Ice Skating in the Sculpture Garden

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is outdoor skating rinks. I've never been particularly good at skating but I can usually manage to stay upright and not crash into others. Santa Barbara was really never cold enough to have one so I was really excited to try one of the ones set up in DC this winter. Some friends and I got together and ended up going to the skating rink set up in the sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art.

For non-skaters I think we all fared pretty well even if we weren't exactly graceful. It was a fun evening and we even saw someone propose on the ice! Pretty cute.

Getting comfortable

It's possible I may have stood right by the gate the entire time they were smoothing the ice just so I could be the first person on it. And if I did it was worth every second.

Zoo Lights!

One of the things I like best about where I live is the proximity to the zoo. So when I found out that the zoo is totally lit up over the holiday season I invited some friends over to check it out. It was a fun (if very cold) evening, and while it seemed mostly aimed at families we certainly enjoyed ourselves!

Thanksgiving

So this is pretty delayed, but better late than never! I was fortunate enough to be able to go home for Thanksgiving this year. It was really nice to see my family as well as get back to California weather (it snowed for the first time the day before I left!). We kept things pretty low-key and spent a lot of time just hanging around the house, which was ideal for me. I also got driven around by my little sister who is getting her driver's license! Even though it was brief it was a nice vacation and I can't wait to go back for Christmas :)

Here are some pics from the weekend. As you can see, Albert features pretty prominently

 

Waiting for a walk, regal as always

Audra and Ben have matching running shoes

Let loose at the dog park

My Aunt's dog Lily is about the most relaxed animal I have ever seen. 

Dog party, Albert was in heaven

Happy Thanksgiving!