And, we're back!

Hello blog readers! Sorry for the massive delay in postings. Somehow, it's already the beginning of April and I haven't updated any of you on our recent adventures and happenings here in Seattle. Here's a rundown of the winter months up until now:

1. First things first -- we went to lovely (and very cold, might I add) Minnesota for Christmas! We had a great time braving the snowstorms and spending time with family and friends. We spent time in Minnetonka and Wells -- and Luke even found time to spend a couple of days snowmobiling in Wisconsin with his friends John and Travis.

Merry Christmas!

Our delicious Christmas Eve dinner prepared by my lovely mom :)

Here's our nephew AJ in the super stylish hat we gave him for Christmas. I mean, seriously, how cute is he?

The whole crew at the Hill Family Christmas Extravaganza!

The smaller Hill family :)

Luke and his dad roasting hot dogs on a chilly winter night. You can't tell they're related, can you?

2. I went to Kansas City in January to visit one of my best friends, Jenna. Jenna and I met in high school, but it wasn't until college at SPU that we became good friends. Jenna and her husband, Scott, have been busy taking care of their two adorable kiddos (Noah and Arie) and remodeling houses the past couple of years, and we rarely seem to be in Minnesota at the same time anymore. So, I just had to go and visit for a long weekend! We had the best time catching up, going shopping, and hanging out with the little ones.

Jenna and me!

This is adorable Arie playing dress up. She's got style, right? This girl is a whirlwind of energy and fun! Somehow I never managed to get a picture of  Noah; however, I can assure you he is equally as cute as this little one.

3. We went to Arizona to visit Luke's grandma and her husband, Fred. We took a long weekend vacation down to sunny Arizona towards the end of February to spend time with Lois and Fred. We had a fabulous time, and they are pretty much the best hosts you could ask for. They took us hiking at Catalina State Park and Honeybee Park, informed us about all of the cacti and wildlife in Arizona, and they, of course, made sure we were fed well :)

Hiking in Catalina State Park. It was beautiful, and very different from our typical Pacific Northwest hikes.

Our knowledgeable tour guide -- Fred!

Cactus!

Lois & Fred's friends dropped off about five bags of fresh grapefruits. So, Luke decided to squeeze about a dozen and make some juice! It was delicious.

Thanks Lois & Fred for a fabulous weekend!

4. We've been up in the mountains! We went snowshoeing up to Lanham Lake one day, which is close to Steven's Pass. It was cold and blustery, but it sure was fun!

We finally made it to Lanham Lake!

We also had a fun-filled day hiking up at the Snoqualmie pass with Amanda and Travis. It was a VERY steep uphill climb, but the view was so worth it at the top. 

Amanda and me enjoying a little lunch atop the mountain.

We made it!

And at the bottom of the mountain, we saw none other than Smokey the Bear himself. We think he was out saying "hi" to a guided snowshoe group or something like that. But, of course, we had to stop and get a picture with him!

5. My friends are getting ready to have babies! Well, one is. One of my BFFs, Jess, is having a baby in April and I went to a lovely baby shower to celebrate her and her baby boy on the way. How cute is she?

6. And lastly, we've started house hunting! We're just starting to check out homes with our Realtor, which is all very exciting and a little bit strange at the same time. We've been living in one-bedroom apartments for the past five years... so I'm not sure we'll know what to do with an entire house. (Though I'm sure our parents will be more than happy to get rid of those last few boxes we've been storing at their homes since our Chicago move...) We'll make sure to keep you posted!

Thanks for reading, until next time!