We didn’t do much posting about the holidays throughout the actual season… we were a bit occupied with finishing up the “Where We Slept” series, then we were on the road with the travels and family fun that come along with Christmas. So we thought we’d share some pictures and updates of what we’ve been up to over the past month.
Let’s kick it off right by starting back at Thanksgiving. Last year, we were in a random cheap hotel in Macedonia for Thanksgiving, and managed to find a restaurant serving chicken and french fries, which we counted as our official feast. But this year… oh my. We were so grateful to be able to spend the holiday with family, but also to be able to indulge in one of biggest treats of all–the cooking!
For Thanksgiving, I made a salted caramel chocolate pecan pie. I will not lie: it was amazing!
A fantastic turkey–not easy to find in other countries! Glad we could enjoy it at home this year.
Acorns from the yard into vases with a tea light… and voila! Beautiful Thanksgiving centerpieces. We tried to enjoy the opportunity for craftiness!
Once Thanksgiving had passed, we officially launched into the Christmas season. And this year, it got off to a fantastic start with Auburn’s win in the Iron Bowl. We were fortunate to be in the area, watching the game with my sister and her husband who live in nearby Opelika. So after the astonishing victory, we made a stop by Toomer’s Corner the following morning on our way out of town.
A beautiful Auburn victory tradition–rolling Toomer’s Corner with toilet paper… and plenty of it!
Once we returned to Nashville, we enjoyed a festive afternoon with Dave’s parents of putting up the tree, decorating, popping popcorn and drinking hot chocolate.
Always fun to reminisce over old Christmas tree ornaments from years past.
Plus, being in Nashville gave us opportunity to continue our favorite Christmas tradition as a couple–the Behold the Lamb of God concert by Andrew Peterson and friends. When we lived in Auburn, we would drive 1-2 hours, either to Birmingham or Montgomery, to see this show each year. But alas, this year, we could drive just down the road to watch it at the BEST venue in town–the Historic Ryman Auditorium. What a HUGE treat for us!
We had jammed to this Christmas musical while we were on the road the past two years, but were grateful to be able to see it in person again this year!
In the Historic Ryman Auditorium–a fantastic venue for a fantastic show!
Another fun tradition I missed while we were on tour was the annual “Kirby Girls’ Weekend.” For the past six years, the women in my family have made a weekend getaway during the month of December–my great Aunt Ruth, my Aunt Elizabeth (Lilla), my mom, and my sister… and this year, a fourth generation was added to the crew, with Emily, my niece!
Sarah and Emily at Fogo de Chao, the amazing Brazilian steakhouse where we kicked off the fun.
We spent the weekend in Atlanta enjoying beautiful Christmas lights, holiday events, leisurely shopping (with way too much traffic) and plenty of good food!
Four generations of Kirby women!
And when Christmas rolled around, we headed to the deep South to spend almost a week with the Kirbys in Abbeville. We ate and ate and ate… opened presents and spent lots of time just hanging out.
The whole crew on Christmas morning.
Baby’s first Christmas… she was the star of the show, of course!
Many of you might be wondering what we’re up to these days. We’re still living in Nashville and are on the job hunt. We had some promising leads that might turn into something now that it’s after the first of the year. While we were hopeful that we would already be working by now, we were grateful for the freedom and flexibility that unemployment offered for the holiday season! We decided we would take full advantage of that and try our best to enjoy this season, because once we start working, things will probably never be this slow again! We look forward to seeing what opportunities will come now in the new year.
All the best in 2014!
