Idiot

The person under the blanket here is Eric. He is an idiot.

Christmas in Altoona

We were lucky to have all of the Farmers home for Christmas, with the added bonus of Keith and Marilyn.

Banitsa - the wonderful Bulgarian dish

Among other things, Derick learned in Bulgaria how to make a banitsa. This wonderful pastry can be filled with any number of things, but this version was made with onions, ground beef, feta cheese and yogurt. It was awesome! Kellee served as his trusty, if undervalued, assistant.

opening gifts at home

Jim loves his Kindel, and I love my socks, knitted personally for me by Cheryl.

a real Christmas tree

Jim decided that he had to have a real Christmas tree this year. Here it is. Kerri came and helped us decorate.

Thanksgiving dinner

We were joined on Thanksgiving by Dan and Denise as well as Dana, who was celebrating her first Thanksgiving in the U.S.

Thanksgiving

The Bangerts came to Washington for Thanksgiving. Jim and his mom were able to make the magic happen even in our tiny kitchen.