Let's start with going home! I flew home on December 21st and John met me at the airport with a coat :D It was FREEZING! When I left Miami it was 75 and when I got to Raleigh it was in the 40's. HUGE difference! John and I started out our trip by eating dinner at his parents house. Dad Martin's food is ALWAYS yummy, so I always look forward to it :D After dinner we headed to my mom's house. We decided that since John went home a few days before me and got to spend time with his family, we would spend the first few days I was at home with mine. When we got to my mom's house my MawMaw and Pawpaw were already here! We were really surprised because they came so early! Of course I was thrilled, but also sad that it didnt leave much time at all for me to spend alone time with my mom, brother, sister. Especially since we had such a packed trip. Those few days were kind of for spending the time with just my immediate family. Oh well. It was still a great time! The next few days were spent spending time with my grandparents, running some errands that we needed to do in Raleigh, and going out late at night to see some of our friends, mostly those that worked at WRAL and got off work late. It was nice to start catching up with some friends :D
For Christmas, we decided that we would spend Christmas Eve with my family and then Christmas day John's family. It was all intermingled anyway- you'll see what I mean :D On Christmas Eve the plan was for me to cook! YAY! I was really excited because I love to cook. I also think I keep getting better at it :D It also helps when your best friend is an amazing cook and you can steal all her recipes. haha. Anyway, my mom and mawmaw and even John helped ;D We made a great feast! However, the plan was to do Christmas presents when my brother got off work at 4, Christmas Eve service at 6, and then dinner at 7:30. That is exactly how it went too! My dad's mom and Roy, Mawmaw and Pawpaw, and my family all opened presents together (minus my sister, she did participate because of how she believes now). It was a lot of fun. It was the first time ever that both my mom's parents and my dad's mom and Roy all spent Christmas together. It was sad that it was also the first Christmas without my dad too.:(. I actually started to cry a little bit passing out presents to the family because there were none for my dad. However, Christmas wasnt as upsetting as I thought it would be. I think it's because there was so much going on. Here are some pic of present opening!
Christmas tree!
Mawmaw and Pawpaw
Grandma and Roy
me and my mom!
Chris and John got these remote control things. lol they chased the cat with them. LOL.
After presents John and I went to the Christmas Eve service with Johns family, which was just beautiful. :D It made it feel more like Christmas to me.
John and me at the Christmas Eve service :D
Me and my godson! He has gotten SO big! he is such a good baby too! didnt fuss at all during the whole service!
Then we all headed to my mom's house. SO ALL of my families were together :D we all got to eat all the yummy food and spend some time together.
Then we all headed to my mom's house. SO ALL of my families were together :D we all got to eat all the yummy food and spend some time together.
During dinner, my sister, brother, and I pulled my mom into her bedroom for a suprise gift :D Let me tell you the background story first: After my parents got married my dad bought my mom a pair of BEAUTIFUL emerald earrings (emeralds are her favorite). Well, over the years she lost one of them. Years ago I was going through her closet and found one of them and have kept it ever since. My dad and I had planned on making something for her with it, but I just never had the money. Well this year we all decided it would be nice to go ahead and make her necklace with it and make it from my dad, since it was the first Christmas without him. SHE LOVED IT! and it turned out really pretty and of course looks really pretty on her :D. It was our way of kind of having my dad there for my mom this year. :D
After presents was BINGO! yes, BINGO! Ever since I was little my Mawmaw and Pawpaw would play bingo with us and buy all these little gifts for the winner! Each round everyone won. lol. This year, we had EVERYONE play! and Pawpaw decided he wanted to make it where you could steal a present from someone else- like white elephant. SO it was a blast! My sister-in-law Julie got mad because we kept taking her prizes from her. lol. It was a great time. We played until really late :D Then we headed to John's parents house and spent the night :D
Christmas day we got up really early and opened presents with his family and then headed to Fayetteville! We usually spend Christmas day with his dad's side of family. It's always so good to see everyone, since it's the only time of the year we get to see them. The food is great too! We spent the day down there and then headed back to Raleigh. We went back to my parents house and spent some time with them on Christmas and then ended up spending the night at the Martin's so we could get up for church the next morning.
It was an action packed Christmas, but SO nice to see everyone! I LOVE Christmas :D I also forgot to mention that me and John decided to go to the NCSU Bowl game, so that was our present to each other :D
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