Glad tidings from Brooklyn!
After two years of being married (which we love!), we're excited you've finally gotten a Christmas note from us. Thanks for popping ‘round to celebrate more goodness than could fit in our wee card. We thought instead of a printed photo, we’d pass along some of our favorite sights from 2012 right here in our little online house.
In January I walked into 557 Broadway on my first day working for Scholastic, and was welcomed by Clifford and many smiling faces, as I still am each morning in Soho.
We went on the traditional skiing trip to Lutsen, MN in February, where Walker’s whole family stays in big cabins together each year for a weekend of crisp air and frozen-lake vistas. We also celebrated Alie’s Dad’s 15th Birthday here in New York, and the first of 5 weddings this year in North Carolina.
In March/April, our skin gathered sun for the first time in months on a beautiful beach trip to Marco Island, Florida with Walker’s parents.
Walker says that I have a Ranch timer that every year starts going off, and it went off in May for the Ranch’s 20th Anniversary celebration. We ate breakfast overlooking the Smokies from the porch of our favorite lodge, chatted lots, and went on a wooded hike.
June brought us to Plymouth, Massachusetts for my cousin Amy’s lovely wedding by sailboats and salt air.
In July, we traveled with Walker’s parents to Scandinavia, where we visited Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Highlights included meeting Walker’s Swedish relatives, 
traveling through glaciers, scooting around on boats and trains, and eating lots of Viking cheese.
We also took our most spontaneous trip in July, to see an old friend’s band release their album in Springfield, MO, which was great fun.
We spent two relaxing weekends on the lake in Minnesota in August, and one of those trips celebrated Walker's cousin’s wedding. September markedour second anniversary (best day of the year!), 
and took a trip to Texas, ya’ll, for my sister’s wedding in Fort Worth!
Our first week-long trip since we moved to New York was to stunningly beautiful Maine where we breathed in the forest air and woke to ship bells in early October. 
Then we were off to another wedding, this time celebrated in a barn in picturesque Shenedoah Valley. Walker’s grandfather Donald Hanson passed away that week, and we celebrated his life the next weekend in Minnesota.
And the next weekend? Hurricane Sandy blew in, and blew us out of our building! We stayed in Jersey a few days, and were grateful for no damage to our stuff. (Here's our street/apartment building). 
After October’s busyness, in November we stayed put. I brought our turkey home in a cab and cooked him up for all 4 of our parents.
And New York? We've lived here twice as long as our year together in Scotland already, and it most definitely feels like home. This year was full with great places, time with those we love, and we could not be more thankful for our life together. Each year, we long even more to see you all, to spend even more time with you. Know that this Christmas you are in our hearts, with much affection.
With great joy, and the merriest of Christmases!
Walk & Alie
(the view outside our home)