Happy Monday! This is going to be an iPhone dump of sorts, because as I was scrolling my phone photos on our way back to Honolulu, I realized that while we haven’t necessarily done anything super exciting lately, we’ve been pretty busy with just life in general. It’s been awhile since I did a life lately post, so it’s definitely in order and I hope you’ll stick around to see what we’ve been up to 🙂
The few days before Christmas, I got a wild hair up my ass to make my mom’s sugar cookies. They are simply the best (get the recipe here) and top them with fail proof royal icing (recipe coming soon!). I always love the idea of beautiful royal icing until I’m halfway through and then I’m just like…JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL MY HAND IS CRAMPED! Either way, these pretty little snowflakes turned out beautifully and they were the perfect addition to our Christmas dinner with some friends.
We spent a good bit of time on the North Shore on the days before Christmas watching surf competitions (more here) and getting some test shots in different lighting settings with our drone. After editing a few, I found this one from one of our favorite beaches and it’s safe to say it has become one of my top 5 of drone photos we have taken!
How cute is this tropical Christmas mug? We were having happy hour in town and I spotted it out of the corner of my eye. I knew I needed it immediately. Grab your own here. It’s a seasonal item that they bring back each year apparently, so if they’re sold out now, check back during Christmas time and you can snag one!Christmas Eve we had plans for a beach party with one of Dane’s old co-workers, but headed to church first and it was a beautiful candlelight service with an even more beautiful sermon about finding the beauty in the world, even when things seem so broken. It really spoke to me (enough that I’m still thinking about it 3ish weeks later).Â
Dane and I agreed to only do a stocking exchange this year (no big gifts since we traveled a good bit in 2017 and have more trips on the horizon in 2018), so Christmas morning was spent eating a delicious breakfast pizza casserole that my mom usually makes, followed by watching “Love Actually” and opening a few gifts. We gave the dogs their special presents and it was fun watching them rip into them, despite what their moody faces indicate in these photos 😉 We also called and talked to both our families and agreed that we hope this is the last long distance Christmas! Later that night, we headed to the house of some of our dear friends who had made an INCREDIBLE spread. They seriously knocked dinner out of the park with a wide range of appetizers, main course and dessert. It was all so delicious and we probably would have stayed to eat and chat all night, except Dane was headed back to work on the 26th!This beautiful shot of Diamond Head is at the top of my list for photos we have taken, because just look at the dang bird flying in it! Dane has become a drone flying master and I don’t hate it. We knew when we made that investment, we wanted to use it and with 20 flights in 2 months, I would say we are making good on that promise. I hope we can capture some great photos in 2018 no matter where we  go!
Over the weekend, I got to meet the lovely Natalie + John for coffee at The Surfjack. I love following along on their adventures, so getting the chance to catch up over coffee and meeting their sweet son was such a treat! They are always going somewhere cool, so definitely give them a follow!
On Saturday night, Dane and I headed out to KoOlina to watch the sunset with Katie and her family. It was a totally impromptu sunset watching, but sometimes those are the best, right? It did not disappoint  and those golden colors will never get old!
And finally…I’ve been on a total shopping bender. I don’t know if it’s because it’s my birthday week, or because I purged about 10 bags of clothes recently, but here are some of my recent purchases…
Jumpsuit | High Waist Jeans | Swimsuit (less than $25!) | Slides
And if you’ve stuck around ’til this point…bless you! Now that I’ve shared – what have you been up to lately?