Christmas

As luck would have it, I worked late on my birthday because it was the day before my flight home for the holidays. I trudged out to the parking garage to find that someone had backed into my car. Happy birthday! Merry Christmas!

Sunset on Christmas Day

Once I got to California, I rented a car and drove about an hour and a half "home" (my parents relocated away from my hometown while I was in college) in the rain. The rest of my trip was all sunshine and blue skies, of which California has had too much lately, if the brown golf courses are any indication.

I worked a moderate amount over the holiday (lots of deals are pencils down at the moment), but my dad worked more. One night, we took a pizza to the hospital so that we could try to eat dinner together while he monitored a patient. He was called away to labor and delivery after his first slice.

Hallmark's "Smokin' Good Times Grill" 2015 ornament

I will always be grateful to be home at Christmas, but as my family is whittled down by time, I feel more and more nostalgic for the past when the extended family was able to gather together under one roof. There were only four of us around the table this Christmas!

Speaking of family, check out this awesome snapshot of sisters Emma, Hilda, Berta, Immgard, Greta and Merrianna in Innsbruck, Austria in 1923. They were the daughters of my great great grandfather's brother.

Innsbruck, Austria (1923)