Christmas Break 2011

Pardon the length of this post! The past few weeks have been quite eventful. Each of these deserves its own post, and I really want to be that kind of blogger, but these highlights will have to do until I can move to D.C., have a cute baby, and be a Full-Time Internet Mormon.

December 9: Celebrated the victory of Robert Griffin III's Heisman with all the patrons of a very busy Waco steakhouse. It was smoky, it was loud, it was the perfect place to celebrate a hometown hero over some biscuits and sweet tea. I'm proud to be a part of Baylor, and I'm also pretty sure Robert's the most famous quarterback I've ever had two classes with.

December 12: Flew home to Atlanta. The next few days were filled with Resident Evil movies, which for some reason James and I had been telling ourselves we needed to watch since summer of 2010, doing a huge puzzle at home, and watching a lot of Arrested Development. 

December 16: Cam formed a Christmas Break Bucket List late one night from random snippets of the conversation we were having at the Marietta Diner over gyros and chicken parmesan subs (very diverse menu). It contained 44 items, and some were ironic and silly, and some were very fun ideas. Somehow we got it in our heads that we had to do all of them, whether or not they were 1) Fun, 2) Practical or 3) Possible. In a way, the Bucket List set the tone for the rest of the break. 

Those two photos make it look like two of the things on the list were, "Do aerobics in non-exercising clothes" and, "Pick up the biggest gourd you can possibly find." Alas they weren't on the list. If they had been, we would have beaten it! (We checked off all but two.)

December 21-22: Mom and I baked up a STORM for our big Christmas Extravaganza on the 23rd! I wish I had a picture of everything. Lots of people came all dressed up in their festive best, and it was marvelous. Apart from, of course, Jesus coming down to save us from our sins and humbling himself for us every day starting at his birth in a stable, I think parties capture the essence of Christmas. 

When Mom poured the caramel over the cake, I yelled, "Eat that Johnnie Gabriel!" And yes, we made Anna mop the floor for a party she was a guest at. It's how we roll. She's basically family anyway.

December 24: Celebrated Christmas Eve, aka Jesus' birthday, at Grandma's house, complete with Funfetti cake and singing Happy Birthday to Him.

December 30: Went to the High Museum of Art to see the Picasso to Warhol exhibit. It was truly one of the most educated things I've done in a long time (which is pretty sad, all things considered). Duchamp, Mondrian, Pollock, Picasso, Warhol, Matisse! So much culture! I absolutely loved it.

December 31: Celebrated a truly wonderful New Year's Eve with friends from Marietta and Asbury. We played Just Dance, shared our resolutions, climbed mountains, and laughed a lot. Worlds collided, friendships were made, inside jokes were formed, and everyone came away feeling refreshed.

The NYE '11 Crew

So much friendship.

January 3: Welcomed Harrison and Taylor home from Bangalore, India! It was a wonderful little reunion! 

Didn't get to hang out with them for long, because...

January 6: Flew back to Texas. And I shall write more on that later! Probably much later.