It might seem a tad late to still be sorting through images from Christmas, but taking a vacation in the midst of the holidays equates to overflowing memory cards. At Christmas time I typically think of home and hearth, but this year we stayed at hotel and ordered plenty of room service. The thing I love about traveling during the holidays is seeing different versions of holiday cheer. Everyone has a different way of decorating for the holidays and hotels are no exception. 

This year, our Christmas celebration coincided with a fairly large snow storm a couple days prior. The combination of snow, a midday walk and quality time with our eldest niece made for a lovely afternoon. There is something intoxicating about tromping around in the crisp air, creating fresh tracks in the snow and taking time to appreciate every leaf or berry. Snow temporarily eliminates the clutter and allows for full concentration on the beauty. Snow is a novelty where we live, so when it snows the world feels like a more magical place.

Christmas this year was spent in Salt Lake City.  It had been ages since we last visited and we were fortunate enough to stay a couple blocks from Temple Square. Our prime downtown location meant we were able to take in all the sights and sounds of the season the city had offer. On the evening we arrived we made our way over to Temple Square, it had snowed enough to shut down the airport two days before, so there was a thick blanket of white covering the ground. It was late enough in the evening the Christmas lights had already been turned off, so between the brilliance of the temple and brightness of snow the grounds felt particularly magical. Recently my faith has been stretched and pulled, but most importantly I have come to realize its potential to be limitless. I take comfort in believing in something greater than myself and happiness in the thought that families are forever. 

 have always been a goal oriented person. So when we carved out a little time to write down our goals as a couple for the upcoming year it made me down right giddy for what lies ahead. A new year, a fresh start. Bring it, I say!

Although I won't be sharing any specific goals, this year I am looking forward to focusing more on our dreams and eliminating the clutter both mentally and physically from our lives. This past year I allowed self doubt, negativity and the judgment of others to get the best of me. Looking back, I realize just how much I allowed life to beat me down. In the new year, I plan to recapture my appetite for living with a few new ventures, one big trip and enough good memories to fill a lifetime. 

Take the journey with us for Part Two of Our Year in Review. 

2013 was a year of hope, disappointment, courage and perseverance. We experienced many adventures, laughed often, and learned to love deeper. Maintaining a spirit of gratitude was this year's mission.

This year I have focused my attention on becoming more aware of all the wonderful "makers" who live, breathe and create right in my own backyard. When choosing to purchase something I make a conscious choice to first look locally to fill my need. I realize the growing importance of reducing my carbon footprint, but equally important a ton of cool things are manufactured right here in Seattle or the Pacific Northwest. When I stumbled upon Makrbox I was ecstatic because their vision paralleled mine. 

Many people I know waited until they had children before they started creating traditions in their home. For us creating traditions from the inception of our marriage has helped build a foundation of love and belonging in our home. Although our traditions do not define us, the making and keeping of traditions is one of the qualities which set our family apart from yours. 

It was not until the day I lost my own child that I became a diaper activist. Although I had known many people who had experienced miscarriages; infant mortality was just not on my radar. I was pretty naive when it came to pregnancy and childbirth. Much like many  of you I functioned under the assumption that pregnancy would end with a healthy child. In my own pregnancy, I never had a moment of unease or concern until the day my child stopped moving. 

One of my favorite places to frequent in West Seattle is the West Seattle Nursery. I always find the perfect plant or flowers for my yard or a friend's home. At the West Seattle Nursery their staff is knowledgeable without being pushy or overbearing. In the Spring time I enjoy walking the rows of flowers, in the Summer browsing over the endless choices of vegetable starts and in the Fall and Winter I am happy to find any plant which will grow well outside and has great color. 

I have been inspired by others a lot lately. I saw this Cranberry Hazelnut Bread on Rachel's blog, Elephantine and decided to make it. After making the bread three or four additional times it has officially become my go to gift for this holiday season. 

I have changed up the recipe a couple of times one time replacing hazelnuts with pecans, another time replacing lemon zest with orange and yet another time using whole wheat flour instead. 

One of my favorite kinds of Christmas parties to throw is a Pie Party. I like to host it early in the month before the craziness of the holidays ensues and as extra motivation to decorate early for Christmas. The premise of the party is simple: each guest/couple is asked to bring a homemade pie of their choosing. The party consists of sampling each of the pies and then voting on our favorite pie for three categories: Best Overall, Best Tasting and Best Presentation.

Whenever I host parties I always prefer to use silverware and dishes over paper plates and plastic cups. Not only does it make my guests feel more important, but makes the party more intimate. An added bonus in using what I have on hand means creating less waste in the long run. Over the years I have invested in a good assortment of white dishes and clear glassware, which have proven to be the most versatile items I could ever own. Here are some of my favorites:

Even though Thanksgiving has passed I thought it would be fun to continue the "What I am Grateful for" series.

When I think of three words to best describe Cameron I often think of the word fun. Not only is he funny, but he is fun to be around. Cameron has a great sense of humor and is good at keeping the mood light and loves taking funny pictures. I am happy I married someone who people like to be around.

When I came across this alternative Christmas tree I completely fell in love and knew I had to make my own. With a little foraging in my front and backyard I was able to find quite the array of supplies. Within thirty minutes I had found a couple branches of the following:

• cedar
• holly
• pine
• rosemary
• red berries
• heather