It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

It's here!  It's here!  Christmas time!  Yay!

We've been very busy getting into the holiday spirit around here!  Two weeks ago we went to Asheville for Christmas at the Biltmore.  I've been asking to go there for...oh, I don't know....8 years?  So this year, as an early Christmas present, we went!  It was just as special as I thought it was going to be.  We went up Thursday night after work and had dinner at a yummy place called Tupelo Honey in downtown Asheville.  Up and at 'em bright and early on Friday....we started our day with coffee and pastries at the Bake Shop at Biltmore.  Then we did a little bit of browsing around the shops.  We headed into the house (where you're not allowed to take pictures...weird and not cool) and spent the next couple of hours touring around.  Wow.  It's pretty phenomenal.  I kept saying, "People lived here!"  It was really beautiful, dressed to the nines for Christmas.  We then spent a little time walking around the gardens, which were sprawling.  I'm sure they are stunning in the springtime.  Then, we headed over to Antler Hill Village, had lunch at Cedric's Tavern (named after the Vanderbilt's beloved St. Bernard), and then toured the winery.  After a full day at Biltmore, we met up with our friend Doug who lives in Asheville.  He and Barrett have been great friends since they were kids, and he was a groomsman in our wedding, so it was nice to be able to spend some time hanging out.  We had a wonderful time...I'm looking forward to our next visit.  Anyone up for a trip to see the Tulip Blanket in the spring?!  :-)

Thanks for my early Christmas gift Barrett!

Yummy coffee and pastries.

From the gardens.

Having a blast!

With the lions.

Entrance to the estate.

The Conservatory.

Pretty poinsettia tree.

The staircase from outside.

Barrett with Cornelia and Cedric.

Making champagne (sparkling wine).

The Biltmore Wine Library.

One bottle from each batch up until a few years ago.

Then it was Thanksgiving!  Can you believe how far into the year we are?  We went to Burlington for Thanksgiving this year.  It was nice to be able to spend the holiday with my mom and stepdad this year...it was also nice to not have to be the one cooking the turkey!  We had a wonderful time, ate way too much, and really enjoyed the company.  I can't believe it's over....we've even finished all the leftovers already!  Oh well...on to Christmas!

Sleepy Cheddar...before turkey.

Me and Rachel.

Rachel and Mom.

Turkey.  Yum.

Thanksgiving table.



We have been very busy bees around the house...pulling out all of the Christmas shenanigans that make our home holly jolly.  All our hard work has paid off!  We are officially ready for Christmas!  Well, minus all the shopping we still haven't done...but when that happens we'll have a happy tree to put them all under!

Our Baby Pirate Tree.

My happy little sign I bought myself from one of the shops at the Biltmore.

Our dining room table.

Front door.

Pirate nutcracker.  AARRGH!

Our stocking are hung from the key holder with care...

12 Days of Christmas bowl.

Supervising the tree man.

Our tree!  :-)

Buddy's exhausted from all the commotion.

We hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving and wish you all a holly, jolly Christmas season!

A Day that Required Red Wine and Oprah

Today was rough...one of those days at work where I remember that as much as I love my job, I definitely can't do it forever.  Suffice it to say, I just felt the need to remind everyone to love your babies, kiss your spouse, and tell your family and friends how much they mean to you.

Saying special prayers for a little man who got his angel wings today.

Oh when the Saints...Go marching in!

This weekend we went to the Saints vs Panthers game here in Charlotte.  Sad day to be a Panthers fan...great day to claim Louisiana!  :-)  My mom and stepdad came into town from Burlington to go to the game with us.  It was a beautiful day...a little chilly, but sitting on the sunny side of the stadium helped.  There was a family sitting in front of us who flew to NC from LA for the game.  They lived in Covington, LA which is only about 30 minutes or so from my dad's house.  Small world!  The Panthers fans gave up pretty early (with about 6 minutes left in the the 3rd) which made me sad for the Panthers!  I mean...who wants to play their hardest when no one is rooting for them?  Not me.  We left a little early and headed back to our side of town to have some good old Creole/Cajun cookin' at this new place that opened near our house to celebrate.  :-)  Who dat?

Appropriate koozie for the game.  :-)

This would be right after the mass exodus of Panthers fans.  All that teal and silver - seats.  Sad.

Speaking of sad....how 'bout those Pirates this weekend?  Ew Pirates.  Ew.  Who lets someone score 76 points??!!  Some people don't score 76 points in a season!  Yuck.  Glad I didn't travel to Greenville for that game...poor Barrett did.  But, at least he got to see his mom who had flown in for the weekend.  So, there was the silver lining of the weekend!  :-)

I didn't go to Greenville because a good friend of mine, Aundrea, was having a baby shower here in Charlotte.  She's due in January, and they aren't finding out what the sex of the baby will be.  Bless 'em.  Don't know that I could ever do that!  I'm way too much of a planner!  How fun though to actually have that made for TV moment when the doctor says, "It's a..."  Anywho...the shower was great and I got to see some of my sorority sister's I hadn't seen in a while....including my friend Lauren and her 6 week old baby girl, Ruth.  Too cute.  I think I may have hogged her a little during the 2 hours I was there.  Sorry everyone else!  :-) 

