One great week back home in Maine with the family and then on down to NYC for NYE with friends.

We just finished a jam-packed week with family out here in SoCal. My Mom and aunt Jamie were here from the 24th to the 31st, while sister Sarah and her Ben were in town through the 28th. In addition to Christmas’ing we hiked, surfed, walked, drank, ate, drank, tourist’ed, drank, shopped, and ate some more. We’re having some people withdrawal today (but at least we can still eat and drink).

In 2008 we went to Berlin, I went to Whistler, then we went to Sayulita. We went back to Sayulita and got married, then got legally married in Brooklyn. We went surfing. A lot. Sometimes at Sunset, sometimes at San Onofre. We saw some fish and spotted a whale. We went to Tulum. Won a couple awards. We went to Maine and went to Saquish. My sister Barb got married, Trip and Jesse too. We went to New York. A bunch. Denver and SF, too. Caddie gave me a surfboard and introduced hers to a rock. We found a new home-away-from-home in Brooklyn. I touched my toes, Caddie did handstands. We bought some art. Caddie went to Amarillo to visit the new niece. The Celtics won #17. I got a haircut. We FINALLY got a new president. Lost a little faith in humanity so we went to some protests. We got a car and put a surf rack on it. MMW donated its 1%. We saw MGMT, Spoon, Beck, Elbow, and Radiohead. I caught M83. Finished the year off with family in LA for Christmas and New Years.

We’re just back from a typically wild, nonstop, and incredibly fun holiday week with the family. This year was a bit different in that all four siblings (and significant others) were home for Christmas. For my sister Sarah it was the first time in over five years. Sometime around eleven PM on Christmas I had to take a time-out and catch my breath. We were, after all, on our fourth night of parties, and fifteenth straight hour of opening, drinking, chatting, eating, ping-ponging, drinking, Scattegoring, drinking, eating, opening, drinking, chatting, eating, and drinking. Earlier on Christmas, my sister Barb passed out very similar looking presents to everybody in the room. Caddie and I opened first. Check out the photo for what we unwrapped, designed and put together by Barb, her fiancee John, and friend Guerin. It’s crazy to think that the next time we’ll see everybody is down in Sayulita. If the past few days are any indication it’s going to be a fantastic week. Rest up.