And, in closing...

Last night and today we've been busy celebrating the new year - welcome, 2010! Did everyone eat their black eyed peas??? (And just in case you're wondering, I refer to it as twenty-ten. Yes, because it sounds better.) Even though my family suffered a tragedy this year with losing my two maternal grandparents, I can't help but think of 2009 as an overall good year. Sean and I were blessed with many things (like our jobs, a happy marriage, and a new house), and we made tons of good memories (see also: all my previous blog posts). One thing I'm most thankful for this year is being able to spend more time with my brother. Oh, and for my mean boss quitting on my birthday. Woo hoo! What can I say - life is bueno. I'm thankful for everything I have, and I'm looking forward to another good year in twenty-ten.

The week leading up to Christmas I was a nervous wreck because I knew that I was adopting the dog. Then finally, Christmas Day came and I was able to relax and enjoy the festivities. For Christmas we stayed in town, as we usually do, and spent time with our families. All in all, we visited with 38 members of our family in just 2 days. Phew! It was a whirlwind extravaganza filled with lots of laughter, food and presents, of course. Emily was in town for almost 2 weeks, and it was nice to visit with her again. My step-sister Jennifer also came down to Tennessee with her family. We had our traditional Christmas Eve brunch at Nonnie's house, and had a blast playing Name That Tune. Unfortunately, we didn't capture many pictures of the actual festivities. What I do have are the pictures you'll see below - enjoy!

Linda's annual Gingerbread Party with all "the girls."

This was actually December 5, but it's a great way to kick off the holiday season. We spend about 6 hours assembling our gingerbread houses, drinking "Jingle Juice," sharing stories and eating the delicious food that Phillip prepares for us. What a treat!

(Click the picture for a better view of our houses. Then click the back button to continue reading.)

Top row: Mom, me, Amanda, Cristina, Sue and Janice

Bottom: Jensi, Heather, Kelly and our wonderful host Linda

Not pictured: Phillip the chef (a.k.a. Linda's husband)

Another one of my favorite pre-Christmas celebrations is the Dickens of a Christmas event in Downtown Franklin. Sean, Sherri and I spent the afternoon shopping and enjoying the street fair activities. Here are the Dickens-era street performers doing a traditional group dance...


...and Sean and I bumped into Scrooge himself. Bah humbug!

With just 2 weeks to go before Christmas, Sean and I finally sucked it up and bought a Christmas tree. Trust me, it looked way better with the lights down low, the tree lit and the glow from the fireplace.

Christmas morning came with a special treat this year. Murphy joined our family! Sean was totally surprised, but he soon fell in love with the sweet puppy. They're best buds now, and Murphy's favorite napping spot is in Sean's lap.

For Trevor's birthday (12/26) we surprised him with tickets to the Titans Christmas Day Game. Here are the siblings - Trevor, Emily and Sean - tailgating before the game. Damn, it was cold!!! And we lost. But the 4 of us had a great time together.

Here they are freezing in the stands

Twins! Sean and his buddy Murphy both wearing argyle

Murphy thinks he's a cat

We stayed home for New Year's Eve and enjoyed the last dinner of 2009 - steamed lobster. These suckers were delicious. Our friends John and Bethany stopped by to help us ring in the new year. Mostly, they just helped us stay awake. We watched the ball drop and I made midnight breakfast for us. The majority of the first day of 2010 was spent in our PJ's. I made a pot of black eyed peas and cornbread, and Mom, Jimmy and Amanda came over for a visit. I'd say the new year is off to a great start.