Another fun little tid bit of the weekend is that I got to attend the JDRF Hope Gala.  It is the Charlotte chapter of JDRF's (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) annual fundraiser/award dinner/auction/black tie event.  Our nurse manager for the Peds floor was unable to go and asked the Child Life folks if any of us wanted to go.  No one else could, and I originally said no because my built in date was out of town, but then I decided it would be more fun than sitting at home and doing laundry.  :-)  I went with my friend Angela and had a blast.  It's fun to get all dolled up and pretend to be fancy now and then.  I didn't bid on any auction items though....I thought I'd probably be in a little trouble if I came home with a yacht vacation or a new puppy.  :-) 

The Last Couple of Months...In Pictures :-)

OK...Sat down with my phone and transferred all of my pictures to my computer.  Only took me about 9 weeks to find the time to do that!  :-)  Here are a few fun pics from the last couple of months.

Sweet Buddy enjoying some sunshine

Matt confirming his distaste for the NCSU Wolfpack.

"Everybody's hands go up!"

Me and Jenna

Go Pirates!

Me and Claire

Barrett perfecting his game.

Me and Rach

Homecoming/Birthday Weekend!

Happy Birthday Barrett!

Birthday boy and girl...

Happy Birthday Lora!

Birthday cake...thanks Matt and Jenna!

:-)

Me, Lora, and Kristi

Our tailgating spot...

Uncle BB and Landon at Chico's

Freeboot Friday

Football and Helmet Cookies!

I was pretty proud of myself.  :-)

Oh!  And I made pumpkin bread too!

My birthday breakfast...Barrett's simply the best.  :-)

And birthday dinner....why is food such a big part of everything I do?

I suppose this is a tradition now...  :-)

My first wearing of the rockstar shades.

Pretty in Pink Baby Shower

Photo Booth



Happy Wednesday!

Sweet November

We made it!  Yay!  I can't believe November is here, but I've actually never been happier to see it arrive!  The past few months have been so crazy busy, and I am ready to get things back to normal around here!

October was very eventful...lots of football, lots of birthdays, lots of traveling, lots of fun!

We spent two weekends in Greenville...once for the ECU vs. NC State game.  Go Pirates.  :-)  The next weekend was a doozy!  Not only was it Homecoming (so back to Greenville we went) but it was also birthday weekend!  Yay!

Another year older...Barrett and I both celebrated big.  It was definitely nice to be able to spend some time with family on our birthdays this year.  We spent Barrett's birthday in Greenville...celebrating another Pirate victory.  Matt and Jenna got us a super cute purple and gold birthday cake to celebrate (thanks!) and we had a nice long day out in the sunshine.  That Saturday was also my friend Lora's birthday, so it was fun to be able to celebrate all together.  On Sunday, we zipped back through Raleigh to stop at my sister's house (whose birthday was the previous Thursday) to have birthday breakfast.  Then...we scooted to Burlington to have lunch with my mom and stepdad.  (We did a lot of eating that weekend).  Currently I do not have any pictures available from birthday weekend because I have recently been using my phone as my camera and have not had the time to transfer the hundred or so pictures to my computer.  All in good time...

The next day was my birthday...and unfortunately it was a little sad.  :-(  Not only had I been fighting getting sick for a few days...but I also have class on Mondays, and happened to have a test that day.  So, after running to campus to convince my teacher to give me my test early, I had to go to the doctor...in the rain.  So, even though I had to take a test while sick with soaking wet pant legs...it actually turned out to be a great birthday.  It was SO nice to just be at home!  Barrett and I had lunch at TacoMac (which I may have to blog about another time because I love it so much), we went shopping for my Halloween costume for work, and I got some awesome new shades!  Two pair to be exact...  :-)  The ocean ate my RayBans Labor Day weekend, so my mom and sister gave me gift cards to get a new pair...and Barrett got me the most fun new pair of purple Oakley Frogskins. So now I have some classy shades and some shades that make me feel a bit like a rockstar.  :-)

The Child Life crew at our Halloween Party for the kids. 

We were all different holidays.  :-)

My shades.  :-)

This past weekend we were home!  For the first time since the third weekend in August!  I went to a baby shower for my friend from work Ashlyn.  It was a Pretty in Pink theme and super cute.  There was even a photo booth complete with pink props!  My friend Elyse who moved to California about a year ago came to town for the festivities and we had a blast!  All the girls went to dinner Saturday night and smugly made fun of all the terribly trashy Halloween costumes.  Sunday morning we had a surprise Sprinkle (a mini baby shower for a second baby) for another one of the girls at work.  It was a fun-filled weekend with the Child Life ladies.  I've said it before, but I count my lucky stars that I work with people who I really do love.  Sunday I spent the entire day (literally....8 hours at my computer) studying for another exam.  Because I was doing that, and because Buddy doesn't so much love the doorbell, we cheated a bit on Halloween.  We stuck a bowl of candy out on the front porch with a little note.  At least we weren't the stuffy no fun neighbors who didn't even buy candy.  :-)

A couple of photos from the Pretty in Pink photo shoot!

I'm looking forward to lots of home cooked dinners, some good night's sleep, and getting my house back in order and geared up for the holidays.  Ready or not...here they come!