Fingerwarmers' Christmas vacation

We had such a wonderful two weeks at home for Christmas. We did the usual tour of Kansas and were able to see almost all of our families (we even Skyped in to the Daez family Christmas in the Philippines!). We also squeezed in a few visits with friends, when we were able to catch them in all our crazy holiday travel. And since it was the Fingerwarmers' first Christmas in Kansas, we also had to make pit stops at all the most important local tourist attractions.












01. the giant van Gogh painting in Goodland  |  02. meeting Ming  |  03. opening presents  |  04. ice cream at Dairy King in Oakley  |  05. + 06. the Buffalo Bill sculpture in Oakley  |  07. a family photo  |  08. + 09. ice cream and cheese balls at Jiffy Burger in Smith Center  |  10. meeting cows

Thanks to everyone who schlepped us around the state and were generous enough to host us!

Nolan + Ingrid: celebrating love in the Rockies

A day dedicated to love seems like the perfect time to finally share photos from our October trip to Denver to watch two of our good friends get married. Fall in the Rockies made a beautiful backdrop to their gorgeous wedding, which was perfectly tailored to their personalities and full of so many thoughtful details. If I still had a wedding in my future, I would have been furiously taking notes. (You can see their official photos on Facebook.)

We also had the added bonus of getting to spend time with our families, who drove the few hours to Denver, just to see us. Our families are the best!

(Belated) congratulations, Nolan and Ingrid! Thanks for letting us be a part of your big day!

the Overmiller ladies take over New England

This past fall, Micki's annual eye appointment at the Boston Foundation for Sight turned into an Overmiller ladies vacation, and we had so much fun hosting Ian's mom, grandma, and two aunts! Can you tell they're related?

During the week, we'd meet up with them for dinner at exciting and iconic places, like the Omni-Parker House for the original Boston cream pie and the North End for mouthwatering pasta. And of course we had to visit Grandma Judy's friend; he is still as quiet and solid as when they first met four years ago.

But the highlight of their week in Boston was a day trip to Cape Cod. Ian and I had never been, so it was fun to share a new experience together. The weather was glorious, and we took the whole day to drive to the very tip of the Cape, stopping at mom and pop shops filled with beachy trinkets, a local "purveyor of distinctive victuals and spirits" for piles and piles of seafood, and as many ocean views and beach walks as possible. I also brought along my Ricefield Collective Fingerwarmers, to start creating entries for the RC photo contest. The six of us had a blast helping Fingerwarmers make the most of their time on the Cape. (The first photos of many, and I even ended up winning the contest!)

By late afternoon we arrived at Race Point Beach, dipping our toes into the frigid Atlantic before turning around and heading back to Boston.








We ended the trip with a visit to the SoWa Markets, mostly for the food trucks. You can't visit us in Boston without the chance to have your grilled cheese world turned upside down by Roxy's.



Grandma Judy, Micki, Patti, Linda — thank you so much for making the trip out to see us. We had a blast, and hope you come back soon!

See all our photos from our week with the Overmillers on Flickr.

thankful list | January 2014

01. not getting stuck in the airport.
02. a day off after getting back from the holidays (hooray for New Year's).
03. YNAB. ($6 off with our refer-a-friend link!)
04. a quiet first day back at work after vacation.
05. the ability to work from home during the year's first crazy snowstorm.
06. time over the weekend to finally catch up from vacation.
07. afternoon tea at L'Espalier for a belated anniversary celebration.
08. new iPhones (because it was time).
09. friends hosting community group (continuing our cleaning procrastination).
10. catching up on my TV shows while Ian was at a guys' night.
11. watching nationals figure skating (on TV) all weekend.
12. a surprise birthday party for a dear friend.
13. going to the Smuckers Skating Spectacular and seeing the entire Olympic team skate.
14. going to my first live figure skating event, finally, as a lifelong fan.
15. coconut.
16. community group.
17. my new navy velvet dot pants: 75% off, plus I feel like a star.
18. an amazing sunset.
19. my Sseko bag (thanks for the perfect cause-related Christmas present, Ian!).

20. the classical violinist at the Copley station.
21. a solid win for the Wildcats.
22. Sundays at [REUNION].
23. toasted walnut green tea at David's tea.
24. the sunset.
25. my L.L. Bean boots, especially when the high for the week is in the teens.
26. yoga at work over lunch.
27. Cook's Illustrated recommendations.
28. space heaters and blankets.
29. Ian making it safely home from a business trip.
30. community group ladies night.
31. blankets and snuggles when it's cold outside.
32. catching up with friends while watching the K-State game (even if it was a loss).
33. our new Filipino cookbook, The Adobo Road.
34. crunchy sweet banana nut rolls from said new cookbook.
35. an awesome group to help with setup at [REUNION].
36. a sweet baby shower for a friend.
37. a productive evening cleaning and laundering.
38. unexpectedly bumping into a friend on the bus to work.
39. watching The Prince of Egypt at community group.
40. new pots for our kitchen using just our Discover cashback bonus.
41. feeling like a pro putting together a whole stack of contracts at work.
42. spontaneous date night at Tasty Burger (and the rise and shine burger).
43. dinner with friends who share our love of ATC, to help us break in our new pots.
44. catching up on my favorite TV shows.