Happy 2013! I don't know if I have ever been more excited to welcome a new year. Last year was probably the most difficult year our family has ever been through. We are looking forward to what this year has in store for us and hope that all the hard work from the last few years will finally pay off in the coming months.
Brandon finished his MBA program about a week and a half before Christmas. Once he was done we had packed every moment with fun activities and visits that had been put on the back burner while Brandon's school schedule was filled. We made a plan once school was over we would get up earlier in the morning so Brandon could get in his workout before work began and I would do my cleaning before the girls were awake so we could spend our entire evening relaxing together. So far we have stuck with our plan, although Brandon is still finding it hard to just sit still for an hour or so in the evening.
Our first weekend free we traveled to Greensboro to see both sides of the family. We drove through the lights at Tanglewood in a 15 passenger van the Herndons rented so we could all enjoy the lights together. Trying to pack 4 kids into a car past their bedtimes without dinner is not something that I would recommend. We will be prepared if we are brave enough to attempt a return visit before the kids are in college. The next day we spent time exchanging gifts and ice skating in downtown Greensboro. Caroline is fairly good on her inline skates so I figured she would be able to make it around the rink without falling. However by the time I got Summer and my skates on and made it to the rink Caroline was already racing around like she had been doing it for years. She is already requesting that what we do on our next date night together.
Christmas was so wonderful. It was so nice that all 5 of us could enjoy every moment together. We decorated cookies, went to a wonderful church service on Sunday and Monday, had a wonderful meal and stayed in our pajamas all day on Christmas day. The girls loved their gifts and were completely entertained by what Santa brought them for a full 24 hours.
Two days after Christmas Brandon and I left for Las Vegas, just the two of us. We had been saving this trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary and also as a way to congratulate Brandon on finishing school. We picked Vegas because we thought it would be a place to completely get away from children on our "adult" trip. We were surprised to see how many kids were in Vegas, and how many of them were up way past our bedtime. We did have a wonderful time. We spent most of it enjoying wonderful meals and sightseeing. We also saved one evening to see the Cirque du Soleil's Love show inspired by the Beatles. It was certainly the highlight of our trip and highly recommended if you plan a visit. We didn't walk away winners from the casino, however, we did see a $35K payout on one hand at our table that was very exciting. We lost that round ourselves, but since we were only betting $10 it was more fun to see the excitement of the big win.
I'm hoping 2013 will be one for the books. We hope to get away on the weekends as much as possible. We would love to make up for lost time with our friends and family and enjoy our kids. Brandon hopes to put his new degree to good use, and I'm ready for some help around here. Hope to see you all soon!
