Tranquil Times

The few days leading up to Christmas were both quiet and relaxing in my house for a few reasons.  One...the kids were with their other respective parent, and two...I had all of my shopping, wrapping and baking finished.  On Sunday, Fred and I found ourselves with a few extra hours to spare so we decided to bundle up and head downtown to visit the open air Christmas Village.  Some of the members of the Bethlehem police force patrol the streets on horseback.  The horses are gorgeous.   

The city set up huts in certain areas off of Main Street which feature vendors selling all sorts of unique items.  The village resembles that of a Christkindlmarkt in Germany.  

I stopped for a mini-break....

The Sun Inn, Bethlehem's oldest hotel.  It has been in operation since 1760, but today it stands as a museum.  George and Martha Washington were once visitors.  

Christmas Eve began with an early morning run with my buddy, Lauretta.  We covered about nine miles in 70 minutes.  Lauretta was home from Virginia to visit her parents with her brand new fiance, Peter.  It was a tad on the chilly side when we started!     

After our run, I made these sticky buns as a Christmas Eve treat before Payton headed to her dad's house.  They were super easy and really delicious!

That afternoon, Fred and I headed to Jacobsburg State Park for a little hike with Willsey.  We covered between two-three miles before it started to get dark.  This was the first time that Willsey was off-leash in a public setting and he did a stellar job.  I was a proud mommy!   

Christmas morning was all white!  After presents and coffee, Fred and I jumped in the car for another walk with Willsey before the kids got home.  This time we went to one of my favorite running trails, which was new to Fred.  I love this picture of the two of us.    

The good boy!

Once we got home, it was time for me to start preparing for the girls to come home, along with the Christmas dinner {more on that later}.  I hope that you had a wonderful holiday!