The Great Christmas Post of 2016!

We've finished up our last bit of Christmas festivities, so I wanted to recap them here!!

Christmas in Charlotte

We arrived in Charlotte late Thursday night, on the 22nd. The first order of business on Friday was to make Christmas cookies!! Andy and I didn't get a chance to make them here so we (well I ;-) was excited to do it with Anna and Faith!

Then we got to go over to Uncle Charles and Aunt Kim's house for dinner on Christmas Eve Eve :-) We had SO much fun playing the game "Rollers" after dinner too.

Christmas Eve brought the Christmas Eve service at Carmel and hanging out at Dad's house!

We had a yummy dinner, played games, and opened up gifts once Will and Leah arrived! I didn't get a picture of my "stash" on this night but I got one big gift- a sewing table!

On Christmas Day, we woke up at Mom's house and had our traditional breakfast and opened presents in our PJs.

Andy got a Yeti cooler and I got a starter kit for essential oils! I can't wait to sew and diffuse some oils :-) Then, like always, it was time to hit the road again.

Christmas in Salemburg

We arrived in Salemburg with just enough time to grab a plate and eat our delicious Christmas dinner with all of my Mom's family. After dinner, we went back to spend the night at Grandaddy's house. It was so nice to get to see him because it had been too long!!

After spending some time in Clinton on Monday, we headed back home for the week so that Andy could work.

Our 2nd Christmas

Andy and I finally got a chance to exchange our gifts on Wednesday night (the 28th). We got Japanese take-out and then opened our stockings and presents. :-)

Christmas in Craigsville

We watched Virginia Tech win their bowl game on Thursday night and then we planned to head to Andy's parents house on Friday morning. We woke up to some snow on Friday! It made for a beautiful drive, over the mountain and through the woods.

Andy's family isn't very into pictures, like mine, so I don't have as many pictures to document our weekend Ha Ha

We had their traditional pepperoni night on Friday and then we played Phase 10. Just for the record- I won! :-)

We had our Christmas morning at the Isabell's on Saturday, the 31st. Everyone's "big gift" came with a poem this year. This is also something Andy's family does often. The poems are always fun to hear.

Our big gift was a new TV!

That night was New Years Eve. After our Christmas ham dinner, we brought in 2017 with another round of Phase 10 and watched the ball drop.

On Sunday, we went to Andy's parents' church and had one last meal with them to end all of our festivities!

Shew, that was A LOT of celebrating!! We are so blessed to be able to celebrate Christmas with all of our favorite people. It takes a lot of traveling, but it's worth it to see everyone. Our 2nd Christmas is in the books!

Finally, I wanted to document the few additions to our Christmas decorations this year.

Our 2016 cards!

I was SO excited to get a nativity advent calendar like my Mom had for us growing up.

Our dining room got a little Christmas love this year.

Now, it's time to put away all the decorations and move into 2017!

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I'm happy to say that I kept up with my blog a little better this year :-) There were definitely times I got behind, but overall, I've got some great memories stored. A theme for 2016 would definitely be travel, and I think I'll reflect on that quite a bit. So what were we up to in 2016? 

What did you do this year that you had never done before?

I went to Hawaii!

and I cliff jumped while I was there :-)

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not this year! I have many friends who are currently pregnant, so I anticipate lots of 2017 babies! Also, one of our sweet couple friends added to their family through adoption this year. :-)

Did anyone close to you die?

Andy's Aunt Nawasa passed away in the fall. I never got meet her, but she always asked Andy's parents about us and she always wanted to see us.

Also, my great Aunt Julia passed away on November 1st. It was her 90th birthday! She was such a sweet, petite little thing with a feisty side :-)

What dates from 2016 will remain etched in your memory?

My golden birthday with my "new village"

One of our favorite couple's wedding on April 30th

Sadly, I will also always remember June 23. When a devastating flood hit my area and killed over 20 people.

Finally, I'm pretty sure I will always remember November 8th. The election this year was the craziest of my life so far. I'm pretty sure it is all. people. talked. about. most of the year.

Did you suffer any illness or injury?

Thankfully, after my never ending sinus problems in the spring, we've been healthy!

What was the best thing you bought?

The best money we spent this year was on the trips we went on!!

Where did most of your money go?

BILLS and travel ;-)

What songs will remind you of 2016?
Can't Stop the Feeling - Justin Timberlake
JuJu on that Beat

What do you wish you would have done more of?

 As always, I could have exercised more and spent more time making healthy meals.

What was your favorite tv program?

This year, I have almost totally converted to youtube. I barely ever watch TV anymore and I follow many daily vloggers on youtube. :-)

What is the best book you read this year?

I read a few books over the trips that we took but I honestly don't even remember what the titles were. They were good! They weren't necessarily super memorable though.

What did you do on your birthday?

I posted about my golden birthday here.

Where did you travel?

 Snowshoe Mountain in January

Huntington for a wedding in February

Hickory, NC at the end of April for Marc and Mindy's wedding

Salemburg, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC over Memorial Day weekend.

I spent a week in Charlotte in June after school got out.

Hawaii in July!!

A cruise in August!!

Boone, NC in September with Marc and Mindy

We also went to Blacksburg, VA to watch ECU vs. VT in September.

Fall Beach Getaway in October

Of course, we took many trips home to Charlotte on the weekends throughout the year to attend weddings and spend time with friends and family, and you can't forget all the holiday travels we've taken in November and December :-)

We spent a lot of time traveling this year, which was amazing!!! Ironically, we also feel settled in our little town, which is exactly what I'd hoped for last year. 2016 was a fun year and I'm looking forward to seeing what 2017 brings! 

Merry Christmas!

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift" 2 Corinthians 9:15

Peace at Christmas time

Today, I posted the following on Instagram and I wanted to share it here too;

 I haven't exactly felt peace this week. With something planned every single night & the expectation to work at school until the 23rd, I've felt super stressed. Add in being around ALL the sickness {think stomach bug & snotty noses}, my anxiety has been through the roof. I've finally come to terms that Andy and I won't be stopping to enjoy the peace that should come with Christmas until this weekend, and that's ok, many don't even get that much time. I hope you feel the peace that comes only from Jesus this month, even if it's just for a day or two❤️

The best part about keeping a blog is to store thoughts & memories. I want to remember how I felt the week of Christmas this year. We've got one more day and then I know we'll get to celebrate in the best way!!