12/20/2016
As you might expect, this holiday season in Austin is markedly different from the last 10 that we spent in LA. For starters, we are surrounded here by immediate and extended family and there is no shortage of invitations for Christmas cookie baking parties, trail of lights adventures or holiday celebrations. Also, as I’m typing this it’s 47 degrees outside and I’ve worn a coat more times in the last week than I did in an entire LA winter. (Not complaining, I happen to LOVE coats!) The last month has been filled with … 
Christmas is so close I can practically smell the coffee brewing at an excited, earlier hour and the cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. Aaron is off all week so we are taking advantage and spending more time than usual out and about this week with Parker checking things off of our Austin bucket list that we just haven’t gotten around to yet. (Also, have I mentioned that we have officially lived here for half of a year?! How has it been that long already?!) We stumbled across Paperboy by accident when the east side restaurant we were … 
Because the week days can be so busy, the weekends are a highly coveted, much looked forward to holy place. I find myself in this juxtaposed place of wanting to slow down and savor every moment while at the same time wanting them to feel full and fun. Last week we published our first weekend to do list and I actually enjoyed it so much! It was something that I kept coming back to when I wondered what we should do. So what did we do? We “stuffed the bus” at Whole Foods with non-perishable items for the local food bank and … 
Is there an opposite of a ‘creature of habit’? Whatever that thing is, I am. (I’m a 7 on the enneagram if any of you know what that is!) Aaron, on the other hand, is a classic creature of habit. He can think of a habit and form it so effortlessly that it’s as if there was never a time where that habit wasn’t a part of his life. He is content finding a great restaurant with nice people and good food and ordering the same thing for months on end. (There was a phase where he ate salmon for two of three … 
