This year we headed to the coast just after Christmas for our Geilf the Elf delivery with Marika and her kids. It was seriously the best trip. The perfect location, the ocean beautiful, the weather warm enough to play outside. A perfect way to start creating happy memories during a time in life when unhappy memories seem to create themselves more often than necessary.
God really did grant us a week of perfect memories. I think my sister said it best when, at the end of our trip, she laughed and said, ‘We really did combine two broken families and, for the week, it felt like one whole one.”
2013 was a long year for both of our families. My sister survived the first year after her divorce. My health was worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. Not to mention the fact that Doug and I are now 6 years into trying to get me healthy enough to have a baby (I’m supposed to be getting more healthy, not less!). It’s amazing how no matter how many years you add to that number, you just never get used to it.
But we did have our week! I’m so glad we decided to capture the trip in these little time capsule Christmas ornaments. Each of us got an empty bottle to fill with treasures. I love that when I look at mine it brings me right back to that perfect week on the beach.
They were so easy to make, I think I might make it a new tradition to fill one with each family trip. I ordered the bottles from Beau-coup.com (the small ones) but have since seen them at Hobby Lobby as well. The screw eye hooks
After we got home, I soaked the contents of each bottle in a solution made from 1 part bleach and 2 parts water for a couple minutes to make sure nothing would grow inside our ornaments (ew!) and then let everything dry completely. Yesterday I went ahead and glued the corks on with E6000® 
