhere in the last 10 days, we finally received the photos from our wedding! Our photographer is so sweet and included a surprise wedding album. Awesome :D

 We decided to host a build-your-own-pizza party for our friends, in honor of Alex whose birthday was coming up. Liz made up the pizza crusts a few days before and froze them. 

 Love the colors that fall festivities bring! Our Happy Birthday sign made from felt.  Wish it was homemade...just Target. 

 Alex getting his pizza prepared. He introduced us to banana peppers and salami as indispensable pizza toppings! 

 Hugo seems pleased with his pizza creation :)

Slicing the "Chris Supreme". People said it was the best pizza they ever had. Whether or not that's true, we had a great time and can't wait for the next pizza party. 

Come visit us and we'll throw one in YOUR honor! 

Dan's Visit

Dan Lowery paid us a couple days' visit after his music-playing stint in Las Vegas. We were glad to welcome our first guest and family member to our California home! 

A self proclaimed "sucker for sunsets," Dan was very excited to play frisbee on the beach at dusk his first night with us. 

Cool ship coming in to harbor right as the sun went down. 

Supposedly this is how you mimic the odd Dr. Seuess trees outside our apartment. Don't forget your suit coat and your gym shorts!

Liz, very excited about the bright yellow matching mountain bikes we rented to ride the Ventura River Trail, one of the most scenic in our area.

Off-roading...the guys couldn't resist a hill we passed. Gotta test out those mountain bikes!

The next day, hiking Pt. Mugu - the tallest peak in the Santa Monica mountains.

On a break mid-hike, Liz climbed a tree higher than she could handle. Chris to the rescue!

Not the peak yet, but almost there! It was a great hike. 

We cooled off on the way home by stopping at the beach. Daniel happily donned the wetsuit we found for him at the thrift store for $3! 

After fully plunging in the freezing water, Dan gives the wet-suit an A+! He was especially happy to be in the water after we spotted some curious seals bobbing their heads up very close by. 

BALDERDASH! None of us had ever played this 1980's classic (thrift store - one buck!). We won't forget the laughs we had....highly recommended by us all! 

We had a great time, Dan! Thanks for visiting!