If there’s one thing that defined our December, it’s being outside. It seems a little insane, given our distaste for everything cold weather, but it’s the only way we can socialize right now! Until we got snow, we were very good about walking around and exploring our new neighborhood as well.

Dad had a big work trip, and Mom was in for a lonely week so we decided to meet up and check out the River Walk trail in Big Rapids. I was surprised to see a few cool sculptures along the trail!

I hadn’t used the drone in a while so after our walk I popped dronie up into the air, but she was drifting in the high wind and there were trees everywhere so it was a very short flight.

Caleb and Amy wanted a tree and some greenery for decoration, so we headed north a second time that week to scavenge some greenery from my parent’s property. The six of us had a lovely campfire and lunch out in the woods!

We had some unseasonably sunny weather early in the month, so one morning I got up early and photographed the sunrise over Grand Rapids. It was SO COLD. At least I had some coffee to keep me warm. What do you think, was it worth it?

Grand Rapids is (was?) a familiar place for me, but I also feel like I hardly know anything about it! To refamiliarize ourselves with the city, we took a walk downtown and looked at the beautiful architecture.

I realized it would have been even better to explore it at night when all the Christmas lights are lit up, so we returned a couple days later as the sun set!

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but we bought ourselves the most extra Christmas present. We love our truck, but it barely fits in the driveway and I feel like I’m going to clip a car as I drive down these narrow streets. And we love our bus, but she’s in storage until the weather gets better. When Kyle’s dad offered to sell us my old car, we couldn’t say no! So now we are two people, who never need to drive anywhere, who own three vehicles! We made a quick trip south, Ken met us halfway with the Honda Fit and by the time we made it back home we were limping on three cylinders! She’s still a good car though and I’m so excited to have her back!

Mom and I had such a good time on our hike earlier this month that we decided to meet up again, and this time I made sure to go far enough north to see the snowscape!

The week of Christmas was all about catching up. I met up with a friend from high school that I probably haven’t seen in ten years! And then some friends from up north came to town and we met at a playground so their kids could burn off some energy while we caught up.

Around that time, Kyle accomplished his big goal of 2020: he ran a half marathon! We spent the first half of the year living on a boat at anchor, so this has always been an audacious goal and I’m so proud of him for achieving it!

At this point we didn’t have any snow in GR, and it looked like it was going to be a brown Christmas. But then we got a nice big snowfall, so it was a white Christmas after all! We spent the day with Caleb and Amy, eating a big brunch, drinking sangria, and watching movies on Dubai architecture. Just normal things!

Kyle and I needed a break from the gray-lavender walls of our tiny apartment, so after Christmas we drove out to the coast to see what the area was like. I expected to check out at least one lighthouse on Lake Michigan, but I failed to communicate that, so Kyle was a little surprised when I kept pushing him to stop and look at the scenery!

I didn’t realize we’d already had some crazy ice buildup on the breakwaters of the local inlets, and I’ve never seen this before in person. The ice was crazy thick on the railings and seawall!

And then last week, Rachel called me up and suggested we hang out, which in this environment means more socially-distanced hiking outdoors. I can’t remember the last time I spent this much time outside in sub-freezing temperatures! We had a great hike near the Hardy Dam, I arrived a little earlier than Rachel and I stood outside and just listened to the ice creak and groan.

It’s incredible how much time we’ve been spending outside. If we had any other option, I would never choose quite so much outdoor activity, but right now it feels like that’s the only way we can conscionably see people. I think it would be impossible for me to survive a Michigan winter in isolation, so these little social moments are even more important lately, and I’m grateful for our friends and family who are willing to spend time outside with us!

Here’s to a better 2021, and the hope of a quickly-distributed vaccine!