a new year has begun . . .

where did 2007 go? i can't believe that it's over already. it's been a helluva year. in some ways, i'm sad it's over as it's been very good (new house, meeting mac, all the fun i've had) and in some ways, i'm glad it's over because it's been one of the hardest years of my life.

christmas at new year's was great and fun. we started the weekend with massages at löyly spa and a nice dinner at home. on sunday am we lazily packed up and headed out to manzanita. it was a beautiful drive and there was snow falling as we crossed the coast range. was very cool and made it feel very *christmas-y*. we lit the wood stove and popped open a bottle of wine as we arrived and started cooking dinner. we opened our presents after christmas while the dogs snoozed on their beds by the wood stove. what a bounty of loot!

on monday, we headed to the beach for a walk on a crisp, clear day and the dogs had a ball checking it all out. there was some crazy sea vegetables that looked like long ropes. there were mounds of them all over the beach. was very cool stuff! andrée spent quite awhile investigating them and trying to dream up ways to use the stuff. it was super strong and rubbery. we dropped the dogs back at the house and walked into town to do a bit of shopping. after dinner, we decided what better way to ring in the new year so we headed back to the beach for a midnight walk. it was very cool as there were several groups with fires burning and fireworks going off in the distance. we made a list of all the things we wanted to manifest in 2008 and shared a toast before turning in for the night.

we had a great breakfast on new year's day and packed up and headed home. the drive home was much less eventful (read: no snow) but we did stop to take pictures of a wild sight. apparently weyerhauser had the bright idea to clearcut an entire hillside a couple of years ago and not bother to leave any big trees behind to shelter the saplings they planted to replace their destruction. well, a couple of weeks ago we got some crazy wind (the coast was having hurricane strength winds) and the saplings were snapped off the toothpicks. it was a whole hillside of them. the wind was so strong it uprooted several trees - including one with a root ball measuring at least 10 ft across. we continued on our drive home and had a nice dinner before soaking in the hot tub & turning in. today was back to the grind.

am really happy with how the holiday turned out. it's truly been the best i've ever had and am so glad to have shared it with such an amazing woman. if this is how our first is, i'm sure the rest will be great. am starting to gear up for the kitchen remodel and andrée will be doing the design for it. our goal is to do a *kitchen by craigslist*. we've already started and acquired a great brand-new stainless steel sink for a song. let's hope the dishwasher and new gas range show up on craigslist for as cheap as the sink did! should be a fun project and a nice test for the future we're planning together.

today i'm thankful for . . . the best christmas ever and looking forward to sharing the year ahead with mac and all the advertures it might bring