Our Christmas break started as soon as we picked Sebastian up from school on his last day. We had the car packed and headed East hoping to make it to Salina, KS before midnight. There had been a big blizzard the night before so the flat plains were heavy with snow but the sky and roads were clear. It was freezing but beautiful. The next day we got ourselves to Springfield, MO right before sunset and took a drive through downtown to get coffee and go down memory lane before heading to Elsie and Jeremy's new house for a fun Christmas party. Their place is gorgeous even though they're still elbow deep in renovations and it was such a fun reunion getting to chat well in to the night with the kids all having fun upstairs with a babysitter. Plus it's easy to now laugh over the fact that my son climbed up to the second floor on the outside of the banisters and scared us all to death only ten minutes after arriving!
More highlights from Springfield were catching up with our oldest friends, the Shattos, and letting our kids burn off road trip steam with theirs for a few hours while we visited over coffee. I got to eat brunch at Aviary, hit up Funtiques, see my other Katy friend's new house, and even crash a Christmas party to hug the necks of neighbor friends in our old neighborhood before heading to Brett's mom's house.
We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day catching up, finishing handmade gifts, and snacking on fudge. FUDGE! I got to visit my favorite thrifts in that area and it was really sweet to watch the kids get excited about their stockings getting filled all the way in MO (and in pillow cases because I forgot to bring ours with us)! They ate Christmas lunch in their Batman/girl costumes and we got some snow later that night. We aimed to drive to OKC to see my family the next day but an hour down the road Ruby threw up all over herself and the car seat so we turned back, washed everything, loaded up again, and then she threw up in the same town an hour down the road. We decided to turn back in case it was going to be seven more hours of throwing up while driving late into the night and then she was basically fine the next day and we got to Oklahoma in time for dinner.
We had round two of Christmas at my parent's house after dinner that night and got to see my brother and sister-in-law again. Ruby provided the best present opening entertainment and Sebastian flew a remote control helicopter into the tree. Thankfully it remained erect and we all had a great time making a new memory having our first family Christmas at my parents' house.
Then we spent time at both of my grandparents' houses and opened two more rounds of presents before a virus sent my SIL to the ER in the middle of the night and then got two of my cousins and one of their daughters. Oh man, I'm just glad it didn't happen while we were all at Meemaw's house because I can't imagine that many people needing to set up camp near a toilet at the same time.
We headed back to my parent's house and said goodbye to my brother and SIL and then hit the town for our first child-free NYE ever. Thanks, Mom and Dad! We tried out Ludivine in downtown OKC and ate at the bar because the place was booked with reservations all night. If you've never been or are planning a trip to OKC, you should probably at Ludivine to your list of eateries. Then we snuck in a movie and ice cream and walked around the canal and froze our faces off. I asked Brett if we could stop and take pictures in front of the building covered in lights before we headed back. It was really beautiful and I had to laugh because just around the corner from us was another big group of people with a photographer and the same idea. It was great to have some alone time and focus on each other even while being away visiting family.
The first day of the new year found us with plans to go ice skating. We followed my parents downtown again and got the kids laced up for their second time this season. Brett and I both joined them and my mom stayed on the sidelines when Ruby decided she was done and then when she wanted to go again.
Last three photos courtesy of my dad. He caught the tail end of my triple sow cow in that first one. Or was that my quadruple sow cow...I forget.
It was a lovely break filled with lots of family time, a little bit of shopping, restful evenings, and lots of new memories. Sebastian wrapped up the last night with his own round of throwing up at a restaurant but recovered before we packed up the car and drove home. The scenery on the way home was equally white all through Kansas only this time we stopped halfway through and got out to play in it.
Our very last Share Joy project that we took with us on the road was in the form of these little faux snow globes. I bought a box of canning jars and a box of hot chocolate mix and then stuck two packs inside six jars before filling them with a few sprigs of pine and some fake snow. I attached a little note to each so that we could pass them out and they'd be well received. I imagine anyone who isn't on Pinterest would look at something like this and scratch their head but we're hoping the truck driver at the gas station and the maid at our hotel felt a little extra joy.
It was a refreshing trip back 'home' to see everyone and be in our old haunts. It's been almost a whole year since we moved to CO with the Army and while it still feels like we're adjusting in ways, it felt good to be driving home to a town that we're really familiar with now.
It's been about two weeks since we started the new year now but I really wanted to recap our trip for my own sake. Thanks for reading along!
-Rachel
I love following you on instagram. Its even better to hear the stories behind the pictures. You have such a beautiful perspective and perfect optimism. I love being inspired by you.
Posted by: Conniestancie | 01/13/2013 at 03:41 PM
Love your recap! Looks like you had a truly fun time. So sorry your kids were sick, that seemed to be a big factor for lots of people this year (including us). Thanks for sharing your pics!
P.S. Impressed with your landing on the sow cow! ;)
http://catherinedenton.com
Posted by: Catherine Denton | 01/13/2013 at 04:01 PM
how fun! i love reading your blog in part because of how honest you are. real life is sometimes messy, and you always include your own messy parts! thanks for letting us into your life, and showing that even super creative and talented ladies like yourself have normal, imperfect lives! hope everybody is feeling healthy in the new year :)
Posted by: taylor | 01/13/2013 at 05:12 PM
I never say this but bless your heart! 458745 Cool Points goes to you for staying positive during all the mess. I would've lost my mind being around that much puke.
Posted by: Sarah Elizabeth | 01/13/2013 at 05:34 PM
What great fun. Its so fun catching up with friends and family.
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Posted by: Rachel | 01/14/2013 at 08:59 AM
Wow, you did a great job recapping your holidays. Sometimes with trips like that, I really want to capture it with words, but then I get overwhelmed at trying to summarize everything and I never get around to adding words to my pictures. This will be a great keepsake to read during Christmases to come.
I live in Seattle but grew up in Edmond, OK and my grandparents lived in Neosho, MO. So I feel I can relate with your story. Oh, and my parents live in Evergreen, CO now! Anyway, just wanted to write to say nice job capturing your holidays... illnesses and all.
Posted by: Stephanie George | 01/14/2013 at 09:54 AM