The holidays have been good to us here in D.C.  Even though we couldn't make it home to Utah, we still had a great time with each other and with friends. 
For Thanksgiving, Greg and I went over to the Freeman's (I nanny for them) and I watched the kids while Greg and Robert went to the church turkey bowl.  Then we went over to Michon and Ben's for Thanksgiving dinner.  They invited their friends Randall and Kyle and I invited a friend from school, Marissa.  Ben had to leave for Germany that afternoon so we all hung out at their place while Michon took him to the airport.  We stayed and talked for hours about everything and nothing.  We had lots of yummy leftovers.

My birthday was the 15th of this month so we went downtown for dinner and then to see the National Christmas Tree on the National Mall.  We parked and walked over to the display.  We were being shuffled along with the crowd and I was able to snap a quick picture of Michon and Ben.  I then handed the camera off to Ben to take a picture of Greg and I.  Three seconds later all the lights turned off!  You could hear the whole crowd say "Ohhhhhhhh!!!".  We didn't know that the lights turn off at 10 p.m.  I was so sad cause I wanted a picture of us with the tree to send in our Christmas cards to friends and family.  Oh well.  So what did we do?  We went over to the menorah and took a picture in front of that.  I figured this made a better memory anyway.  We went back to the Kolendar's place to have cake, ice cream, and presents.  Michon and Ben got me a cute TY penguin named waddles and a women porn book!  That book was pretty funny with men doing household chores, etc.  It was a good birthday!

 Michon and Ben with the tree still lighted

The National Menorah

For Christmas, the Freemans gave me a Christmas bonus and bought us a night at the Gaylord Convention Center Hotel at National Harbor in Maryland.  It was so nice of them to make sure we had somewhere fun to go together for Christmas.  The hotel was absolutely amazing!  They decorated so beautifully.  There was this really great light show in the atrium that we enjoyed.  For dinner, we walked down the street and found a Mexican restaurant.  It was the best I've ever had.  Then we went and got some pictures in front of the National Harbor Christmas Tree.  I'm glad we finally got our picture in front of a tree.  Christmas morning, we stayed in bed for a while and then headed downstairs to checkout and then to the brunch buffet.  This buffet was the best one I have ever been to.  The food was amazing and very high quality.  I would suggest this to anyone and everyone!  After two full stomachs, we headed home.  It was just across the Potomac River so it was a short drive, which was nice.  We opened presents when we got home.  I gave Greg a canvas painting of the world.  I spent three days painting this and it turned out sooooo well.  Greg loves it!  I have some map pins coming in the mail so he can map all the places he has been.  We then were able to skype with Greg's family and his brother, Matt who is on a mission in Argentina.  It was really good to see him and hear about how he is doing.  Later that evening, we had dinner over at the McKay's with the Packers, and Kohlers.  It was good to spend some time with friends in the ward.   Our Christmas was really enjoyable this year even without family.  

 The light show in the hotel atrium

 National Harbor Christmas Tree

 Greg's new travel map

The beautiful hotel!

We had a great Christmas and are so grateful for the friends and family who were a part of it.  We are so grateful to celebrate our Lord and Savior's birth this time of year.  New Year's is just around the corner and I'm excited to figure out what we are going to do to celebrate it!

Since living on the East coast, Greg and I have been able to see and do so many fun things.  We have been-here almost a year and still haven't seen everything we want to see.  Here is a recap of just some of the things that we were able to do and see in the past year.  We have really enjoyed living here.

 

Natural Bridge in southern Virginia

 

Palmyra NY temple with the Birds

 Niagara Falls with the Birds

 Ocean City, MD with Michon and Ben

 Virginia Beach with the Birds

My grandparents' farewell.  They are in Nigeria, Africa serving an LDS mission.  Greg's parents flew us home to Utah so we could attend their farewell.  We are so grateful to them for that nice surprise. 

 Fourth of July with Greg's parents, Jordan, Jeff, Jackson, McKenzie, Michon, and Ben.  Ben was able to get us into the Pentagon to watch the fireworks from there!  It was a once in a lifetime experience!

 My baby sister, Michon got married this August 2012.  It was a beautiful wedding at Thanksgiving Pointe.  It was so good to be able to fly home to Utah to help with wedding planning and to see our friends and family.

Greg's brother, Jordan was the "star" on the dance floor.  Everyone was trying to dance like him.

 Three-year anniversary in New York City.  This was the first time I have been to the big city and I loved it! I actually want to experience living there someday soon. 

Overall, this year has been a great one.  We have experienced so many things while living here in the DC area.  We miss our friends and family very much back home but enjoy the life we've made out here.  We have great friends in our church that we've enjoyed getting to know.  They are like our family out here.  We will be staying here for Christmas but will be able to spend it with some friends.  

Greg is currently working at CoStar Group and I am working as a nanny while going to school.  Life is great out here!

I gave in and started a blog!

I just finished my first semester in my graduate program and now I am already bored the very next day, therefore, I am starting a blog!  I thought this blog would be great to keep family and friends informed about our lives while living away in the DC metro area.  It is so hard to keep in touch with all our family and friends so hopefully this will help us to stay connected.