Holiday Vacation!

I'm back in the saddle after a long, much needed holiday vacation! It is good to be back, but we already miss our friends and family. This is what we have been up to:

Drew and I packed up the dogs and headed across the country to Tennessee for Christmas and New Years. We split up the drive into two days, so we drove 9 hours the first day and 5 1/2 the next. The pups loved the hotel room; however, we did not sleep at all!

Our first stop was Nashville, where we spent Christmas with the Beckners.

Home sweet home!

Famous Beckner Santa and Sleigh!

 Usually we have a family tradition of going to church on Christmas Eve and then we go to the Carden's house for a Christmas Eve party with all of our family friends; however, this year we mixed things up because Abby was nine months pregnant and her family flew up to be with her in NYC. There happened to be a Titans game on Christmas Eve, so we hopped in a van and ate, drank, and cheered our way into Christmas.

In the van on the way to the game!






Merry Christmas!

That night we decided it was time to look at Christmas lights. We got in the car and toured Brentwood when my dad decided we should visit a house 20 minutes away in Sunnybrook. Luckily, it was worth the drive-- the house was amazing! The neighbors even help participate and you can actually get out and walk around their yards (we didn't since we were in pajamas). A fun, memorable night indeed :)

The navigators

Dad, Mom & aunt Joyce

The amazing Sunnybrook house!

On Christmas morning, we opened gifts as a family and then ate a delicious breakfast. The rest of the day we lounged around the house and just relaxed. That evening my mom prepared a fabulous Christmas dinner where we came together as a family and celebrated the birth of Jesus. We had great conversations and enjoyed each other's company. Later that night we watched "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation," which is always a crowd pleaser. Here we are all cuddled up on the couch:

Megan, Zoe, Drew, Zilker, Jaime, Lindsy & Bock

The next morning we packed up and headed to Chattanooga to see the Murrays. All six kids and three spouses were there, so there was a full house! It was great seeing everybody and visiting with the family. Feeding eleven people three times a day is a lot of work, so this year Will came up with the idea to have Iron Chef. Each couple was assigned a night to prepare a feast for the family and then at the end of the vacation, we voted on the best overall meal. For our meal, we started with a caprese salad appetizer and a champagne toast. This was followed by the main entree: a pork tenderloin rolled in a mustard, bread crumb, and rosemary seasoning served on top of garlic spinach and creamy Parmesan risotto. Finally, we ended the meal with Kyle's Delight, which is rich layers of graham cracker crust, toasted coconut, caramel sauce, and coolwhip. Yup, you guessed it, Drew and I walked away as the 2011 Iron Chef Champions!

We have a Murray family reunion this summer, so we are hoping to continue our winning streak :) Christmas at the farm was amazing and we are looking forward to seeing everybody in July!

After Christmas at the Murrays, we headed back to Nashville. I helped host a kitchen shower for my dear friend Lauren on NYE morning at my mom's house and we had a great time. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures since my mom took them on her camera, but I think Lauren enjoyed herself! This was a great kick-off to NYE! That afternoon, my dad opened a bottle of Dom Perignon, which I had never tasted before. It was delicious!

Cheers!

We also learned that Abby had her baby, Carden Jameson Corts, in the wee hours of the morning of the 31st, so there was even more reason to celebrate! Happy Birthday, Carden!

Carden Jameson Corts

Finally, it was time to bring in the New Year. My parents stayed home to "puppysit," which was so nice of them :)

Drew and I got dressed up and headed to Mary Diane's house for a NYE party with a group of friends. Everybody brought an appetizer to share, but I have to say that the 2012 engraved baked Brie was my favorite:



2012 Brie!

I am so close with all of my high school girlfriends, so it was so much fun hanging out with them while the boys mingled and got to know each other. Fun times ahead!

Happy 2012!



Lauren & Me!

We stayed in town on New Years Day and ate homemade corn dogs with the family. Lauren and Brian came over to join in on the Beckner tradition and watch the Titans game. This was a great way to end our holiday vacation. The next morning we packed up the car and headed back to Austin. The pups did well in the car because they were exhausted from non-stop playing at my parent's house. Here they are safe and sound back in Austin:

Sisterly Love :)

We are so thankful for our friends and family-- what a fabulous time we had in Tennessee! We love all of you and can't wait to see you guys again soon!

ELF

So I received an email this morning from the front office that was telling teachers to collect all fuzzy hats, candy canes, candy, etc. It made me wonder what the office would think of my lesson today: We will be watching "Elf" as a class and then they will be telling me how Buddy the elf is an archetypal hero- they must identify the four steps to a Hero/Quest Archetypal Story:
1. Separation from the known world
2. Initiation into a new world
3. Discovery about oneself of the world
4. Return to previous life

I am tempted to respond to the office's email with this quote from the movie...
"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup."- Buddy

So the next time you watch "Elf" as a family, you can think about how you are not only being entertained, but you are also watching an educational video. :)

English teachers are creative, what can I say?! May everybody discover their inner ELF this holiday season!

Holiday Cheer!

