This Christmas, Jon and I were able to enjoy all of our family. Since they all came to us last year, we went to them. We started by traveling to East Texas where my family lives. Jon drove, so I got to take advantage and get beautiful sunset photos. I really love landscape shots, I decided. And sunsets. Maybe they're cliché, but I like them.My family's Christmas consisted of food and chit chat. LOTS of both! One of the highlights of the weekend was the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment. All of us "kids" got Mentos in our stockings (which we got to open Christmas Eve--a first!). Jon opened his first, and it was the, "Oh, thanks...." kind of response, until my dad informed him of the 8 2-liter bottles of Diet Coke he had on the back porch. Jon's eyes lit up and he reiterated his thanks, but this time much more sincerely!
Our Christmas meal wasn't traditional, since it wasn't really Christmas day, and we'd be having that meal with other families. So we had a wonderful pork loin. That, plus a puzzle and games and movies made a perfect weekend.
It was so much fun to have all the family together.
On Monday morning we got up while it was still dark to head up to Silver Dollar City (SDC), near Branson, MO. SDC is a Norvell family favorite vacationing spot, and Jon and his brother have many childhood memories there. Jon was like a little kid as we finally neared our cabin (and I heard Dave was the same). That night we opened stockings--a first for this side of the family as well (you parents are getting weak in your old age! Haha!). The next day we managed to cook a full Christmas meal in a tiny kitchen (Mary cooked/sliced the turkey before coming...otherwise we wouldn't have made it), and it was delicious. The next two days we spent in SDC, enjoying the Christian atmosphere there as we celebrated the birth of our Lord.
By Friday, we were ready to come home. I drove the first leg, and we had the tiniest bit of snow, though it warmed up as we headed back home.
We were home, tired, and happy. What a great week!
Great post and photos; thanks!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a wonderful Christmas with all of your family. It is hard learning new traditions and new places for holidays when you're married, but then, we wouldn't have it any other way, would we?
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! I think it's fun when parents make an effort to amuse us as adult kiddos. Tim's mom gave both the boys nerf guns and they had a blast shooting them. However, I must complain that Kara & I had no ammo to protect ourselves. But the coke photos are great! I love the dramatic lighting to the show you went to. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a blast...the fun time as well as the mentos! :)
ReplyDeleteJolly good fun! Thanks for the CD.
ReplyDeleteI just realized that you have a blog! It sounds like you guys had a great Christmas. I'm not sure what mentos and diet coke have to do with each other, but it looks like some kind of science experiment gone bad. Hopefully we will get to see you guys soon!
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