Holidays, family and friends...

December, 2009: The season of giving and the time of Christmas. Christmas 2009 wasn't an earth-shattering event this year. But it certainly was a good one. Last Christmas for the Moseley family was small and for me in particular it was a hectic one. This time last year I was packing my bags and unwrapping presents at the same time in preparation for the trip of a life time to New Zealand. I barely had enough time to enjoy Christmas last year due to the fact that I was boarding a plane just hours after unwrapping gifts. This years Christmas was much more laid back. But prior to Christmas, winter finely struck with full force. The unusual cold still reigned supreme and the camera stayed stowed for much of the season. Here are a few shots to mark the end of 2009.

It sort of speaks for itself. It is a scene played out throughout the world and throughout the country...but for some reason or other, the small town of Whitefish seems to go all out for the Holidays. Every lamp post gets decorated with garland, reefs or lights. Signs and banners and Christmas cheer are evident everywhere you look. Its a great place to be for Christmas. Note the Ice on the windshield. At 20 degrees below zero, 2009 was definitely trying to freeze itself into our memories.

A typical look at driving conditions in Montana during the winter. One can go months without having the tires on the pavement. It is a slick and cold season that typically "slows" down the speed of things.

A side street in the bustling metropolis of Whitefish, MT. Cold but beautiful and full of the holiday Cheer.

"It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

A very giving and very thankful household scene. Can we say spoiled?

Jake opened one of his Christmas gifts early. He pulls off guilt and innocent better than any dog I have ever seen.

The aftermath. Present (besides the presents) were my parents, my sister's family and my brother from another mother's parents Carol and Gary. It was a great Christmas. And yes...we were all spoiled beyond what we should have been.

Good ol' Maddie. Black dog on white carpet. Thank the heavens for vacuum cleaners.

Something Different...Something Foamy...and misleading. A delicious home brew that my brother-in-law Kevin brought from Utah. I found it humorous that I was drinking a nut brown ale from an Amstel Light bottle in a Budweiser beer glass. You have to be a beer snob to appreciate the joke...

One last shot of Jake doing something he aught not to do. Couches and dogs don't go together very well. He doesn't look too innocent this time...does he?

And that marks the end of 2009. 2009 was a challenging year for many people, myself included. Finding myself adrift again in the great big world has taught me a lot of things. The value of friends, family and people you can count on mean more now than they ever have. I am thankful for what I have and thankful for who I know. It is definitely a good thing. I opened 2009 on a beach in New Zealand with one of my best friends and ended it comphy and secure, surrounded by family and friends. What more could a person ask for?