Seven days until Christmas! I just can't believe it's almost here. Between Christmas shopping, work, and holiday parties (what a rough life, ha) we have been keeping plenty busy! Last week we welcomed a special guest- Jamie, Lindsay's boyfriend, who was in town on business. Lindsay and Jamie have been dating since August and yet I have only met him twice, so it was wonderful to get to know him better and show him around Austin. I know that Drew especially loved having another guy around! We cooked out, took the pups to the park, and of course ate some delicious Mexican food at Polvos :) Here are the guys at the park...boys will be boys.

Last night we went to another holiday dinner at the McMurray's home. There were five couples there and everybody brought over a side dish. We had a wonderful time visiting with friends and feel so blessed to have a great group of friends here in Austin! No pictures from the evening...I really need to be better about that!

Last weekend we went to our first holiday party at our friend Elizabeth's house. There were about 70 people there, so it was a great way to meet people. Most of the people there were Elizabeth's church friends; however, I ended up talking to a girl named Ellen who went to a different church. She told me that it is downtown and is more contemporary, so Drew and I decided to try it out today. We loved it! We have been really bad about attending church since we moved here because we couldn't find one we connected with. The preacher today was great and he delivered the message in an entertaining way. We can walk there, which is also a bonus :) We stopped for brunch on our way home and had a great afternoon together! We are so thankful that Lake Hills was a good fit and are looking forward to going back.

Zilker has taken a new liking to Drew's fuzzy socks...trouble maker.

Three more days of work and then we begin the long drive home for the holidays! Can't wait to see friends and family!!!

Rain, Rain Here to Stay!

Well, I don't have a lot to post about this week, so thought I would blog about the weather, which has been determining our outings lately :) We have been in a serious drought here in Austin, so the rain is much needed, but is sure does make us lazy! It has been raining for several days and it's supposed to continue through tomorrow with temperatures dropping over night. Good news though- the "burn ban" has finally been lifted, so we are talking about going camping sometime soon (I refuse to go if we can't build a fire). I also want to buy a chiminea for our back porch. We have a fireplace, but our building is so old that I am not sure I trust building a fire inside.

Friday night was date night; we went to Zax's and then came home and watched a movie with the pups. Saturday was another wet and low key day for us. I did venture outside a little for the Travis County Art Tour. People open their homes to different artists and then you get a map and decide which houses you want to visit based on the art medium. Little treats and drinks are served along the way, making each stop worth the walk. I had a blast seeing all the artwork and getting the chance to see the inside of some of these beautiful, old homes. I bought some jewelry, homemade soaps & a mosaic magnet. I wish I could have afforded some of the gorgeous oil paintings...maybe one day :)Then later in the day we had people over to eat chili and watch the SEC Championship. LSU won, but we were still proud of our Bulldogs. We ended the night at the Rainey Street District bars- what a fitting name.

Today we are watching Christmas movies...Drew said I had a gift for choosing the worst Christmas movies ever, haha. Sorry, but I love the Family Channel and Lifetime movies ;) Meghan and Clinton come over tonight to continue our "Breaking Bad" series. It's a cold, rainey, apple cider, TV watching kind of day...and I'm lovin' it!

Gobble 'til You Wobble

"It is not happy people who are thankful; it's thankful people who are happy." I came across this quote the other day and thought it was well stated. We have so much to be thankful for and we certainly gave our thanks this past week. Drew and I stayed in Austin for Thanksgiving this year for a much needed holiday break.

Wednesday

I didn't have to work on Wednesday, so I started out my day with a morning jog which turned into a photo shoot with Zilker. 

The jog was followed by breakfast tacos and coffee with Drew, a co-worker and his wife and baby girl. Then we walked downtown to shop a little and see the city. That night I decided to be "festive" and make a cheese ball (reminds me of home during the holidays) and a chocolate pie while Drew prepared a nice dinner. The cheese ball and dinner were a success...the pie, on the other hand, was delicious but looked terrible. Not sure how I managed to butcher a Pillsbury pie shell.... oh well. We have made this pie every year for Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. Lindsay even wrote a poem about this pie when she was in elementary school. Here it is: Chocolate pie, chocolate pie, if I don't get any I think I'll die. Hahaha Let's just say the looks of my pie was as bad as her poem.

Poor chocolate pie

Thanksgiving
I used to run the Boulevard Bolt in Nashville on Thanksgiving morning with Meghan Sayers and my sister (although Lindsay just left us at the start line each year), so last year when we stayed in Austin I looked into Thanksgiving Day runs. I convinced Drew to run with me and assured him it was only a 5K...oops, it was 5 miles :) Needless to say, I couldn't trick him this year, so on Thanksgiving morning we woke up early and walked downtown for the Turkey Day Trot where we walked the 5 miles instead of jogging-- he was such a good sport. It was so fun and it was a beautiful morning to take the dogs for a walk.

Then we came home and made mimosas and sausage & egg biscuits for breakfast. It was a great way to start the holiday.

