Holiday Trip

Steve and I took a little trip to Enchanted Rock and Fredericksburg after Christmas.  It was so much fun!

This doesn’t look like much but a nest….but there is a bald eagle in there!  A couple of wildlife photographers were set up waiting for the eagle to fly.  We could just see his head peaking out.

Enchanted Rock was a fun little hike and the park had it’s own kind of winter-barren beauty.

In Fredericksburg we enjoyed walking Main Street and all the cute shops.  We also spent hours at the Nimitz Museum and the National Museum of the War in the Pacific.  These were top-notch museums and so very interesting.

The town square was beautiful with the nativity, tree and German Christmas pyramid.  This was a fun little getaway for Steve and I.  We would love to visit again in the spring to enjoy the wildflowers.

Back in College Station, we ended 2013 and Steve’s birthday with dinner at Café Eccel and watching the Aggies come-back win against Duke in the Chick-fil-a Bowl.

Christmas 2013

This was our “off” year for Christmas….meaning it is the year for the in-laws to have our daughters and families on the actual holiday.  So we celebrated Christmas the weekend before.  The weather was not so great for some of the outdoor activities (potato gun, fire, etc.) that we usually like to do but we enjoyed our time together celebrating the birth of Jesus. 

First we had the families take a little Bible quiz over the Christmas story.  It is eye-opening how many of our facts can come from Christmas songs rather than the Bible.

Then we read the Christmas story.

And opened gifts!

We had all our traditional foods….fresh baked cinnamon rolls, fudge, sugar cookies and lasagne for dinner.   Wonderful Christmas memories and many blessings.

December Birthdays

We celebrated Austin’s 17th birthday with a family dinner at Olive Garden.

His gifts were mostly money which is what every teenager needs!  Can’t believe he is already 17.  He is enjoying his new-found freedom in driving his truck.

Next were Nathan (December 12th) and Heather’s (December 15) birthdays.  Nathan turned 8 and Heather is getting ever closer to the big 4-0 turning 38 this year.

We went to dinner at Wings and then to our house for dessert which was one of Heather’s favorites, brownie black bottom pie.  Nathan is the sweetest, happiest 8-year-old and so affectionate.  Love you all very much.  Happy birthday and may the Lord bless you this coming year.

Thanksgiving 2013

This Thanksgiving was the same as usual and then again different and wonderful.  I seem to gravitate toward having most of the same food items for our feast.  I love tradition and remembering how our parents and grandparents had some of the same foods and traditions. 

We enjoyed our time with our daughters and their families.  We are so thankful that they get along so well and the cousins truly love each other.  The older cousins are so good and patient with the little boys.  Again, so thankful.

We were able to get some family photos taken while everyone was here.  This is not a favorite activity of the grandkids or the sons-in-law, but they humored me and went along.  Melissa’s family had a friend in Houston take her photos before Thanksgiving so she could have her cards ready to send in early December.  All the other photos were take by me!

(I took this photo)

Some of these photos will be used for Christmas cards.  We are on to the Advent season….anticipation of the coming of Christ into the world.  How glorious!

NYC–Part 3

The third day in New York City we went on a walking tour of Chelsea, Meatpacking District and Greenwich Village.

First stop on the tour was Chelsea Market.  The original Nabisco factory which is a block long has been turned into a shopping area and on the upper floors the offices of such businesses as the Food Network, Oxygen Network, MLB.com and many more.

The developer kept much of the original architectural features.

Next we walked in the High Line Park which is a relatively new park developed from the old elevated train line that ran through Chelsea and the Meatpacking District.  It is presently over a mile in length and a well-used park.

We then walked to the Meatpacking District which is in the process of being revitalized.

We ate lunch in Greenwich Village, New York City’s original suburban community.  In the 60’s and 70’s it was home to many artists and musicians.

 

This brownstone in Greenwich Village was featured in Sex in the City.

Lastly, we ended the tour in Washington Square Park which is surrounded on most sides by NYU.

This beautiful park is pretty much the geographic center of Manhattan.  After we left the park we went back to Chelsea Market to grab a bowl of lobster bisque and do a little shopping and check out the bakeries there.

For dinner we went back to the Meatpacking District to eat at STK.

The next morning Melissa, Shauna and I got up early to go to the Today Show.  It was 33 degrees and windy but we stood strong.  It was fun to see the anchors of the show and also how they show is set up and organized.  We thought it was worth the early wake-up call. 

By 10:00am we were off to the airport on our way back to Texas. So thankful for all the memories we made those few days together.  I loved every minute spent with my daughters!