Merry Christmas and Happy 2013!

Santa certainly wasn't stingy with any of the Maces this year!  :)  After a short stop in NJ, my parents and I headed to Boston to spend Christmas with my brother, Nichole, Parker and Evie.  We arrived on Christmas Eve and went to the children's Christmas service at their church.  The kids sang some songs at the front of the church during the service and it was just adorable.  Evie wore a beautiful dress that Nichole bought when she and Paul were in London in October and it was one of my favorite things she has ever worn.  After church we were joined by Paul and Nichole's good friend, Steven, for a delicious dinner of seafood risotto and persimmon salad.  Steven went to business school with Paul and Nichole and has joined us for several Christmases over the years which I love because he is a great conversationalist!  As you can imagine, the kids were quite excited about Santa's impending visit and after putting some cookies and eggnog out for him (and some carrots for the reindeer) they hurried off to bed.  We awoke to an unbelievable number of gifts under the tree.  Parker and Evie both exclaimed that they must have been REALLY GOOD this year based on the number of gifts.  Stockings were opened first, followed by dozens and dozens of boxes/bags.  After a yummy breakfast, Paul and Nichole noticed 2 boxes that Santa had oddly placed on top of the bookcase instead of under the tree.  After closer inspection we figured out they were for Parker and Evie ---  iPads!  I guess they were REALLY GOOD this year.  :)

Evie in her beautiful dress in front of the tree

iPads for everyone... Clearly the favorite gift of 2012!

Parker and Evie being goofy before church.  (Or are they flashing gang signs?!?  Hmm...)

We spent much of the day playing with new toys, eating and sitting in front of the fire.  A nice way to spend Christmas.  The kids and I had a "date day" on Thursday and went to Legacy Place to have lunch, makes candles & pottery and get an ice cream treat.  We made a quick stop in the Apple Store while we waited for Parker's candle to 'cure' in the dip tank and it will never cease to amaze me how a 6-year-old and a 4-year-old can immediately pick up an iPhone, iPad or iPod and know exactly how to work it and/or play every game on it.  It's unreal how technology is simply a part of life for this generation.  I set a hard limit on our time at the Apple Store and was pleasantly surprised that both kids only had to be asked once when it was time to leave.

I drove to the Berkshires on Friday to see Tricia, Charlie, Connor and Hayley.  Now that Connor and Hayley are 19, getting together with them doesn't happen every year anymore, but I was thrilled it worked out this year.  I only had one night to spare, so it was a very quick visit.  There were 20+ inches of snow on the ground which made for some beautiful scenery.

Connor, my handsome nephew, in the Berkshires

I got an early start on Saturday to Hartford.  I was heading back to see Jeff, Renee, Olivia and Kate whom you probably recall from earlier posts.  (Renee's surprise birthday party was in October).  We had a great visit which started with a massive snow storm that dumped about 10 more inches of snow on Saturday afternoon/evening.  Jeff and Renee had gotten a babysitter for Saturday night so we could go out, but with the roads being so treacherous, we decided to postpone until Sunday night.  Instead, we made the mistake of renting the movie Ted on Saturday night.  Heed this warning... if you have not seen this movie, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.  It is 2 hours of your life you will never get back.  You have already seen all of the funny parts in the preview and the remaining 1 hour and 45 minutes is so bad you will question your sanity for sitting through it.  It isn't even worth a rental.  We did make it out on Saturday night to The Bidwell Tavern where there was a guy playing live music which was FANTASTIC!  He played a wide range of genres and we sang along for several hours while enjoying my new favorite cocktail: raspberry vodka, lemonade and splash of sprite.  Delicious!  Visiting Jeff and Renee the week between Christmas and New Years is another tradition we've shared for many years.  It's one of my favorite things about December!

Kate showing off her Hello Kitty band aide.  Ah, the innocence of children!

I flew back to Atlanta on New Years Eve just in time to share some champagne cocktails with good friends. It's hard to believe 2012 is over.  Where does the time go?  I will be in Atlanta for 2 weeks before hitting the road again.  Look for more posts soon.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!