That afternoon we went over to our friend Dave's house. Drew and I eat at Polvos weekly since it is walking distance from our house and this is where we met Dave, our waiter and now friend.  He and his girlfriend were having "Friendsgiving" at their house, so everybody made sides and they cooked the turkey. We had a blast hanging out at their house, watching football, and eating some fabulous food. We felt blessed to be surrounded by people who wanted to make sure we had a place to go for Thanksgiving. That night we came home and watched a holiday movie and just relaxed. It was a happy Thanksgiving for sure!

Friday
We woke up and took the dogs to the park where they played swam and enjoyed every ounce of freedom. Since Thanksgiving was over, Drew insisted that he wear his Santa hat to the park.

Tired after a long day

Drew watched football that afternoon while I searched for "Black Friday" deals downtown. That night we went to Polvos for dinner followed by going to see the movie "Arthur Christmas," which was really cute. A great little date night!

Saturday
Saturday we watched the Georgia Bulldogs beat Georgia Tech/"The Nerds" and then watched Alabama beat Auburn. Eventually we got off the couch and packed for our San Antonio Christmas Date Night :) Livingsocial ran a special a couple of weeks ago that offered a one night stay at the Historic O'Brien Hotel in downtown San Antonio with complementary wine, chocolate & roses.....yes please! We went out to a nice dinner on the Riverwalk, which was packed with people because they turned on the Christmas lights the night before - huge tourist attraction, and for good reason; it was beautiful! The weather turned cold on Saturday, so we were in the holiday spirit!

My handsome husband

Off to the Rainforest Bar after dinner.

Sunday



We woke up early this morning and grabbed breakfast at a restaurant on the Riverwalk. Then we walked to the Alamo and took some pictures.



After our tour of the Alamo, we said goodbye to San Antonio and headed to the outlets to do some Christmas shopping. We found great deals and are almost finished with our holiday shopping...yea! We got home and put up our Christmas decorations, turned on the holiday music, and are currently mentally preparing to return to work tomorrow. Three weeks & two days until Christmas break....I think this teacher might be more excited about the break than her students :)

Twinkly lights

Our little Christmas tree

Christmas Elves



Tis the season to be merry...and thankful!

Tennessee Whirlwind

Whew! What a fun and exhausting weekend we had. Drew and I helped host a "His & Her" wedding shower in Chattanooga this past weekend for our friends Besty and Will, so we decided to make a big trip out of it. I have not taken off a day from work yet this year, so I was sooo ready for a mini-vacation. I took off work on Friday and had the morning to get ready for the trip before we headed to the airport.

Arriving at the airport

First thing is first. Bloody Marys to celebrate the upcoming weekend :)

We flew into Nashville where my parents greeted us and took us out to a nice dinner at Virago. The sushi was delicious, the wine plentiful, and the company priceless.


Cheers!

Saturday morning we hit the road early and headed to Chattanooga to see Drew's family. Drew's family lives on Lookout Mountain and so the drive up the mountain was just beautiful. The air was cool and the leaves were gorgeous. Drew and I certainly miss having the seasons here in Austin! We arrived around noon and Vicky had an amazing lunch prepared, so we ate lunch and then sat by the fire and watched the Georgia Bulldogs beat Kentucky. Here are some pictures from Saturday:

Homemade Keylime Pie

Hanging out in the kitchen

Sam, Ann, Vicky, Drew, Chip & Babs

That night we went to a Bistro in downtown Chattanooga where we celebrated Will and Betsy's engagement. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures from the evening, but it was so much fun seeing the Chattanooga crew...what a lively bunch when they all reunite:) My friend from high school, Grace, and her husband Will Clark were gracious enough to let us stay at their house so we didn't have to go back up to Lookout Mountain that night. Drew didn't want to leave the next morning--he was too busy trying to bond with Cooper, the Clark's dog...but eventually we said our goodbyes and we were back on the road to Nashville for an early Thanksgiving.

We are staying in Austin for Thanksgiving this year, so my mom put together a pre-Thanksgiving feast at their house on Sunday. My Uncle Rick, Aunt Joyce, cousin Tami, her husband Kyle and their two kids Amiah and Sadie all drove in from Evansville, Indiana to join us. It meant so much to both of us that they all drove in just for the day to see us before we headed back to Austin. Lindsay and her boyfriend Jamie & his two kids also stopped by for the meal and so did the Cardens. It was great seeing all of our family and friends join together to celebrate such an important holiday. We are THANKFUL for all of you :) Here are some pictures from the celebration:

Turkey looking over the feast

Kyle, Rick, Tami, Amiah, Dad, Mom, Joyce, Drew, Megan, Sadie, Gary & Lynn

Jamie, Morgan, Lindsay, Connor, Mom, Joyce

Amiah looking cute as always

Pre-Thanksgiving turned into Pre-Christmas for the girls

We flew out late Sunday night and didn't get home until around midnight. The pups were thrilled to see us and even more thrilled to get their new toys from Granny.



24 hours later & this toy is stuffingless



Zoe protecting her toy before it gets destroyed by Zilker



Zilker copied her sister and now likes the flower pot

Though the weekend went by in a flash, we enjoyed every second of it. We are so thankful for both of our families and feel blessed everyday. We are already looking forward to seeing everybody again over Christmas break!