January 2014

 2014 started off with a visit from Adam's sister Emily and her husband Alex. We played Mexican Train...

... and hiked in the Hollywood Hills!

No celebrity sightings but we caught some great views of LA and the Hollywood sign.

Then we made a stop in the beach cities to visit Alex's sister Aubrey.

Since we were in the South Bay, I insisted we make a trip up to the Portuguese Bend Reserve for even more great views from Del Cerro Park.

 Finally, the evening wrapped up with Greek food and Emily's friend Caitlin!

Adam did a great job of helping me celebrate my 29th birthday!

Cousin Evan came by for another stop on the interview trail. Always fun to have him visit.

On a fun date night, Adam and I went to Haru Sushi for dinner followed by drinks at  the Roger Room.

Then we went next door to the Largo for NPR's taping of Wits with host John Moe. The witty show featured fun comedic guests including Aimee Mann, Ted Leo, Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, and Ellie Kemper.

In the wee hours of the morning on January 19, several Harbor residents ran the Tinkerbell Half Marathon.

After months of training it was fun to run through the Magic Kingdom including stops in Car's Land, Disneyland, and the California Adventure.

There were many welcome and fun distractions along the 13.2-mile course.

The bright lights of Sleeping Beauty's Castle and the It's a Small World ride provided motivation to finish with a time of 2:43:39.

Celebrating with co-workers and brunch at the Rainforest Cafe was quite a nice way to wrap up the event.

Having Adam meet me at the finish line with a smile and a sign made my day. Then it was off to work at St. Mary's Medical Center where I was rotating for the month.

In a happy surprise Chelsey made a quick trip to LA for a diabetic pump conference.

We met for fancy cocktails, chatting, and a walk down Hollywood Boulevard.

Time with Chelsey makes me wish we lived closer and could grab coffee all the time!

I spent the last week in January meeting a very special addition to the family: my nephew Henry. Sarah, Paul, and the cutest little 5-week old gave me the greatest welcome!

Henry sure has perfected the art of cuddling and smiling; makes for one proud aunt.

We went for a walk on Navarre Beach and got caught in the rain! During my time in Florida it even snowed, which made for some very tricky travel on the return trip.

Seeing my sister as a mom was such a treat. She is attentive, engaging, caring, and just wonderful at this exciting new role.

I'm digging my new title of "aunt," too. How special!

We had fun time tummy time, storytelling, bath time, and even diaper changes.

It was also fun to see Paul and Henry bond in the way that only a father an son can- even at 2am.

Leaving these three behind in Florida was tough, but it was such a fantastic trip!