Manhattan Beach Christmas Fireworks

Our good friend Amanda invited us to go see the annual Manhattan Beach Christmas fireworks on December 13th.  We met at her house in Redondo Beach for appetizers and then took off on our bikes for Manhattan Beach!  It was super fun (except Debbie's asthma issues) and a great fireworks show.

Here we are on our "hogs".  Check out those Christmas lights!  Pretty.

Bobby, Renee, and Jimmy are ready to go!

 

Amanda is keeping herself hydrated for the ride.

Waiting to cross over to the beach.  Check out Steph's "designer" work gloves (middle).  Hey, it was cold!!

We stopped at a bar along the way to had a drink and hang out.

Front: Amanda, Stephanie, Debbie
Back: Jim, Renee, Bobby, Clay, John

Amanda, Jim, and John are patiently waiting for the fireworks to start.

Bobby and Renee guarding the bikes.

We had a great time!  Thanks Amanda!!

Decorating for Christmas

Once the Thanksgiving feasting was over, we were ready to move on to Christmas.  Friday morning the Thanksgiving decorations came down, the Christmas music was turned on, and the decorating commenced! 

Inside the house

 

 

 

Outside lights

We waited a week to get our tree because we didn't want it to be completely dried up and dropping needles on Christmas.  So the next Saturday we headed off to Home Depot (great selection, great prices).  Even though John thought the Douglas firs were "too hairy", we ended up with one.  It fits in the corner of the family room perfectly and we both love it!

Drilling a hole for the tree stand

 Big strong husband bringing in the family tree

Nala didn't know what to make of it!  She did a lot of sniffing.  She also thought we were providing her with a new water bowl ... she understands now.

Mama and her little helper

Daddy and Nala showing off the tree

Pretty!

The 3 of us hanging out after all of our hard work

 Now all we need is presents!!  We're working on it ...

Our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife

John and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year.  We spent the afternoon at John's Uncle Rey and Auntie Lydia's house where we had a Thanksgiving lunch and met some extended family members from Northern California.  We had a nice time relaxing and chatting with the cousins.  Then we headed home to finish making our own Thanksgiving feast.  I had done a lot of cooking the night before, but we decided to go "all out" so there was more to do!  We made enough food for at least 6 people and loved every bite.  I set the table with pretty linens, silverware, and goblets we received as wedding gifts.  We love them!  While eating we had a discussion about the many things we have to be thankful for including our health, families, jobs, Nala, and each other.  Nala even got to try some of our feast.  It's her first Thanksgiving, and judging by how fast the food disappeared, I'd say it's probably her favorite holiday so far!!

The Feast

 

The Table

 

 John's ready to dig in!

 

How much longer are you going to make me wait?

Thanks for the yummy food Mama!

Our first Thanksgiving being married was a total success!!

Welcome!

Since John and I are just beginning a new chapter in our lives, I thought this would be the perfect time to start a blog to document it.  Stay tuned for all of the fun!