Half way

We are halfway through our holiday vacation here in MN and so far it has been great! We have spent the last few days with my parents. Today we did a little antique shopping and of course I bought some Fiesta. I also got some great pieces for Christmas! I am very excited about a disk pitcher and casserole dish that I got as gifts. I think I will be coming home with 8 pieces of Fiesta (some big & some little, some old & some new)...I think that is pretty good!

Eric's big Christmas gift is a new Netbook! I am using it now to blog on and I have to say I really like it! This will primarily be used for Eric to work on his dissertation. The netbook is small and perfect for him to take with him where ever he goes.

Tomorrow we are going to spend a little time in Minneapolis and go ice skating before we head back to Eric's mom's place for a few days. I love the city and miss living there so we are excited to spend some time there tomorrow!

The Blizzard

We have been in MN for a few days now and the big storm that was threatening our Christmas plans wasn't that big and scary. We got several inches of snow, and then some rain, and then more snow. But it didn't interrupt our flight nor our driving plans on Christmas morning! The snow is beautiful though! I really do miss it when we are in Georgia.

So far we have been sledding, played wii, opened presents, and ate a ton of good food! Of course there are always cookies around and Eric and I have limited ourselves to two a day. I know that seems extreme for some of you but we are trying to be good and not consume too many calories!

Today my mom and I are going to do a little after Christmas shopping and we are going to watch the new Sherlock Holmes movie tonight.

Our Christmas holidays have been great so far....I hope you are enjoying yours!!

Tomorrow...

we will be in Minnesota!!! That is if we can get there before the big blizzard decides to snow-in the Midwest! Once in MN we will be spending some time with both of our families. We are hoping to get some time in with Eric's extended family...we always have fun with his cousins and aunts & uncles! I never had a big family so I love being around everyone!! We are also planning on spending a few nights out with friends (give us a call if you want to do something!) and will be bringing in the New Year with our old roommates. At the end of our trip we are hoping to spend a day in Northern MN....we sure will be busy!!! I am not sure if I will be able to blog along the way but you know I will try. Just in case....

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

In three days

we will be in MN for the Holidays! I am very excited to be going home and to see all our friends and family but....there is part of me that starts stressing out about traveling. There is so much to prepare before we go anywhere (at least it feels like a lot to me). We have to find someone to take care of the cats, figure out how we are going to get to the airport (drive ourselves and pay for parking or get a ride?), then there is the packing and making sure your bag doesn't weigh more than 50 lbs, and of course making sure you get to the airport on time. Plus, when traveling to any part of the US where there is snow...there might be chances for delays. I also get a little sad to have to say goodbye to our kitties. I know they will be lonely and I feel a little guilty leaving them for so long. Anyways...I think you can tell that I suffer a slight bit of anxiety when we are about to travel. Once I am on the plane though, I am completely fine :) Right now I just need to think of how much fun it will be to see all of our friends and families, play in the snow, and having a wonderful Christmas in MN!!

In 3 days I will be here.... :)

Charleston

This past weekend we made a quick trip to Charleston to see Eric's brother, Justin, and his girlfriend, Lindsay, graduate from Charleston School of Law. Eric's mom flew in from MN and the three of us headed to Charleston to see the graduation ceremony. Here are Justin and Lindsay in their fancy graduation outfits...

And one of the brothers and their mother...


While in Charleston we exchanged Christmas gifts with Justin and Lindsay (thanks guys for the gifts!!). Their dogs, Marlin and Annabell, also had fun while we opened presents...aren't they cute!?!



Here is one of Marlin and his amazing soccer skillz....


We had a great time in Charleston with Lindsay and Justin and wish them luck when they take the Bar in February!! I will have a Lawyer for a brother-in-law!! Our trip ended back in Athens after we watched the first half of Gone with the Wind with Becky before she had to head back to MN.

Not enough time

Usually around this time of year I have decorated for Christmas, put up Christmas lights outside, baked Christmas cookies, bought all my Christmas presents, wrapped all of the presents, and shipped them off to MN. The only thing I have accomplished so far is decorating for Christmas and buying some Christmas gifts via online shopping. I feel SOOOO behind! I just don't feel like myself this year! The reason for not having as much accomplished as I would like to is because of school. Thankfully tomorrow that will all be over. Tomorrow night I have my Accounting final and once it is done, I will hopefully be able to get back on track with all of my Christmas plans. There is just too much to do in so little time!

Athens Christmas Parade

This was the 3rd year I have gone to the Athens Christmas Parade and it was just as fun as the past years! Our friends Michelle and Kelly came with us to check out the parade for their first time. We started out the night at Casa Mia. We had some yummy food and mango margaritas! I highly recommend this place for some good Latin tapas. We finished dinner just in time to step outside to watch the parade. My favorite parts of the parade are when the humane society and the Athens animal control goes by because they have a ton of dogs that they are walking and they are all so cute! Eric doesn't like this part of the parade because it makes me wish we had a dog and he isn't a huge fan of the idea. My other favorite part of the parade are all the school bands. I love the music and the beat of the drums, it makes me want to dance! After the parade was over we walked over to Trapeze to have a drink and something sweet to eat. Overall it was a great night!!

Me &Michelle

Me & Eric

Michelle & Kelly

The 4 of us (BTW...it was a little cold out!!)

Now that I have decorated AND I have been to the Christmas parade...it officially feels like Christmas time! I even busted out the Christmas tunes in the car today!

Thanksgiving Weekend

This Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to have my parents come and visit from Minnesota. They were here for 5 days and we had a good time and ate a lot of good food! My mom and I cooked Thanksgiving day dinner and it took all day!! Our friends Greg and Val came over to share Thanksgiving with us and they brought with them an amazing sweet potato pie. I tried to be all Martha Stewart and make the table look nice...this is what I came up with....



The rest of the weekend was very relaxing. Mom and I did some Black Friday shopping while Eric and Dad watched football. On Saturday we went to the Botanical Gardens and enjoyed the walking trials they have. Here are some pictures from the day...





We had a great weekend with my parents and I cant wait to see them again at Christmas time!