thankful

this christmas season, i was surprised to find myself in one of my favorite places: the company of old friends. we had a dinner party of 10 at our place, and it was perfect.



i was also lucky enough to spend time with my little sister. can't ever seem to spend enough time with her.


there were presents at my parents' place. oh, there were presents.


the best present award probably goes to cat tank given to us by my sister beth and brother-in-law drew for our cats. that's right, a cat tank.


all-in-all, it's been a lovely break -- first one henry and i have spent at home in two years! (taiwan two years ago, philadelphia last year) even so, i'm looking forward to hitting the interview trail again in a few days for my fun-filled month of seeing the entire northeast. :)