2006 Year in Review

I was thinking back about all that has happened this past year in my life. It has been a busy 2006, no doubt about it!

I turned 30!!
My brother and his wife had their first baby (making me a first-time aunt.)
My best friend got married.
My grandmother died.
My aunt died.
I was named an Associate Editor for Texas Family Magazine.
After 3+ years, I gave up my "Candidly Caroline" column for the Oak Hill Gazette.
I was a finalist in the Austin Under 40 Awards.
I traveled a LOT:
Matagorda County, Texas Coast
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Anna Maria Island, Clearwater/Caladesi Island, Tampa, and South Beach/Miami, Florida (five separate trips)
Southern Kentucky
San Diego, California
Coastal Maine

Here's to a little calmer - but not too calm - 2007!

Lots of Goodies

These are some of the goodies I made this Christmas. Here are my Chocolate, Vanilla, and Peppermint Marshmallows. Then, we have the Cranberry Pumpkin Bread and the S'Mores Bark. All of these recipes are my own creations.

Trail of Lights

We visited the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park again this year. I really enjoy that experience; it's fun to walk through and see all the different displays. I love the blue lights! The Trail is a mile long and a million and a half lights total, if I remember correctly - that's a lot of lights!!

Can you see me? I'm the one holding the camera. ;)

Another Christmas Angel

This has been a tough week for my family. Four days after my grandma's passing, my aunt died. Yesterday, we had memorial services for both of them. At least they, mother and daughter, are seeing Heaven for the first time together. Now, we have two new angels to look over us this Christmas.

Celebrating Life

Mourning death doesn't make much sense unless we celebrate life.

This week I was able to celebrate several events - my new niece Alivia finally coming home from the hospital (I am so looking forward to being an aunt!) and the birthdays of three friends - Ellen and Jennifer squared.

Welcome to life, Alivia!
And, Happy Birthday, Ellen, Jennifer, and Jennifer!

Goodbye, Grandma Shearer

Goodbye, Grandma.
May you live well in Heaven.
Until we meet again ... Love, Caroline

O, Christmas Tree

I finally got my Christmas tree up this weekend. It's another eight-footer and looks great, even with the one lonely present underneath it. I have done NO Christmas shopping yet and don't have any plans to start for at least a week. Oh, well!
I have my usual complaints about Christmas lights, of course. (I should not have to have a degree in electrical engineering for my lights to work properly, nor should I have to buy brand new lights each year.) With my outside reindeer, I have the sporadic problem once again of the front half of two deer lighting up and the back halves not. With the indoor lights, I checked them all before I put them on the tree, but sometime while stringing them, my clear strand that did all the neat effects stopped working. Now, it just sits on the tree, remembering how pretty it used to be.
I'm not worried about any of it, though. Christmas is my favorite time of year! I'm really looking forward to starting all my holiday baking. I tried out the S'Mores Bark, and it turned out really well so now I'm even more excited about having time to just get in the kitchen and create! I love exploring in the kitchen!

Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Party

My friend Jennifer had a Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Party this past weekend, and there were plenty of excellent choices of all three to be found -- plus, great people, of course! We had such a fun time!


Here's me and host Jennifer and then me and Ellen and another Jennifer.

Let the holiday party season begin! :)

Queen of Sky Book Signing at Mozart's

My friend Ellen, known to others as the "Queen of Sky," will host her very first book signing for "Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant: The Queen of Sky Blog," on Wednesday, December 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Mozart's in Austin. A reading and question-and-answer session will start at 7 p.m. Books will be available for purchase for $24, including tax. In the event of rain, the location will be downstairs on the covered deck. Books also are available at Book People or on Amazon. Click here for more information.
I will be there on Wednesday, helping Ellen with the event.

Little Miss Alivia Rose

Here is my niece, little miss Alivia Rose. She is 4 pounds, 14 ounces and 18 inches long.
Despite being itty bitty, she already knows what she wants. When Mommy and Daddy asked her where she wants to go to college, she said, "Sign me up! Texas A&M, Class of 2029. Whoop!"