a jolly holiday.

Christmas break. Every teachers favorite part of the year... minus summer break of course.

I got to go home to Louisiana and it was much needed. Home is the only place where I can completely relax because I have absolutely no responsibilities. Oh! No words can describe the feeling of not having a single responsibility.

Luckily, my sister was able to take a few days off of work and come home too. We did Christmas with my brother, sister-in-law and nephews the Sunday before Christmas. Momma cooked a big, yummy dinner and we exchanged gifts. My nephew, Slade, named my sisters new beta fish Superman.  He loves his superheros! I'm pretty sure both of my nephews love my pet turtle Raphael more than I love him. They are just too cute. I was thankful for the time we had with them!

Hanging with Skyler.

Hanging with Raphael. 

My family and I went to the Christmas Eve service at my parents church. It's a family tradition. After the Christmas Eve service, when I was little, we would make hot chocolate, turn out all the lights except for the lights on the tree and drink our hot chocolate underneath the tree. The past few years we haven't done that. I'm thinking I'm going to make it happen next year.  On Christmas day my mawmaw and pawpaw Maurice drove up from Lake Charles. We ate hamburgers. Haha I know most people don't eat hamburgers on Christmas day, but we changed it up a bit.

Other than getting together with family, seeing old friends and exchanging gifts, my time at home was pretty chill. My friend, Abbey surprised me with the first two books of the "Mark of the Lion" series and I read both of them in a week and a half. I couldn't put them down.  I had forgotten that I could sit and read for hours at a time. I also forgot how quiet my hometown is. I went for a few long runs. By long, I mean 7 to 8 miles. I had maybe 10 cars, at the most, that passed me the entire time. In Dallas, I wouldn't even be able to count all the cars that pass me during a long run. Each year I notice that I am more thankful for the little things. And I feel like the little things get smaller each year!

Katelyn brought her puppy Skyler home with her. That dog is a little angel just like my nephews. My parents and I ate up all the time we had with her.

Beyond thankful for the holidays. Time for families to gather, break bread and share.

Skyler entertainment. 

I ended up going home 3 days sooner than I had originally planned. I hadn't realized how long my to-do list was and I didn't want to be rushed before heading back to work.

I got home Monday night and then Stephen had the idea to go to south LA to our friend's camp for  a New Years party on Tuesday morning. Bring on an adventure! It was definitely a lot of time spent in the car, but it was totally worth it. Stephen and I listened to the same CD at least four times. It was a good CD. :)

Friends since 5th grade.  

Chelsea Clay. Love her.          

It's not a party without a bonfire.

                                                   
Yes, the old man pictured above is lightening his cigar with one of the 500 degree burning logs from the fire. Not kiddin' you. He was quite a character. He also caught his jacket on fire from sitting with his back towards the fire for too long.

We had s'mores, beautiful fireworks, and yummy champagne. It was such a fun time! I am also thankful for childhood friends. We can sit and share stories from over ten years ago. Not everyone can say that about their friends. More blessings from a small town.

Happy New Year!