Despite the fact that we spent most of December quarantining before our trip to Michigan, the month flew by! We decided to travel back to MI for Christmas in late November. It was not an easy decision, and we did not take it lightly. Now that I’m on the other side of the trip, and back home in sunny San Francisco, I am so happy we decided to go. It made my soul happy.
We have subscribed to Home Chef since June of 2017, and I love 99% of the meals we cook. For some reason, I never think to cook them on my own. I decided to recreate one of our favorites, Greek chicken with Feta potatoes this month. Now that I’ve made it again, I will be making it more often.
Our apartment building sent us Christmas cookie decorating kits earlier this month. They came from a local bakery and had everything we needed to decorate a few cookies. I’ll let you guess which ones Aaron did and which ones I did.
Our Christmas cards arrived in time to be sent to friends and family. I haven’t sent out Christmas cards in almost 10 years. I always plan to, then life gets in the way. There wasn’t much “life” to get in the way this year, so I finally got it done.
I decided half way through December that I was going to cut out treats and eat clean for the rest of the year. Then I promptly decided I wanted cinnamon rolls for breakfast one weekend. Since I didn’t buy them, I had to make them from scratch. I used a no yeast recipe, and they were good, but I feel like I can do better. I will experiment with different recipes and share my favorite.
Aaron and I took multiple trips to the Golden Gate Bridge this month. He wanted a twilight photo to print on a canvas for his mom. It took us a few trips to get a day that wasn’t too foggy.
I dug out actual winter clothes to join him, thinking it was so cold out. Fast forward a couple weeks when we traveled to MI. I’ll take our chilly 50 degree December over snow and 20 anything any day.
The photos Aaron took are much better, but we finally did get the shot he wanted. He had it printed, and his mom loves it.
There is a new light display in Golden Gate Park, so one Saturday night we drove over to check it out. There were more people there than we anticipated, so we didn’t stay long. It is beautiful though, and we plan on going back before it is over this spring.
That same evening we drove around the city looking at the light displays. Some of these displays must take so much time to create. We had fun stopping at each one and taking photos. It doesn’t really feel like Christmas here, and this helped get us into the holiday spirit.
We ended the evening at City Hall for a quick photo. I was surprised how many other people I saw standing near us doing the same thing.
We flew to Michigan a few days before Christmas. We didn’t tell many people we were coming. Our plan was to see immediate family, and only a couple of friends. It snowed a day or two after we arrived, and as pretty is the snow it, I was immediately reminded of how much I dislike driving in it.
Every year we drive three hours North of Flint to see Aaron’s mom, uncle, and grandpa for Christmas. We always stop at the same gas station about halfway up to use the restroom and grab snacks. These (plus water) are my favorite road trip snacks. Something salty, something sweet, and Faygo because it’s delicious.
We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day with our families. This was the only photo I took. I told Aaron on the plane that I wanted to take more photos this trip, but I get caught up in the quality time and never even reach for my phone.
After Christmas, we met some friends at a restaurant for outdoor dining in an igloo. XOLO is by far my favorite street taco restaurant in Flint. If you have the chance to go either outdoor in an igloo, or indoors once it is open, you need to go. Get the nachos, split them with someone, and get two tacos. Any taco you get will be delicious. The igloo was heated, the food was good, and it was so nice catching up with friends.
I have a rule that I don’t cook on vacation. I will never be one of those people that rents a house and sends a Home Chef box to my vacation destination. I don’t want to cook, and I really don’t want to do dishes. Delivery options are limited in Flint, but we took advantage of the options we had. We had the same driver multiple times. Rodger brought us multiple meals with care, and updated me on the condition of the roads.
After just over a week in MI, we flew back to San Francisco to finish out the year. Our flights felt very safe. They did a good job of spacing people out as best they could, and we all had to be a little more patient while boarding and leaving the place so we could space out more than usual.
I took our Christmas decorations down before we left for Michigan, so when we came home I could unpack gifts and not have to worry about putting a bunch of decorations away. I got a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas this year, so expect a lot of baking recipes in 2021.
We rang in the new year much like the rest of the world. At home, on the couch. I fell asleep well before midnight, but woke up just in time to see the ball drop and go to bed.
Dear 2020,
You were a year full of challenges, isolation, and video calls. You were also a year full of relaxation, joy, and simplicity.
Through all the challenges we all faced this year, big and small, I hope you also found some joy.
I learned to relax and stay still. I also baked and cooked so many new things. I built stronger relationships with friends and family by finding new ways to connect. I also wore more comfy clothes than ever before.
As I look back on the fastest but slowest, craziest year to date, I feel more happiness and joy than anything else.
I wish the same for you.