The recent Christmas holiday was fantastic! Matt and I made it to Pensacola around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. It was nice getting there before midnight for a change! Matt stayed a week longer than me to spend time with his mom, so unfortunately, we had to drive separately.
We had dinner with my parents that night and later visited Tara, my best friend, for our gift exchange. Tara recently moved back to the states from England where she and her husband lived for three years. It was so awesome seeing her again, even if it was only for a couple of hours.
We spent Christmas Eve preparing for the following day and visiting Matt's family. Since we've been married, our tradition has been to spend Christmas Eve with his family and Christmas Day with my family. It works out great because they live in the same city, not to mention they live within a mile of one another.
It has been really hard being so far away from family, but it makes our reunions with them so much more special. It was fun seeing everyone open up their gifts, especially the kids. They get so excited!
Matt and I went to the movies on Christmas Day and saw "Marley & Me" with my parents and Matt's mom and brother. First, I would definitely recommend the book - it was a great read. Second, the movie was also a good adaptation of the book. One minute you're laughing hysterically and the other you're balling your eyes out. It doesn't help that I'm a dog lover, but it definitely doesn't help that one of my dogs shares the name, Marley. If you see the movie or read the book, be sure to have some tissues ready!
For the record, we named Marley before we ever heard of the book. ;)
My good friend, Laura, drove from Tallahassee on Saturday just to see us! We had brunch at an amazing local jewel in Pensacola called "The Coffee Cup." I've been wanting to go there for a long time. I saw (and tasted) why so many people love it! The food was delicious and our waitress was really nice. After we ate, we headed to the mall to battle the crowds (compared to Houston, it was NOTHING).
Later, Matt, Laura and I went to my nephew's first birthday party. Check out this awesome photo of Nikolaus chowing down on his first birthday cake! It was adorable.
After saying our sad goodbyes to Laura, Matt and I stopped by the Coleys' house. We were only there for a little while, but we always have a blast with Steve, Amanda and their precious daughter, Ava. Matt was excited that he was able to spend practically his last week with them just hanging out, playing with Ava and working on his Rock Band drum skills. We love hanging out with the Coleys!
Later that night, we joined the Coleys for an "After-Christmas" Party at Josh and Megan Moralita's house. It was great seeing all of our friends again, but unfortunately, I wasn't feeling well, so I had to leave a little early. It was hard leaving not knowing the next time I would see them again.
On Sunday, I headed back to Houston all by my lonesome. I sound pitiful, but it really wasn't that bad. I think I'm getting used to the eight-hour drive, which is hard to believe. It stinks being in Houston without my husband, but I know he's enjoying his extended vacation in Pensacola spending time with his family and friends. I only wish I could be there too!
After I returned to Houston, Matt stayed and spent time with some of our closest friends whom we miss so much. He was grateful to have an extra week to hang out with many of our closest friends for a New Year's "bashapalooza" (as Matt called it) at the Henrys' house. I hung out with some friends from our Sunday School class where we spent the evening building a bonfire and shooting off fireworks. Even though Matt and I weren't together, we still had a lot of fun on New Years Eve.
We miss all of you so much and can't wait to see you very soon! We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! Happy New Year!
