In Which I Write About Topics of Little Importance

It's true.  Topics of little importance.  Everything you're about to read is just random, trivial, top-of-the-head kinda stuff.  Off the top of my head, y'all.  Flight of the Conchords reference, anyone?  No?  Okay.

So, as usual, stuff is the usual around here!  It's amazing how easy it is to slip in to the daily grind, until a month has passed and you still feel like you don't really have a lot to talk about. BUT, since for some crazy reason some people actually read this blog and apparently want to hear all about those random events around here, I'm going to tell you anyway.  Also, this is a blog.  And you can't stop me.  So there.

One exciting thing you might not yet have heard (although since Jason talks about it every chance he gets, I highly doubt that) is that we're actually actively trying to make more little Dunbar-Marshalls!  Exciting.  We won't actually hyphenate their names.  I think the hyphenating is silly.  But, if we somehow end up making two little redheaded twin girls, they are going to be Dunbars.  How could we not?!?

So that's happening.  Jason, as you may know, seems to think that it's generally totally fine to tell people all sorts of specific and rather personal details, and pulling the goalie just means that he has MORE stuff to talk about it.  In detail.  With people I'm really sure would rather not know.  So I've been shushing a lot lately.  You know, like: "Shush!"  Yup.

But, no babies yet.  I promise you'll be among the first to know when it happens, though.  :)

What else?  I haven't posted pictures from Christmas yet, so let me subject you to some of those.  I have a younger brother, Chance, who lives in Sacramento, who came up for Christmas this year, which was really awesome.  We haven't spent much time around each other ever, really, so it was awesome to just get to hang and bond a little.  He's going to Brown University in the fall for his first year of college, so I'm really prooud of him!  Plus, he's adorable.  And awesome.

Here are the photos:

Aunt Darth, me, Grandma, Jason, Nicky and Chance

My dad loves to buy gifts from the Goodwill.  This was a particularly nice find.  It even talks to you!

Angela and bingo, a very serious family Christmas Eve tradition.

Siblings.  Cute!

Also siblings.  This is also... cute?

Christmas day Jenga.

The tree at Nicky's house.

Another family tradition-- Authors, the card game.

Amazingly, we filled my dad's stocking, not the other way around.  Spoiled much?

Muh brotha!

Christmas was awesome.  Actually, one of my favorite things about Christmas was biking related.  I know it must seem as though I do a lot of biking, and I would like to clarify: I don't.  1.5 miles one way is really rather pitiful.  I even get all suited up in waterproof pants... most other bikers kinda look at me like I'm crazy.  But the thing is-- it rains a lot around here!  People seem to forget that.

Anyway, so I'm biking along my 'barely break a sweat or get out of breath' commute (did I mention that in addition to it being very short, there are no hills?  At all?), and one of the best things about the holidays was that along the bike commute, I could check out people's Christmas trees.  It was awesome!  I'd be biking along these neighborhood streets, and it's dark in the winter by the time I'm headed home.  Lights are on in homes all along the street, and generally people put their Christmas tree in or near the window... and so I'd just get these little peeks into other people's holidays.  Decorations, stockings on fireplaces, lights outside... I'd get these little pockets of festive all along the ride home.  Little flashes of the warmth from inside and the way people love the holidays.  It was really magical.

Right after Christmas, Kimberly Perez came to visit!  Kim is amazing.  She's a very good friend of ours from New Mexico who now lives in Colorado.  She's hilarious and wicked smart, and a nurse.  So we took Kim around to some Portland-y activities, which initially all involve beer.  

Kim and Jason, BFFs.

 Dusty Hoesly also came to visit!  I love me some Hoesly.  He's in California, PhD-ing and whatnot, and I just luuuuurrrvve him.

Me and D. Hoesly, not to be confused with his twin brother C. Hoesly, even though I've done that.

Nicky D. and roommate Emily

Me and Kimber!

 Of course we had to take Kim outside!  After a little bit of epic-ing with our car and lots of snow, we ended up hiking in some super-sweet NW woods.  If you don't think this place is magical, then you probably aren't paying attention.

Woods, and snow.  Oh, and some moss too.

Look at adorable little Emory.

Sweet redwood.

Family portrait.  Friends Julia, Eliza, Shane and Emory on the hike with us.

Look at these friends.  They're just so... friendly.

There's like, a lot of different colors of green in here, man.

Snow angels.  It didn't work, for the record.

Buddies!

Cool up-close one.  I was really into it.

And then we took Kim to do some Portland-y things, aka drink beer, on the other side of the river.  And I took a couple crappy photos:

Very nearly almost it could have been a good picture of Mt. Hood.

 

Food carts.  It couldn't be Portland without food carts.

This is a terrible shot of Portland and of bridges, but a really good shot of cool people.

K, so that was like, a lot of photos.  And not a lot of writing.  Which probably means next time will be the opposite.  But hey!  This is two months in a row now of blogging!  Take that, New Year's Resolutions!  For the record, these are the New Year's Resolutions:

BLOG
WRITE
CREATE
DANCE
FLOSS

I'm doing pretty well on the flossing one.  The others... well, let's just say it's a little early to say.  Until next time, internet friends!