This was our first winter on the East coast in a long time and we enjoyed being able to avoid the airport and simply drive to visit family. We went to Richmond to visit Andrew’s family for Thanksgiving, and we traveled to Philadelphia to visit Emily’s family for Christmas.
Thanksgiving
While the Burks thanksgiving normally happens with extended family in Florida, because of covid it was just the six of us in Richmond. With no traditions to lean on we had plenty of creative freedom to prepare the menu and activities!
We ended up hauling the smoker from the lake all the way to Richmond in order to cook the bird. It turned out pretty good for a first try, but I’m sure we could do even better in the future! Even though it was a brief trip, it was great to see everyone again.
Christmas
Emily’s Brother and his wife welcomed their second child over Thanksgiving, so Christmas was our first chance to meet her. Between Emily’s parents, us, and her brother’s whole family it was a full house! There was always plenty going on during the day, but the family still managed to play a ritual game of Settlers of Catan one night.
We didn’t get a tree for our own house this year, but we still hung our stockings by the fire! The lights we brought from our house in long beach got put to good use too.
Home
After a fun set of holiday trips Emily decided that she was done with her remote work at SpaceX and wanted to leave in order to spend more time with family and working on projects. She wrapped things up right after new year’s, just in time for our first big snowstorms! A few inches of snow might not be much for a seasoned Virginian, but after so many years in California it was a big moment for us that made the move feel real.
