I started the trip early last week with a fun overnight stay with the Heil's! The next day, Michelle and I met my parents in Bowling Green where we tried out a delicious farm-to-table spot called Home. It was so great getting to catch up! And the Kentuckyaki Cheesesteak was super tasty, too!!
I was back in Livermore with mom and dad for a day before Chris joined us. My biggest Christmas surprise was a cake from The Rolling Pin in Owensboro - my absolute favorite!! Mom and I spent some time visiting with Jean while Chris drove through torrential rain caused by random December tornado warnings in the area. He arrived just in time for a little extended family time at Cracker Barrel! Chris was able to spend some time with his buddy, Aunt Mary Ruth, before we made our way to Lexington the next day!
The kids were already in the cookie making zone when we arrived on Christmas Eve. We iced the cookies they worked so hard to roll and cut after dinner that night. It was fun for all even if it did get a little competitive toward the end of the night.
Christmas morning brought lots of joy as the kids finally got to unwrap all those presents under the tree. It was SO much fun to see their faces light up each time it was their turn to open something. And there was even more excitement when we started putting everything together for them! Needless to say, we spent the whole day just relaxing together and playing games.
Our big family Christmas event this year was participating in a breakout game together. Jen's mom watched the little ones while we ventured out for The Derby Heist. There were lots of nerves and anxious energy before we entered the room, but once our clock started counting down from 60 minutes, it was all hands on deck. We worked great together figuring out codes to locks and all sorts of other puzzles! Despite the mere 30% breakout rate, we escaped with over 15 minutes to spare! Our room monitor indicated it was the fastest he'd ever seen a group escape! Hooray!!
Before we hit the road to head back to Nashville for our flight, we were able to meet up with Ashley and Parker for a cookie monster at Cheddar's - yum! Great to spend some time with them!
As I reflect back on our time in the Bluegrass, it makes me realize how fortunate I am to have such an incredible family and wonderful friends. No matter the length of time between visits (I was astonished by the fact that I hadn't seen my baby brother in person since last Christmas) or the distance between us in the meantime, everything just seems to fall into place when we are together!
Andrea :)
What a fun Christmas! I've ben wanting to try one of those breakout places, it looks fun!
ReplyDelete