Holy Cow. To say the last few weeks have been busy for us might be the understatement of the year. Both of us were slammed with stuff to do the week before we came home. I was still cleaning the house, packing, and buying Christmas presents less than 24 hours before we left for the states...but, what's new?
My parents and younger sister left for a cruise the day we got home (rude) and got back on Christmas Eve, so John Ralph and I spent the first half of our trip with my older sister, brother-in-law, niece, the Williams family, and our friends.
Ralph's Annual Christmas Party 6.0 was held a day early this year on Christmas Eve Eve Eve. The theme was Feliz Navidad. I spent the better part of Thursday morning making Christmas pinatas with the help of my Scootie and with the aggravation of a certain 9 month old. Lots of glue, tissue paper, and hurt feelings later, and a Christmas tree, candy cane, and Mexican flag were finally crafted.
We had a pretty good turn out. No one got lost downtown this year, and everyone found their way safely to a bed, couch, or floor at the end of the night...or should I say morning?
On Friday, we made our way to the outskirts of Atlanta for a wedding. John Ralph's best friend Ryan decided to jump on the band wagon and get hitched. The wedding was small and beautiful and we were so glad we bullied Ryan into inviting us. They left for London and Paris on Christmas night, and for a split second we considered crashing their honeymoon as well. However, after giving it second thought we decided some things were best left alone.
Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and post Christmas were spent with our families and more than enough food. We're lucky enough to have both of our families within 30 minutes of each other. The downside is that I think I gained more weight being home for 6 days than I have gained eating pasta and pizza for 6 months. But you just can't turn down Memaw's cooking.
After a few delays in the airport, John Ralph and I finally made it back to Italy. It really felt good to be back in our apartment. The walk through town felt more like home to me than it ever has (Note: It's still not the real "home"). I died my hair back to it's natural color and had an Italian looking outfit on today and was approached for directions. I guess I'm starting to blend in and look like I belong here more than I thought.
For New Years we've decided to have a quiet dinner at home with just the two of us. We have failed miserably in the past when attempting to plan a nice holiday, so this time we're just sticking to what we do best: cooking and relaxing. While I say it's going to be just the two of us, some of our friends are expecting their second child any day now and we volunteered to keep their two year old when delivery day comes...so it could actually be a party of three!
Speaking of New Years, a tradition over here is wear a pair of red underwear when you ring in the new year and it brings good luck. The underwear has to be given to you as a gift though, you can't just go out and buy a pair. They also don't do the collards and black eyed peas. Instead they cook lentils....I don't know about you, but I think I'll stick to collards and black eyed peas.
I've been trying to figure out my New Year's resolution, and I know part of it is going to be to blog more regularly. I think other parts may include organizing my life, including budgeting and meal planning. I also want to plan and take more trips around the area.
We didn't get around to sending out Christmas cards, so I thought we might send out New Years cards...but it doesn't look like that will be happening either, so hopefully John Ralph and I can take a few good pictures sometime soon and I'll post them on here.
We hope everyone had a great and relaxing Christmas! Ciao for now!
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