There is No Place like Home for the Holidays

On Thanksgiving we got the news that my sister and her crew would be spending the 25th in South Carolina. So that day we picked a Saturday in December to celebrate Christmas with my parents and siblings… and today was the day! I am glad we were able to still have our family holiday together as well as have the ability to establish Christmas traditions of our own. To keep it simple, the menu consisted of what the kids love the most – PIZZA! Don’t get me wrong – there was homemade food. My mom made sure of it and then some! Each one of us kids was given a big container of her incredible sugar cookies and date balls. (Thank goodness I’m training!) Once all the presents were dispersed to each wide crazy-eyed child, paper and bows were flying everywhere. They were all pleased with each gift, especially what Santa had brought in their stockings. (Thankfully no one asked how Paw Paw and Nonnie got Santa to deliver stocking stuffers less than a week before Christmas!) The last bit of excitement was watching the movie “Santa Buddies”. Due to being up since 3:45 AM for my 22 mile training run, my head started nodding just seconds after the movie began. So, Scott and I decided to call it a night before I slipped into a deep coma. As an added Christmas bonus, my parents will be taking care of the kids for a few days while Scott and I celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary at the Waterfront Marriot Hotel in downtown Tampa. My brother lives just a few miles away from the hotel, so we took him home. It was the first time Scott and I had been to Matthew’s apartment. It was an added bonus to spend some one on one time with him! Now off to the Waterfront…