Christmas Break

Ah, how wonderful it is to be on a break from school! I forgot just how sweet this feeling was when I was out working for a few years. My blog is long overdue in its updates because of a busy end of the semester, followed by an immediate escape to the beach for recovery!

In the week prior to Christmas, the entire Dickman fam (all six of us, plus Gracie) headed south to our favorite holiday destination - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. As a family, we have been spending Christmas in Hilton Head since I was 5 years old. It's a pretty special place for all of us. This year we had fun sharing our favorite spots for the first time with Cindy and Jon. Some of the highlights of the week included riding bikes around the island each day and long walks on the beach at sunset. I particularly enjoyed living out my fantasy of running down the beach with my puppy at my side. Gracie seemed to love her first experience with sand just about as much as I loved watching her play in it! The whole package of our week in SC has really enticed Jon & I to consider the Carolinas as a future home base!

On Christmas eve, we all made the long drive back up North to celebrate the holiday with friends and family at home. Jon and I continued on past Dayton to the Chase home in Lake Milton for Christmas. We enjoyed a few days there spending time with Jon's parents, his sister Melissa, and Joey (Melissa's dog). We had a fun time feasting, exchanging gifts, and playing games while we were there. We were especially thankful that the weather was more cooperative this year than the blizzard we were stranded in last year. I'll take a 55 degree Christmas any day! :)

We are now finishing out our vacation in super-wedding planning mode. Jon and I are tackling several items on "the list" each day - I think we may be ready to get married next weekend at this rate!