Christmas.2011

Christmas was spent at home this year.  *Just the two of us* and it was so great.  We spent three whole days off together just hanging out and relaxin'.  It was wonderful to have some down time and quiet time together after all the hustle bustle of travelling we did a few weeks earlier.  A Merry Christmas it was!  Here's some photos of the house all decorated!

Our tree!  Please excuse the leaning star.  Alas, we're not perfect ;)



Little touches here and there...

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Our advent calendar is full of ornaments!

Mom made us a card tree similar to the one that I grew up with in my parents' home.

Sparkly snowflakes everywhere!

More snowflakes!

Beautiful poinsettia in our living room

Luminaries lining the streets of our neighborhood

A Christmas Eve tradition

Bundled up for a late-night stroll through our neighborhood.

Our Christmas home

And a home-grown strawberry ripened just in time for Christmas.  We split it and it was AMAZING.  Merry Christmas!

A Merry Southern Christmas: Part 2

The second half of our Christmas trip was spent in Nashville with Joe's family.  We all cozied up together at John's condo for 3 days!  Lots of family game time at the house and taking it easy!  Drew and Lea drove us up to Nashville through beautiful countryside (though we also witnessed last spring's destructive tornado damage).  The day we arrived, we toured CMT and then went to Monell's for a grand family style Christmas dinner.  What a treat!  The next day we walked around Opryland which was elaborately decorated for Christmas, and that night we enjoyed country music at The Listening Room Cafe.  Another fun place was Pfunky Griddle where we made our own pancakes for breakfast.  We started out making normal pancakes but then we got more creative!  As you can tell, much of our fun involved all of Nashville's good eateries :)  But truly, most of all, Joe and I treasured just being together with everyone. 

Recording a song, NBD



Touring John's workplace @ CMT downtown Nashville

Christmas dinner at Monell's

Mmmm cider

A quartet sang Christmas carols all night for us

Bashful because the quartet sang a special Christmas love song just for them!

Dessert :)

Candlelight vigil after dinner

Full bellies after Monell's Christmas dinner

A tense Jenga game

Ohhhhhhh....

Aaaaahhh!  I'm so glad it wasn't me ;)  Lea, you were amazing.

Christmas at Opryland Hotel

Pretty Christmas decorations at Opryland

Enjoying new singer/songwriters at The Listening Room Cafe

Making fun pancakes at Pfunky Griddle

Cheers!

That's a wrap!  Joe and I had a nice time with the fam!  Merry Christmas everyone!

A Merry Southern Christmas: Part 1

Joe and I spent a week in the South visiting our families in Columbus, MS and Nashville, TN.  It was a late Thanksgiving and early Christmas celebration and a trip that was full of love and making memories together.

I particularly enjoyed our time with my brother Drew and his wife Lea in their home.  To capture a glimpse of the Air Force life in Columbus was so special.  They were amazing hosts and have made a beautiful home together and I just felt so comfortable and totally spoiled by their Southern hospitality.  Homemade breakfasts and warm tea while catching up on episodes of New Girl should be a new tradition :)  I loved that so much.  Touring the base, seeing Drew's plane and flying the simulator and the constant hum of airplanes circling overhead were memories I'll never forget.  The night we went wassailing through the shops in downtown Columbus really put me in the Christmas mood, it felt so warm and vintage and merry!  Some of the wassail was so yummy and then there was that one that tasted like pure cloves, yuck!  One day they took us shopping at their favorite store Dirt Cheap.  That was...enlightening.  Definitely Mississippi!  I love my brother and sister-in-law and am so grateful we got to share some quality time together :)  Here's a few photos from our trip to Mississippi.

Me flying the sim with Drew as copilot

Red beans and riiiice!



The T-6 sim



Drew tellin' me more than I need to know about this plane.

The gear that prevents you from passing out in the fighter jets.

Lunch with Lea at Proffitt's Porch on Officer's Lake :)

Front porch relaxin' at Tennessee William's first home.