a synopsis of my Christmas festivities...

I know it's been a while since I was here. But life caught up with me and basketball games, Christmas celebrations, and long vacations got in the way of writing. But I'm back, and determined to write with more consistency.

I just got back from a long vacation to the beautiful state of Washington. I got to spend time with my dear friend Diane, who moved to Seattle after she graduated a year and a half ago, and this was the first time I'd seen her since her big move. It was wonderful to spend time with her again - she's good for my soul - and I really do love Seattle in spite of it's copious amounts of rain and humidity. My time with Diane was far too short, but I'm grateful that I got to see her at all. I just hope it isn't another year and a half until I see her again! This is us at "the wall" in Queen Anne...even though you can't see it, the view behind us was incredible!

After my wonderful three days with Diane, I got to spend the day with another of my dearest friends. Eric is awesome and drove all over the state to transport me from Diane's house to my aunt and uncle's house in northern Washington. In the process I got to see his hometown (Conway, WA - population 84. Whoo!), meet his family, and catch up on life. Eric is, simply put, the best of friends and a person who has bettered my life just by being a part of it. This is us enjoying Mt. Vernon. You should go there sometime - the water tower has tulips painted on it.

Eric dropped me off at my aunt and uncle's house in Van Zandt, WA (I don't know what it's population is because it's so small it isn't even listed on Wikipedia. Let's just say that Van Zandt has three town buildings - a church, a community hall, and a general store. It's kind of awesome.) I spent the rest of my vacation there, celebrating Christmas with my incredible family. I have truly been blessed with an amazing family whose company I enjoy greatly. It was slightly chaotic - 12 adults, 3 little kids, 1 toddler, 1 baby, 1 dog, and 1 puppy - but so perfect in that chaos. This is my cousin, Avery. My aunt has decided that Avery is a mini-Kelsey - not so much in appearance, but because she's a complete goofball and goes about 100 miles an hour all the time. She's just a doll:

Here is the newest animal addition to the Quinlan family - her name is Bailey. She likes to eat bark, and she was definitely the most popular member of the family over this break, especially with the kids.


And this is Macoy. He is the newest human member of the Quinlan family, and he's so cute it makes me want to cry. I see the goodness of God in those chubby cheeks and big blue eyes - what a gift and blessing this child is to our family. I only wish I could see him more than twice a year. Bathtime made for some adorable pictures:

All in all, a perfect vacation. I can't imagine a better way to spend Christmas. And now I'm back, re-settling into a life that is, one day at a time, becoming my own.

life as of late.

I am anxiously awaiting the decision of the district....will school be open tomorrow or will the sub-zero temperatures win and let me sleep in and stay cozy in my sweats all day?

COME ON SNOW DAY!!!

In other news...life is moving at warp speed as of late. New York came and went in the blink of an eye, 3 months since California came and went without time for reflection, and Seattle is on the quickly approaching horizon. I'm glad for the busyness and the way in which I have settled into my life here, but the quickly approaching future always holds a bit of anxiety for me. I must remember, though - one. day. at. a. time. And this today holds quite a bit of joy for me.

I'm coaching a freshman girls basketball team....they are just all kinds of awesome. They're great in that awkward 14 year old way that I'm learning to find quite endearing. And, of course, I'm loving getting to coach and pseudo-play the game that I love so much. Added bonus: my dad is another of the coaches, so we're getting to spend a ton of time together.

Life as of late....well - has been great.

And I'm so grateful.

I Want to Go (Back) There!: Prague, Czech Republic

This edition of I Want to Go There! varies slightly from the others in that it has to do with a place I have actually already been. However, Prague is pretty darn close to the top of my list of places to return to, so I think it fits in here just fine. (Plus, as I probably don't need to remind you, my blog, my rules.)


I have been to Prague once before, during my junior year of college when I spent a semester in Europe. (You can read about my first impressions of Prague right here.) It was, without a doubt, one of my favorite of the 17 different cities I visited during that semester. I was captivated by the beauty of the city, as well as the vibrant cultural life. From the beautiful Charles Bridge to the incredibly impressive Prague Castle, the city has so much beauty and life to offer to those who visit.

The Czech Republic (or Czechoslovakia, as it was known in the not-too-distant past) has had an interesting and difficult past, but in the past 20 years or so it has really come so far. My mom visited Prague when Czechoslovakia was still under Soviet rule, and she says the difference in the appearance and attitude of the city from then until now is unbelievable.

Despite the six days I spent in Prague a couple of years ago, there is still so much there I want to see and experience, which is why I want to go (back) there!

New York New York!

For Thanksgiving this year, my family decided to ditch the traditional turkey feast and head to New York for a fantastic family vacation. We went with some dear family friends that my parents have known since before I was born and everyone had a perfectly lovely time. As my dad and Erica (Mead daughter #1) had never been to New York before, we did all the major things there are to do in New York - Central Park, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, Broadway, The Rockettes, and lots of walking. We also were lucky enough to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from some excellent front row "seats" (we weren't actually sitting....), and I have to say - the parade is much cooler in person than on tv! All in all, an excellent vacation with my amazing parents and some wonderful friends.

Stacy & me in Central Park:

Dad & Keith walking through "The Mall" (the most famous section of Central Park):

Family photo in Central Park:

Horton! He was my favorite of the many parade balloons (which are HUGE, btw!):

And finally, a group shot on Liberty Island: