And it's back to work we go!

After a much needed vacation and Christmas time with family and close friends, we are back to Florida. We flew home on Christmas Eve morning which was so relaxing. The get-together with Dad & Kathy, Mom & Don, Zach & Ethan and John, Susan & Jess was great on Christmas Eve! We were spoiled having everyone in one place...almost everyone...we were missing Lacy & Eric! Waking up on the lake to a white Christmas was an unforgettable memory. Movies, warm fire, pj's and lots of food is how we like to spend Christmas and we did all of the above.

Sunday we headed back to Homewood for Christmas with Mom & Don, as well as a short time with Jonathan's parents. Another delicious Christmas meal with Mom. The snow stuck around for a few days and we enjoyed making use of our winter layers and boots...something I often miss being in Florida. Wednesday was an exciting day; got up early with Dad & Kathy and headed to Huntsville. For my frequent readers, you know why, but we are proud of Jonathan no matter what!

It's funny how much older I feel this year; seeing Zach and Ethan makes me happy and sad...they are growing up so fast but they'll always be my baby brothers. I also reflected on this being me and Jonathan's first Christmas as a married couple...couldn't be more thankful for that. Excited for Lacy and Eric to be experiencing an adventure in China together and getting married this year...truly, we have so much to be thankful for.

Speaking of thankful, Alexandra, Karley and Kruger made the trek to Homewood to spend the night with us at Mom's and I am so glad!

We had a great time as always and we watched Inception. I have a habit of falling asleep in movies so I was in and out but overall, it seemed pretty good...I think? Jonathan loves sharing in family times with my family and that is one of the many

reasons I love him so much.

New Year's Eve Day, we enjoyed lunch with the

Nevins at Bottega. That was my first trip there and I will, without a doubt, be back again. We always have a good time together with lots of conversation! That afternoon, my best friend Allison decided to decorate her boyfriend's house as a Christmas gift for him. J and I had the best time helping her. She kept thanking us but we told her we really enjoyed it...we are eager to decorate our own house one day so it was a fun trial run. She made some great purchases and we moved around furniture, hung a few pictures and it looked great! We left Pelham about 8pm, went home and got ready for a late New Year's dinner. New Year's Eve worked out perfectly. Allison, Daniel, J and I had dinner at Avo's in Mountain Brook Village which was delicious and then enjoyed a few toasts at midnight to ring in the New Year!

We have such beautiful family and friends and it's special, chaotic and fun getting to visit with all of them in a short 9 days. Our last night in Birmingham, we got to visit with Jonathan's best friends Daniel and Aaryn...and while they chatted, I got to play with the most adorable baby in the world! We hit the early flight out of Birmingham and made it safely back to Cocoa Beach.

Cheers to you and your family in 2011! We are looking forward to many exciting happenings in the New Year. (More pictures to come once I upload from the camera)