Busy Holidays!

I apologize...I have been a very bad blogger! Most can sympathize however, tis the season for holiday hustle and bustle!

Thanksgiving has come and gone! Nick and I spent the holiday apart this year :( This was the first time we have had to do this since we got married, and it was a bit difficult. However, since this is our last Thanksgiving in the States, my parents made it very clear that I had to be in Texas for Turkey day! I was thankful for the time with my family. I got to do the traditional things I have done every year, which I will not be able to do for a very long time!

After all these years, I have never made dressing (or stuffing, whichever you call it), I have always left that feat up to my mother or Grandmother. But again, since I will be away for the next few Thanksgivings, it was crucial that I learn how to make my Granny's delicious stuffing! On the big day, I helped my mother make the dressing, took pictures of each step, and wrote down everything I must do to make this delicious stuff.

Even though I don't have the antique pan that my mother makes it in, I think I am ready to make it on my own in Japan next year!

While I was home, my mother, sister and I went and registered my sister at Baby's R Us and Target for her baby showers. It was fun, and I was thankful that they waited to do that with me! I got a little carried away with the registry gun and put a bit too many things on Shae's list! It is not every day that my big sister has a baby! (Hello, this is my very first niece!)
So, of course, I had to buy that little girl a few things from her Auntie Britty. I cannot wait for that little Diva to arrive!
Shae is so cute, with her big baby bump! I was so excited to finally get to see it! Naturally, I took many pictures and bought quite a few baby gifts!

The day after Thanksgiving, it is a tradition in my family for the girls to get up (at the crack of dawn no less) to go Holiday shopping! On this day, as most know, the stores have crazy deals and are a blur of people fighting to fill their Christmas lists. We are always right there with them! So this year, was no different, and though it was a very long day, I got almost all of my shopping finished!

While I was away, being busy with my family, Nick was back in Jacksonville completing an amazing feat himself. Nick's schedule did not allow him enough time to make it to Texas and back with enough time to make it worth the drive, so we had initially decided to stay in Florida for Thanksgiving. Since we were going to be without family, we decided we would run a 1/2 marathon on Turkey day instead. I ran my first 1/2 in April, but Nick has never run one before. It worked out because I went home and he still ran the race, so now we both have one under our belt!

Don't worry, he wasn't alone. Another couple from Texas, who are our very good friends, and whom will be in Japan with us for 3 years, ran the race on Thanksgiving with Nick! I apologize because there are no pictures to share of this event. When I ran my race, I carried a camera with me while I ran, just so I could document the event. Nick however, is not as crazy as me, and therefore did not have a camera with him and did not get pictures. However, he did awesome! I am so very proud of him. He would have left me in the dust, had I ran it with him.

All in all, it was a very busy Thanksgiving. Since then, we have both been busy with work, school, holiday parties, and life in general! It is such a busy busy time, but I will attempt to get on here again as soon as possible!

Until then, hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!