Right before Christmas a family emergency came up. Things are much better now, but it leaves you with the tangible realization that life really is a gift. Of course the cards went out late, I never washed the walls and a thousand other things went by the wayside. But having the ones you love around you trumps a freshly vacuumed house a thousand times over and for that, I'm grateful.

Yesterday after the storm finished I got to stomp around the woods for a bit. By the point I snapped those photos my ankles had gone numb and my boots were packed with snow. That said, there's nothing like walking through just-fallen snow, seeing the sun break through and realizing a fresh new year is on its way.