Christmas Round 2

Cam's dad has started going to Florida for two months over the winter for health reason, so we have to do our Christmas early with his family as well. This year, we invited his mom's side of the family over. It was the first time that I got to attend their Christmas and the first time they've gotten together for Christmas in a few years. We hope to make it a regular thing again, though.

We got my FIL a George Foreman grill for his stay in Florida

He's a little spoiled...just a little!

Cam's dad just bought a new truck, so we got him an IU hitch plate

Our family

The Family (I'm taking the picture)

Christmas Round 1

Because of our crazy schedules and busy lives, my girlfriends and I have to hold our Christmas party early each year. We've started holding our parties out our house and I love it. For those that know me, you know that I love event planning and getting ready for parties. Even though our parties are small, I still love getting ready for it!

This year we had to have our Christmas the first weekend in December.



We did a carry-in style meal with ham, mashed potatoes, noodles,
rolls, green bean casserole, salad and lots of desserts!



Hot Cocoa Bar

The beginning of the Ipad fun that night

It looked nothing like her!

The girls--love them!

We do an ornament exchange.

Twister got pulled out of the stack of games...hadn't played in years!

Happy 18 month Anniversary

Today marks 18 months since Cameron and I walked out of the church and started our married life together. I cannot put into words how much I enjoy having a sleepover every night with the best friend. He works so hard to give me the opportunity to work for my dream job. He helps out so much around the house and really does so much of it without complaining or making me feel bad. He is always there to listen, to talk, to compliment, to assist and to love.... He really is the best and I cannot imagine life without him.

To answer the often-asked question, no--- we don't have any immediate plans for a baby. We have to wait until I get a full-time job and our insurance gets better.

Home Maintenance

 We spent a week painting the largest room in our house--- baseboards, walls, doors and crown molding. WHAT A JOB! Every time I start to paint, I remember how much I hated it the last time!  After a week of painting and touch-up, we tackled the outside of the house--- siding and patio. We're getting used to this home owner thing!

We cleaned all of our siding!

We pressure washed all the siding... and then decided to try it on the blackened patio! Voila! It's like new!

Dad's Birthday

Back in June, we had a 60th birthday party for my dad. We started planning in March and wanted it to be a surprise. We were sneaky about getting invitations passed out and everyone notified, had a game plan to get him there, etc.....    My brother lives out west and my sister on a 6-week travel adventure for work and they had both arranged to be here without my dad knowing.....and two days before the party, a ding-dong that he works with actually came up and told him, "Hey...I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to make it to your surprise birthday party on Saturday." Yes, he actually used the word SURPRISE! Well, this may not have been a surprise, but at least the fact that my brother and sister came in for his birthday was. They surprised him the night before. 

The party was a lot of fun! We had a 1950s theme with diner food, records, trivia, correct era candy, and 1950s music playing throughout the whole party.

 Here are some of the pictures:

We found out during the party that my dad had never even had a

birthday party as a kid, so this was his FIRST birthday party ever.

Gatlinburg

Cameron and I took our first road trip together this summer. A bunch of my family gets a huge cabin in Tennessee and we spend an extended weekend together.

Leaving at 6AM

Car is packed!

Cam's first trip to Waffle House

Great Aspirations

Kart playing with arcade prizes! haha

I have a bar and grill in TN

Gotta love Santa

Driving through Cade's Cove

A walk in downtown Gatlinburg

He's short compared to this guy!

Top of the sky lift

Going back down

His reaction to the smell at the Moonshine Distillery

HillBilly Golf

Heading home

Our View

Things we learned on this trip:
We can survive a road trip together---no fights!
Sweet Tea is awful in the south--- even McD's tasted bad!
Cam LOVES Waffle House, and realized that eggs aren't as bad as he thought
Moonshine is HORRIBLE! (Not sure why we even tried it?!?!)
Ghost Chili Peppers make you feel like your mouth is exploding, but ice cream cures it.....
For some reason, the gift shops in Pigeon Forge are identical to those in Florida's panhandle---complete with shark mouth entrances?!?