Happy New Year from Detroit!

OK, OK. So, we didn't go to Detroit-Detroit, but we did ring in 2012 at Detroit Lake, Oregon.

Although our initial plans of sharing a cabin with three other couples sort of fell through, we did enjoy a nice long weekend with Chris and Keely. Poor Keely was terribly sick all weekend, and thus the boys had to put up with a tag-a-long...ahem...me. ;)

Taylor even let me reel in some fish! Now that's huge!

Taylor, Chris, and their new friend, "Aaron," at the local watering hole.

Detroit Lake's finest live band...nearing midnight. 

I should mention the three of us ran down to the only bar open in town at 11:30 on New Year's Eve. We took a shot of Southern Comfort (that'll take ya right back to college, eh?), and then we ran back in time for Dick Clark to count down till midnight!

Being silly.

Detroit is festive, right?

Boys.

I couldn't get my camera out in time to capture these guys in front of the fireworks some local was lighting off the side of a shopping cart. Interesting.

Taylor doing work.

And me...reaping the benefits of that work.

He takes care of the hard parts. 

One fish.

Two fish.

So proud! 

The quickest fishing trip ever.

Could that smile engulf any more of my face?!

The sweet cabin.

And a nice little waterfall.

Goodbye Detroit...hope to see you this summer!

Holiday hustle and bustle recap

Christmas came and went so fast this year...I swear it speeds up a pinch every year, and I hate that.

Stefanie and Jordan brought precious baby Hazel up to Portland for her first official visit. Luckily, I had a couple extra days off work, and I got to hold her chunkiness and pinch her sweet cheeks as much as possible. Joe and Sara headed out of town right after Christmas for their honeymoon in Belize. And, rounding out the Benz family visitors, Elizabeth and the youngest two members of Team Heit just made their way to Portland today.

Of course it felt like there wasn't enough time, but thankfully I got to see many friends and loved ones over the long weekend. My mom hosted an impromptu coffee, and Taylor's mom and sister came up, which was so nice since I didn't end up traveling down to visit on Christmas Day.

And drum roll please...I should add: My parents got me a new camera! Woohoo! Hopefully this means no more blurry pics as showcased below.

Sister-in-law's first Christmas as a Benz!

One of two beer samplers Jordan shared with the group during his stay here in PDX.

HD in the light of the Christmas tree at Nana and Big Poppi's...holding her new favorite toy from Unky Joe and Auntie Sara.

Taylor modeling his present from moi. 

Taylor, Bronx, and his lovely tree, courtesy of Nanny! Not sure why there's no smile in this pic???

TG2 at Mariel's and my house.

There are no words for this photo...but I will justify it by saying we went to a "Redneck Christmas"-themed party.

This magical handbag story should be featured on Ellen

I'm just trying out this quick-upload option for my photos. I will try to write this post tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Cabin-palooza 2011

Every year for Taylor's buddy Mike's birthday (and for many other occasions), a mismatched gang of friends--and perhaps a couple strangers--heads up to a family cabin at Swift Lake in Washington.

In all my time knowing Taylor, I've never been able to attend one of these "cabin trips" because I'm either working or, more than likely, traveling to a wedding. After I started my job, I realized I had weekends. Actual weekends to enjoy doing weekend-type things, including heading up to the cabin.

We had a blast hiking to see the spectacular tri-mountain view, off-roading in the Ranger, happy hour-ing down at the lake, melting my UGG boots at the bonfire, and laughing so hard it hurt.

Here are some snaps commemorating the trip.  

Here. We. Go!

Hi Kat!!!

Man and mountain. 

Here we are!

Almost an exact replica of their 2011 Christmas card pic.

Taylor and Ketler's oar-less canoe excursion. 

Classic Michael Greenberg. Happy Birthday, buddy! 

Ho ho Holiday Half

Nothing like a half-marathon on the coldest day of the year to put you in the holiday spirit!

Taylor and I trudged through 13.1 miles together a few Sundays ago. Well, that's sort of a lie. We most definitely did not run together, but I guess saying we both completed the race sort of signifies we did it together, right?  

Luckily, I had the help of my friend Erin, pacing me along, but neither Taylor nor I felt like we did very well, although we both did better than the last half-marathons we ran.

The photos couldn't be more hideous, but I had to screen shot and share! :) Enjoy! 

Check out those quads! Yeah buddy!

The best part is the sweaty curl of hair creeping out from underneath my headband. 

SAG Soiree 2011

Remember back when I was interning at Arnica? Well, I've kept in touch with the fabulous ladies and a couple of the gents, and a few weeks ago we had a nice little holiday gathering at Michelle's house. It was so sweet of her to host.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, SAG stands for: Society of (Ex-) Arnica Girls. We think it's quite hilarious.