As I write this post I'm sitting on the couch with my two puppies asleep beside me, and I'm wishing that I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow. I was fortunate enough to get almost all of last week off, but now I'm dreading what I might find in my inbox when I return. Our first Christmas as a married couple was great, though. The Christmas Eve dinner turned out fabulous. My brother-in-law said that the risotto was better than some he had recently had at a four star restaurant (despite the fact that the red wine made it look purple) and that the creme brulee was restaurant quality. High praise! Above are some pictures of our Christmas Eve table and of the house decorated for Christmas. Sorry for the orientation on the second one -- I tried and tried to rotate it, but to no avail. :)

We had a great Christmas day at Dave's brother's house and then my parents came up for a week. They're still house hunting and although they didn't find anything it was nice to have them up here. Some other good news is that my good friend from the OC got engaged over Christmas so there will be another wedding this year!