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One day back from our trip from Birmingham, we ventured out to experience the light rail grand opening.

Even though there were some operational glitches, most people were enthusiastic about the light rail, including Debby.

It was a balmy 45 degrees as we waited at the 38th & Washington Street Station. That may not sound cold compared to where you happen to live, but for Phoenicians, it’s freezing.

The trains were pack to the brim with people from all walks of life. Light rail seems to be the great equalizer.

I’m excited about our new light rail system and I can’t wait to see how it affects the developing areas it runs through. Though its route is not practical for my commuting situation, I’m going to try and use it when possible.

Especially during the light rail pub crawl on January 10th. Hope to see you there!

This year, we spent Christmas with Debby’s Sister and her family in Birmingham, Alabama.

There were an overwhelming amount of presents under the tree. It took three rounds of openings for my niece, Caroline, to get through them all. Her excitement was contagious.

Debby sporting her new goggles. Her snowboarding outfit is now complete.

One of the highlights of our trip was making Christmas cookies. In an attempt to use up the remaining cookie dough, I decided to create the largest (unverified) candy cane cookie in the South. Though it may look deceptively small in this photo, it actually measures several feet long. It took Debby several cans of frosting to decorate.

You can view the rest of the photos from our trip here.

Our friends Craig & Tiff had a little boy, Aiden.

There’s some more photos in their Flickr set.