Eric and I headed down to FL on Christmas Eve (see previous blog) and were glad we did come Christmas Day, when the snow apparently started falling late in the day, covering Indy in about 8 inches of snow. You know... I just wasn't ready to see it yet, so it's good that it came while I was gone.
Christmas Day. Eric and I spent the morning on a nice drive and short walk on the beach. I love being able to say I was at the beach on Christmas Day, even if it wasn't to catch some waves (or rays!). We actually found the perfect area to go to just north of Ponte Vedra. It was the perfect was to start the day!We spent much of the afternoon waiting for my sister and her family to get up to Jacksonville (they spent the morning doing their own Christmas, of course). Finally, they made it! And it didn't take long to head to the tree to open gifts. There were some fun surprises for everyone under the tree this year. It still amazes me how it's over so quickly. But the best part is actually being ALL together this one time of year.
So after all the presents were opened, the stockings emptied, and the tummies filled (we had ham AND turkey!), we finally got to relax a bit and just have some good family time together. We spent the rest of Christmas night doing just that - being a family. Well, for the most part. Bubba spent a large portion of the rest of the WEEK playing one of his new games on the Wii. The downfall of giving video games on Christmas,I guess. (Side Note: Eric and I did NOT give him the game - he brought it with him from Palm Bay. Though I can't say I didn't think about getting him one since he's hard to shop for...) For that matter, we never got ALL the family in one converstaion, but everyone was nearby to talk, at least.
The next morning, we had a long overdue family picture taken. We hadn't had one since Eric's and my wedding, and while that was nice, it's nice to have them when someone isn't in a wedding dress. So we spent much more of the morning contemplating the pictures that we planned to buy, which led to a later brunch, which led to Eric having to leave without eating. Well, not eating much, anyway... He had to head south for work stuff - boo! It wasn't a surprise, but a bummer, just the same. But I still had a few days to spend with my family on my own.
And boy did we make the most of it! We hit a few day after Christmas sales on Wednesday - nothing spectacular. Thursday, my mom, sister, and I headed out on a mission to find some frames for the newly acquired family photos. Easier said than done - apparently, 10x13 frames aren't so popular in NE Florida! we ended up out longer than we planned, but we made it back in time for dinner. And in time for a family board game - talk about some good memories! Friday was just a straight-up girls shopping day with mom, my sister, Darian and I. We really stayed out longer than we anticipated - but there were so many good sales and Darian had a bunch of gift cards to use. We didn't close down the mall or anything... but none of us thought we're be out for hours! So yes... a little bit if shopping was done. It was fun!We had family fun at home, too. Don't think that we're just shopaholics! I think we played some sort of family game each night after shopping.
I think I had more fun doing that each night! We the kids at the age they're at now (12 and 15), it's a special treat to get them to do anything with you as a family!Alas, the week had to come to an end. My sister and her family left this evening and I leave tomorrow afternoon. It was a good Christmas. I'll always love my Florida Christmases.
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