Christmas 2012

For Christmas this year, we were able to squeeze in some time with both families. We started out by visiting with the Tuck's in Hillsborough from Thursday-Saturday morning. The weather on Thursday was terrible and made for a very long drive. But we arrived safely- albeit 2 hours later than expected.
We did our family gift giving on Friday morning and then a late afternoon lunch followed by a night full of X-Box rafting :) On Saturday, we woke up, had breakfast downstairs, played MORE X-box (but this time it included dancing) and then we headed out.

We did our Tinsley family gift giving on Saturday night. We also did a White Elephant exchange with my relatives that was a lot of fun. Thomas ended up with a lazy susan remote holder (which I at first did not care for, but it has slowly grown on me) and I chose a box that had 3 scratch off tickets. The only stipulation was that you had to drink the mini bottle of tequila that was included before you could scratch them. I decided it was a risk worth taking, but in the end, NONE were winners. Bummer! There were lots of other fun gifts handed out- most of which will probably end up in the trash at some point in the near future :)

All of my relatives headed out on Sunday and the rest of us had a lazy day of Christmas movies. That's what vacation is all about right?? I got a new sewing machine from my parents for christmas, so I spent some time playing with that also :)

Thomas and I headed back home on Christmas Eve. The drive was great! One of our easiest drives yet.  And we made it home in enough time to quickly unpack, hit the grocery store before they closed, go to our Christmas Eve service, and drop by a friends Christmas Eve Party.

On Christmas Day, we woke up, made a big breakfast, and had our 3rd annual Tuck Family Christmas with just the 4 of us. Our presents to each other weren't supposed to be big this year, but Thomas surprised me and told me that I'll be able to get Lasik in 2013. I've had such issues with my eyes lately I know it will be money well spent. And in order to find out thats what I got, he sent up on a little hunt to gather all the letters. It took me a little while to unscramble them, but I was excited when I figured out what it was. Later in the afternoon, we gathered with some of our neighbors for a pot luck lunch. It was a nice relaxing Christmas Day!

I'm off for a few more days so I'm attempting to get our lives back in order and ready for the New Year! Hopefully everyone enjoyed their Christmas as much as we did!

The Big Apple!

For my birthday this year, we made a trip to NYC with some friends of ours! We left on Thursday, the 13th and returned on Sunday, the 16th. It was a little chilly, but a lot of fun.

Thursday

We picked up our friends on the way to the airport, and because of the typical downtown congestion, we were high tailing it by the time we got there. Luckily, we got there just in time to board our flight. And thanks to Thomas and his plethora of free vouchers, we all enjoyed a cocktail and snack box. We also had a really nice flight attendant on the flight. At one point, I got up to use the restroom and when I came back, she and Thomas were chatting. Come to find out, he had mentioned my birthday was the next day so she provided us with a good amount of wine to take with us off the plane. A nice way to start the trip off right?

Once we got into the city, we dropped our luggage, freshened up, and headed out for a really late dinner at a nearby burger bar. After burgers, we decided to check out a local cupcake shop (Crumbs) that stays open until 12am or 1am (depending on the night). Luckily we just made it and all picked out a cupcake to take back to our room before they closed up for the night. 

Friday

We woke this morning and decided we were going to do an open top bus tour of the city. It was a hop on/hop off tour and we were able to use it all 3 days we were in the city. On this particular day, we decided to explore the lower side of Manhatten (China Town, Little Italy, Wall Street, etc.). We got on and off a few times for lunch, a little shopping at Bloomingdales, and some first hand sight seeing in China Town and Little Italy. 

Towards the end of the day, our intention was to get off the bus at Rockefellar Center to see the tree. But at that point we were frozen solid. Therefore, the only picture we ended up taking was from the top of the bus. But it didn't turn out too bad!

SLIGHTLY more crowded than they depict in movies, right??

The only downside to an otherwise fun day was our dinner experience that night. We managed to pick a french restaurant for dinner where the wait was too long, the food was over priced, and not even that tasty. We definitely learned our lesson :) Nothing a little Karaoke couldn't fix though. Thomas was able to entertain us for a couple hours and raise our spirits back up!

