A December to Remember

Off to church on Christmas Eve. Manbeard! 

Leanne and I returned this week from a wonderful trip to America for the holidays. The main event of our two weeks in the U.S. was undeniably my brother's wedding in Philadelphia but we were blessed to spend Christmas with family and a very enjoyable week in Washington D.C. with some very dear friends. Here are the abbreviated notes:

Albuquerque: Christmas with Leanne's family was remarkable and often felt like a Norman Rockwell painting. A fireplace, stockings, a beautiful tree, family and endless amounts of food made the whole week wonderful. We celebrated Christmas with Leanne's mother and brother as well as our niece Charlie and absolutely enjoyed every minute of festivities; especially the cold. After some airport follies which resulted in a super-classy 45 minute first-class flight from Albuquerque to Phoenix, we arrived in Philadelphia to be with my big brother and new sister-in-law.

Philly: We were so cliche in Philly. Seeing the Liberty Bell and Constitution Hall, running the Rocky stairs and devouring some Cheesesteaks were all marked as personal accomplishments. The wedding itself was absolutely wonderful and idyllic. The Philadelphia Horticultural Center was the perfect backdrop to an already beautiful marriage and Leanne I were able to spend time with a lot of my family who we have not seen much or at all in the last three years. Needless to say, seeing my brother get married to a woman who we absolutely adore and respect was an honor and being able to participate and be present was a fantastic gift. Having seen so much family in our first 10-days in America, we were very excited to get to D.C. to see some friends from are recent and not-so-recent past.

Washington D.C.: I like to call D.C. "the District" because that is what my friends call it and it makes me feel like I am part of a police show. The District almost instantly became one of our favorite cities that we have ever visited. It is unique, full of great sites, diverse and simple. Perfect. We stayed with two extremely close friends and were able to see two other college friends who mean a lot to us. It was a very special time with them, eating Chipotle after an hour wait in line and seeing some of the finest museums in the world. Despite having to fend off the coldest temperatures in the last year, we loved our time and had a hard time saying goodbye to our friends and to the city.

Our two weeks were an absolute gift in many ways. Time with family and new family, seeing two of America's most historic cities, spending Christmas in cold temps and of course, eating great food all made for a wonderful time.

We have hit the ground running here in Cambodia with big projects, large responsibilities and a little babysitting mixed in but we are being sustained and we feel blessed to be back home and back at work. All I want now is a little sleep and a Broncos' playoff victory. Amen.

At Ben's Chili Bowl with the founder's wife in D.C.  

With the bride and groom. Good job bro! 

Celebrating America! 

Just a couple of classy people celebrating Christmas. Leanne's outfit is a long and hilarious story!