december lately

Call it a cliché. Or call me basic for saying this, but this really is the most wonderful time of the year. 

Between taking a Christmas trip to Mexico with the husband and heading off to Europe with my sister in just a few days, there has been a lot to appreciate lately. Add in getting to see all the family that we live apart from right now, plus enjoying the non-stop holiday festivities and nothing beats Christmastime. Our schedule has been so busy and jam-packed but we’re also loving every minute of it. So here’s a peak of December Lately.

Started this month off with a Christmas trip to Mexico.

the husband and I don’t give each other material gifts, we’d much share an experience. So we went to Mexico right around Thanksgiving, which ended November & kicked off December in the best way possible.

We road tripped our way through Mexico…snorkeling, spending time on the beach, and visiting all the Maya ruins, including a wonder of the world.

I will be sharing more on this Mexico trip in January, including our full itinerary and budget. 

Seeing my Dad graduate from grad school with a Masters was definitely highlight of December of the year. I couldn’t go at first, but I managed to make it at the last minute and surprise him. I have the greatest role models with my parents.my sister + dad + me

Speaking of school, I finished up a semester of dental school with having exams and practicals every single week for the past month. I almost didn’t include this photo below because it's me at my worst. I look exhausted, have no make-up on, and I don’t even want to talk about my hair. But I was also killing it in dental lab that day. Oh the sacrifices we make for the pursuit of higher education.My semester finally ended which gave me a chance to decorate my apartment. 

and finally picked up my Christmas tree. Only the real deal for me.

Also, it turns out I decorated my entire tree with ornaments we picked up along our travels this past year. 

I love that we picked up an ornament to represent every place. See our year of travel through Christmas Ornaments. 

Shopping for all the Christmas things!

Also take me back to this Nutcracker Museum 

December also meant lots of hours in the car. First husband drove from Boston down South so that we could reunite. And let me tell you, it was so great to be picking up Starbucks for two again.

Then there was lots more driving with visiting family across multiple states. Lucky for us it included lots of pretty mountain views. 

And it was all worth it to be with family in the end. 

Christmas tree at my parents + Christmas tree at my in-laws = 

lots of holiday celebrating for us.

major highlight = watching my dad surprise my mom a new car for Christmas. Everyone was in on it! 

Giving everyone their gifts was my favorite part. You can see exactly what we gave for Christmas 2016 here. 

Speaking of gifts, I got some great ones too. 

Like this best gift ever = a trip to Europe.

 More on this soon! Love the outcome from procrastinating with getting our Christmas cards out this year

And Feeling Festive thanks to mountain air and old fashioned Christmas trees. The Blue Ridge Mountains will forever be my favorite

What a crazy month getting this all down. Thousands of miles by car and even more by flight. This month has involved multiple countries with more to come. Several amazing moments have been squeezed in between finishing up a semester of dental school. You were a crazy hectic month December, but that’s just how I like it.