Saturday

On this day, we headed towards upper Manhattan. We managed to fit in The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Shake Shack (mmmmmm), and also an early dinner and Improv Comedy Show! This was one of our best shots of the trip (and the only group picture, I think).

Sunday

Luckily, this was our only day of rain. We woke up, packed our things and left them with the concierge, and then we headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a great thing to do on a rainy day. What was NOT great was trying to catch a cab after the fact- and then to actually find one that would travel back towards Time Square. Eventually, we got one and headed back towards our hotel. We met up with a friend from college and his girlfriend at a restaurant called Beer Authority. It was nice catching up with good friends!

After lunch, we took the subway to JFK for our flight back home. Since the weather was bad, we had quite a few delay's getting out, but eventually we made it home. And lucky for Thomas and myself, we were upgraded. So that made the flight that much easier. 

Overall, a great trip, but we're definitely happy to be back home in the suburbs where there are A LOT less people :)

Thanksgiving 2012!

We are finally back home and settled after a week long trip to North Carolina for Thanksgiving. We had a good time but we're definitely glad to be back home and settled. It's only fun to live out of a suitcase for so long :)

We started off our week in Hillsborough (Tuesday-Thursday). We got in late on Tuesday night and visited for a few before turning in for the night. I was spent after a long day at work and a long day on the road! I had taken the kids of Legoland that day in Atlanta (which was a lot of fun) but I was done for by the time we got through the traffic filled trip.
On Wednesday, Thomas and his Mom got out to run a few errands and the rest of us stayed behind for the annual cooking of the brunswick stew. Tommy cooks it outside over a fire in an iron witches kettle (for lack of a better description hehe). He even stirs it with a wittled wooden stick! It's delicious and I will savor the few freezer bags that we've got for as long as possible :)
On Thursday, Meredith and I woke up and took a long run down to their church and then over to the neighbors house (Betty Ray) where the boys were waiting to drive us back. All in all- about a 3 mile run. The rest of the day was spent prepping for Thanksgiving Day lunch. Needless to say, it was delicious.
Not long after lunch, Thomas and I packed up and headed to Salisbury. We stayed in Salisbury from Thursday night-Sunday morning. Our weekend there consisted of another Thanksgiving meal, lots of playtime with Clara Jane, and plenty of relaxation. Every time we are around Clara, we're amazed by her milestones! This visit might of been the most fun. She's very chatty now and even calls us "Uncle Thomas and Auntie Cate". She also has a slight obsession with Wendy, but at this point Wendy has learned to play along with her instead of being frightened so they had a great time together!
The only downside of our time in Salisbury was that my Mom and I attended a funeral for a dear family friend, Jo Goforth. After my grandmother died when I was younger, Jo and my grandfather reconnected and remained companions for many years. She was as much a part of the family as my grandmother and I have very fond memories of my time with her. I will miss her dearly!

The drive back was less than mediocre, but fortunately we made it back with no major issues! We stopped in Gastonia for a few minutes to visit with some friends of ours (Hank and Jordan Trogdon) who just had a baby girl a few weeks ago. Her name is Mollie Kate and she is just precious. We also stopped at the outlets temporarily so I could have a look around at JCrew and Pottery Barn. I had a few good finds including a new coat for our upcoming trip to NYC in December!

Thomas is gone now for a week long trip to LA/Las Vegas and the dogs and I are here holding down the fort (and hanging Christmas Decorations, of course!). We're excited about Thomas' arrival back home on Sunday. After this week, he wont travel again until after the holiday's.

Hope that everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I don't know about you, but it's a good thing that the pie is finally gone! I was making excuses to eat it for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner! :)

Happy Hump Day.

P-S: Here are a couple photos from our trip away (sorry, I didnt take very many!)

Thomas, Myself, Meredith, and Ben

The 3 puppies that Meredith and Ben are taking care off. There were originally 5, but as of Thanksgiving 3 were left. They found them in the woods next to their house and have been caring for them for several weeks. As of now, I think there is only 1 left and they are considering keeping him. His name is peanut and he is the runt. They were incredibly cute!

I clearly have a weakness for puppies. It's no wonder we didn't end up bringing one home ourselves! Here's one of Wendy's first pictures.

Ok, and just one more :)

Thomas and Clara

Doing a little light reading :)