It seems Chris & I are on a roll of White Christmases. Last year we watched the snow fall in Vermont & this year it followed us to Lubbock. I love SNOW! So it was the perfect addition to our holiday celebrations. Unfortunately Christmas in our family was a little rough this year. My Granny fell and broke her hip just a few days before and so we spent the holiday on hospital rotations. However I really would not trade it for the world. Chris & I spend part of Christmas night at the hospital. My Granny had slept most of the day which made her awake & alert for our 9pm-3am shift. We just sat & talked. I held her hands, rubbed her back & just shared the details of our Christmas day. She commented on all her great grandchildren & how beautiful they are. It was truly priceless time! We always treasure our family time and this year was really no exception! I think the kids all had a wonderful Christmas!
This was the first year that Chris & I have been on a more typical holiday circuit with our families. Since we spent Thanksgiving with his family then we will be in Lubbock for Christmas. So his family had a Pre-Christmas Christmas this past weekend. The kids got tons of toys, games, clothes & costumes! I still cannot believe all the loot! We enjoyed spending the evening with everyone & watching the Cowboys afterwards. The pictures really tell it best...
My twin sister has always been the athlete, so it should be no surprise that she has a new hobby....running. A few years back she & a friend began training for a half marathon. They have since run 3. It just blows my mind! Anyway this year they were back to run the White Rock Half Marathon & fortunately for me we now live close enough to participate as spectators! Saturday night we "carb loaded" with she & Andrew at Bucca. Yummy food & great Sangria! Then Sunday morning I met up with Andrew, the kids & her in laws. We drove down together and found a place to spot her at mile 9. They stopped long enough to hug Drew & I got a quick photo op. Then it was back on the road to the finish line. Susan & Sarah set new personal records & were very pleased with how the race went. Congrats ladies!!!
It is so great to be back home where we can enjoy the little things in life...like my nieces Christmas dance recital. They did a number to a Jingle Bells tune. It was priceless! She was eating it up! We look forward to this spring when the next recital comes around. We love you Emmerson!
We have so much to be thankful for! This year has been a whirlwind, but we have seen God's faithful hand in everything & so we give thanks! It was nice to spend the holiday here in the Dallas area - no traveling required! Wednesday night we had dinner with our friends the McKenzie's in from Baton Rouge. We finally got to meet Anna Claire and she was so much fun! We only wished they lived closer so we could hang out more often. That evening we met up with Shane & Laura (who really need to update the blog) to see The Blind Side. It was soooo good! A must see for everyone out there :). Thursday we spent the afternoon & evening with Chris' family. Lots of good food & fun times at the park. Followed by a big Cowboys Win & an Aggie loss...I guess we can't have everything we want! The Seiferd's entertained again on Thursday night - definitely a night I will never forget. Not sure if I can explain without it becoming a novel, but I will try. We met them at a friends house (they were house/dog sitting) & headed for some relaxation in the hot tub. Got out of the hot tub to learn we had locked ourselves out in the cold. Its 11:30pm, we have no clothes (just bathing suits & towels), no shoes, no keys, no phone, no phone numbers...you get the picture! Fortunately we found some neighbors who were awake and were able to eventually call a locksmith. In the meantime we waited it all out in Shane's key less entry truck. But not before Shane & I found the dog poop in the dark! Good times my friends! Memories of a lifetime for sure :) Friday we slept in and then did a little Christmas shopping. I cooked up brisket for dinner and we enjoyed some time with Aunt Debbie & Uncle John. The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. We finished up a few more things from the to do list around the apartment & of course we decorated (or rather I decorated) for Christmas!
Here are some great pics from Thanksgiving Day mostly. And no unfortunately there are no pictures from the hot tub incident - you will have to picture that yourselves :)
My little nephew turned 3 yesterday! He is such a big boy now and really it all goes way to fast even for us aunts & uncles. I still remember seeing him for the first time via Skype. We were living in Phoenix and could not be there for the birth. It was a cold snowy day in Lubbock so really Skype was the best way to see him even if we had been local. Drew is the perfect blend of Susan & Andrew - it is crazy how much he looks & acts like both of them! We love you Drew & we were so happy to celebrate with you this year! My sister threw a great party with a fire truck and everything! She really is so creative. Way to go sis you did an amazing job!
After the party Chris & I were able to hang out with family and friends we have not seen in at least a year! It is so awesome to think now we can see them whenever we would like :) We were able to have 2 double dates for coffee & lunch with 2 very special couples. Thanks for making time for us Rineharts & Kings! We look forward to doing it again soon!
This trip was also special because I got to meet my newest niece Brooklyn. She is already so big! I have serious time to make up for! She is a wonderful baby, so happy & sweet! We love you too Brooklyn!
The drive from NJ to TX is about 24 hours long - so we decided to enjoy the sites along the way to break things up and give our legs a good stretch! Our main stop was Nashville! Chris had never been before and well I barely remember it from a trip there when I was younger. We had a great time doing all the touristy things during the day. We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium and walked the streets of Broadway. For lunch we stopped at Jack's. Clearly it was the best choice as the line was out the door. They have some serious BBQ and everyone wanted to try it! After we had seen all we could see we met up with Cody & Raylissa Batten for dinner and then stayed the night at their house. It was so great to see them & meet their sweet little girl Trenda. Thanks again to the Battens for letting us stay & for entertaining us :)
We took tons of pictures....so enjoy as many as you can!
Welcome to our blog! This is our way to share our lives with those we don't see everyday & some that we do. We hope this blog will give you a look into our world.
