Dear friends and family,

We hope this finds you happy, healthy and enjoying the warmth of the season! (for most of you, we mean warmth figuratively - of course... tee hee)

We are happy to report that we've had a fairly uneventful year. We didn't move across state, no one started a new job and the only new addition to our family was a big, comfy couch. And two turtles. Meet Henry and Mack. Or Mackenzie. We're not quite sure.

Last Christmas, we'd just arrived in Southern California. We'd barely unpacked all of our boxes (i think we're done now!) - and while we were excited about our latest adventure, we were still feeling a little unsettled from the whirlwind journey that brought us here.

So, for us, this has been a year of homemaking. We've been busy nesting and turning our San Diego digs into something that truly suits us. Our landlord gave us free reign to paint and add a few personal touches. The end result is a cute and colorful place we can proudly call home.



You all know I love my kitchen - but I think my favorite room in the house is Sam's.

We are also very happy and lucky to have a BIG backyard - with plenty of room for Sam and Charlie to play. Our outdoor improvements include sprucing up some old lawn furniture with a bit of spray paint and a lotta love, planting a garden and building a sandbox for Sam. The sandbox started out as a simple idea -- and ended up a monumental project - a sandhouse complete with benches, a roof and party lights. Of course, this really helped raise our street cred with the neighborhood kids and put 4865 Vista St. on the map as the place to be for the toddler set.

View Larger Map (the sandbox roof is the blue diamond shape in the center)

We love living in Kensington, a family friendly neighborhood in Uptown San Diego - with an abundance of kids and dogs. It's a very close knit community, thanks in part to our landlord's sister who hosts a number of events throughout the year - including block parties, ice cream socials and movies in the canyon. Beverly is a neighborhood fixture - with limitless energy and generosity. Walking by her house, we are likely to end up with a wagonful of veggies from her garden - and a list of people to deliver them to. And no one thinks it at all strange to have someone they've never met ring the doorbell and hand them a giant zucchini. : )

Throughout the year, we enjoyed many Kensington traditions, including an Easter egg hunt, an old fashioned Memorial Day parade and a Halloween Carnival.

In addition to having fun in our new hood, we've been exploring our new city. We love San Diego and feel so lucky to have so many amenities right outside our door. We spent a lot of time at the zoo - and Sam has become good friends with Frank, the baby gorilla.

His favorite place in the world is still the San Diego Model Railroad Museum where we hang out at least once a week. And there's always the beach, of course.

We also found a great place to hike - a little ways Northeast of here called Iron Mountain. It was a pretty challenging trail, so reaching the top was especially gratifiying.

 
View Iron Mountain Trail in a larger map

A highlight of the summer for Patrick was attending Comic Con - the world's largest comic book convention held annually in San Diego. Comic Con is a huge deal around here - and Patrick was lucky to get free passes as an industry professional. Apparently, this is the place to see and be seen! Check out all the Hollywood A-Listers!http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/comiccon/kswb-pg-cc-celebs-2010,0,1714274.photogallery Patrick is already looking forward to 2011. And next year, I'm coming along to people watch!

Things at Trion are going really well and Patrick is enjoying his new job. His team is working on an exciting new venture with the syfy channel. Find out more about it right here. http://www.trionworlds.com/en/games/syfy-action-mmo.ph

There's a lot of anticipation for the company's first game to be released. Look for Rift in February 2011. http://www.riftgame.com/en/

This year has also marked a lot of growth for Sam. He turned three this May - and we are constantly surprised and amazed by all his new accomplishments.

Sam started a gymnastics class a couple of months ago. Here he is practicing for the Kindergym Holiday Show. (front row, in navy blue)

So yes, it was an uneventful year... but a year filled with many ordinary blessings - that make an extraordinary life - a life full of love, friends, family and home.

We wish these blessings for all of you. Merry Christmas and a Joyful New Year!! With much love from the Cavender Family - Michelle, Patrick, Sam and Charlie