All I can ever think about when hearing the term “holiday card” is the Friends episode where Ross and Mona debate sending out one of their own.

Are we really there?

Well, we’ve said I love you. And Scott kind of already asked me to marry him. And I guess we are buying a house together this spring. So… yeah? I guess we’re there.

holidaycard2016-1

About a year ago I sat at my Aunt’s house, sorting through a collection of old Christmas cards that my Grandmother Kozody sent out over the years. They were all carefully designed, beautifully crafted, and reflected the art and grace that made up the core of her being. My grandmother died just 3 months before I was born, but I know this statement to be true.

holidaycard2016-2 holidaycard2016-5

Since then, I have wanted to do as she did – carefully and dutifully select a card that would capture the essence of our year; a card that maybe my grandchildren could sort through in a few decades.

This year I knew exactly what I wanted to convey – the new chapter of our lives, the new scenery and the drastic change of course we made moving to the farm. Sifting through the dozens of choices on Minted was overwhelming – UNTIL I found it.  The One.

holidaycard2016-11 holidaycard2016-13

This card is everything I wanted it to be – and when I asked my brother to snag my camera for a minute and quickly snap a few photos near the barn, I never imagined he would capture exactly what our life has become – a menagerie of 4-legged kiddos, a rustic 24 acre farm, and my two favorite souls in the world.

holidaycard2016-7 holidaycard2016-4

I remember sitting in my apartment last December, preparing for the 7 hour drive north for the holidays, wondering how many more years we would pack our suitcases and fill the car with wrapped packages. I wondered and hoped and schemed for what 2016 might bring, how our world would change. I never anticipated to be writing this post, sitting on our bed looking out at a landscape covered in white. Today I am neither happy nor sad, just in awe of all the change one year can bring.

holidaycard2016-15 holidaycard2016-16

2016 was rough for many people, and I am saddened by the collective social media sentiment that enough is enough – for us, it transformed our entire life and we are so thankful for what the year meant. However, we are even more excited to see what happens next – “New Home, New Adventures, New Year.”

holidaycard2016-14

Cheers.