My friend Shawn came for a visit from Chicago, one of the things we did was go on a bike tour of Coronado Island. Total blast, and a bit of a cheat since we had electric bikes (but I swear I barely used the battery).
I got serious about losing weight and participated in a medical study through the VA. Part of it involved having genetic testing done to link my genes to an "ideal" diet. I can officially say I have the fat gene. Despite what a lot of people would like, its actually fairly rare. By the way, my ideal diet is low carb (30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carb). Lean meat, veggies and Greek yogurt are my friends now. Oh, and I'm down 25 pounds (it was almost 30 before the holiday season struck).
I went to my first ever pro football game, 2 actually (pre-season) and had a blast.
Managed to hook up with my college roommate that lives less than a mile from the house. How's that for coincidence? We've been having fun and I get to spoil her kids like an Auntie.
She hosted a Halloween party and I sort of dressed up.
I took up a new sport/hobby - paddle boarding! Totally love it. Even better I love the San Diego weather that allows me to go paddle boarding on Boxing Day (December 26 for the non-Anglophiles).
There was a single stitching exchange with Parsley. She sent me a gorgeous gold box and tons of extra goodies. She knows I love to cook, so included some cookbooks.
I chose to stitch a covered shadow box, borrowing design inspiration from Blackbird Designs, and using pattern elements from Blue Ribbon Designs.
I had some other stitching finishes as well
The last two are part of a larger project - a collage. I borrowed inspiration from Gigi's large sheets she stitches. I was getting tired of having a bunch of small pieces. You can only have so many pillows and framing gets expensive, not to mention running out of wall space.
Christmas snuck up faster than usual, and then was gone in a blink of an eye. Jim, Mary Lou and the goldens came out as usual. Buddy (on the left) is their newest rescue, and he's a mix, there's definitely some hound in him. Holly (on the right) is a playful as usual, despite getting up there in years.
I found out Annie is a total ham when it comes to taking pictures. I was trying to get the settings right on my DSLR and she had fun posing for me. No, the settings weren't correct for this shot, its over exposed!
Mom even got me to eat turkey this year. I enjoyed the duck I cooked for Christmas Eve much better, but never got a snap of it.
And probably the highlight of the season for me was getting my picture taken with Santa. I was bundled up in a ton of layers, we were at a members-only event on the Midway to watch the Parade of Lights (various boats decorated for the holiday cruise the bay in an aquatic parade).
Uncle Greg and his daughter Delaney came down for a visit after Christmas. Delaney is severely handicapped and has the most wonderful companion dog, Breona. Unfortunately she's getting up there in years.
Hoping everyone has a joyful and blessed 2014!
