Not all who wander are lost...: Christmas Vacation!

This year, I went home to spend Christmas and New Year’s with my family. Words cannot express how happy I was to be back home with those whom I love and love me in return. This was one of my favorite Christmases ever. I arrived in Kingsport on Thursday Dec. 15th. My plane arrived a little early so I beat my parents and Bob to the airport (luckily Aunt Glenda was there to welcome me home); however, Bob did surprise me by driving down a day early. Bob was able to spend a week with me before having to leave to spend Christmas with his family, so we were able to spend a lot of quality time together.
A brief summary:

That first Saturday marked my grandmother’s 80th birthday, so we held a big party for her and a joint “congratulations” party for me for finishing up with my graduate school degree ( I now have an M.A. in Political Science: Applied Community Development).
Sunday evening, we headed up to Bristol to see the Speedway in Lights (Bob’s a Nascar fan)…pretty cool stuff.
On Monday, we went to Gatlinburg to see all the lights (Bob had never been).
Tuesday and Wednesday, we just ran errands; and Bob had to leave Thursday morning.
On Thursday afternoon, Mom and I had a spa day and it was amazing! I was pretty much comatose after the massage.
Also throughout the week, we visited several friends and went to numerous Christmas parties. I also ate a ton of delicious food! My goal was to gain 10 pounds while I was back home and I gained 9, so pretty close.

Christmas Eve and Christmas day were spent with family, exchanging gifts and eating more delicious food.

The Monday after Christmas, we packed up the car to head to Birmingham to see my little nephew Jackson. Along the way, we spent the night in Chattanooga, so I was able to hang out with my best friends Bethany and Greg. Once in Birmingham, we spent the next two days hanging out with Jackson and his little sister Emma, spoiling them as much as possible.

Mom drove me to the airport early Thursday morning so that I could fly up and spend New Year’s with Bob. It was really nice being back up “north” …minus the cold lol. Bob and I went bowling, watched a hockey game, and ate some great food. We spent New Year’s up at Kemp’s, the bar where Bob works as a cook. We had a blast! His friends are super cool, and the evening was amazing! On Sunday, I had to fly back to Kingsport…saying goodbye was hard, but we know we’ll get to see each other again much sooner than this previous time.

Back home, I spent the next couple of days packing, eating, and visiting with family. I flew out late Wednesday morning and made it back to site Thursday around lunchtime.

Minus being a little ill right after Christmas and then a cold at the end of my stay, my trip home was wonderful! I am truly blessed to have so many people in my life that love and support me. Thank you to everyone who made this trip home so memorable!