Parties & Presents

2017 seemed to fly by. I’m not sure how December already came and went! This month was a flutter with lots of holiday parties, which kept our social calendar pretty full. All good stuff, though. I definitely felt the love being surrounded by so many family and friends! We kicked off the month with a girls’ night out to see the movie Bad Moms Christmas, which involved more talking than movie-watching. That night quickly progressed into some dancing at Bradshaw’s (as most evenings tend to do!). It was an awesome time with Crystal and the girls of hip hop class! The next day, I nursed a hangover at a brewery (I mean, who doesn’t), where we met up with Lindsay & Tony, and Kendall & Max at Hyde/Suffolk Punch. The food was delish! The girls continued taking gymnastics, Trent had a Y Guides dad’s meeting, and I learned more about what Brayden’s fifth-grade trip to Camp Thunderbird would entail. How is she taking her fifth-grade trip already is beyond me!

We are (slowly) working on making some minor updates to our house. Specifically, we are in desperate need of a built-in bookcase in our office downstairs. We got some quotes for that and the construction should begin soon! It will be nice to have that room looking more “put together” and decluttered. We attended a cold, yet fun F3 Christmas party out in the middle of nowhere at a barn/farm complex. It was nice to meet a lot of Trent’s workout friends that I hear about so much! Guess where we went afterward…you guessed it, Bradshaw’s! The next day, the entire Hall family got together for our annual Christmas lunch at GG & Dadaw’s place. We returned back to their house for gift opening and laughter. The cousins started a white elephant exchange two years ago and it is really fun to see how creative each of us get with our gifts. This year, I purchased some Bob Ross socks and a toilet golf putter game (it even came with a sign that says “Quiet! Golf game in progress!”). Trent ended up leaving with a coffee mug that looks like a toilet and I left with a foot peel kit (I’m super curious to see how it makes me end up with “baby feet”).

Trent’s parents came in town to help celebrate the holidays. It was so nice having them here for the Christmas break! Since we like to travel outside of the country at least once a year and are so sick of the customs lines at the Charlotte-Douglas airport, we bit the bullet and applied for Global Entry for the four of us. This allows us to bypass all of the customs lines when we land back in the states! As a part of this process, you have an in-person interview where they ask you a series of questions. I was in the room with Hanleigh when they asked her if she has ever gotten arrested. She said “no” (and I thought to myself “not yet”!). They also asked her if she would be taking trips out of the country for business or pleasure. She wasn’t sure what the lady meant, so I asked her if she was going to take her laptop with her on trips and call in to meetings or if she was going on trips to build sandcastles. Easy decision! Unfortunately, when it came my turn to be interviewed, the lady told me that at some point, I had been pulled aside for bringing a piece of fruit from outside of the US. Oops. Yep, that was me. In 2015, I went to Mexico on a girls’ trip and forgot that I had put an apple in my bag. They pulled me aside and gave me a “talking to”. The Global Entry lady informed me that if I do it again that my Global Entry card would be revoked forever! Yikes!

We attended a friend’s (Thin Mint and Jocelyn) holiday cocktail party, which was fun to hang out with Trent’s workout posse; and we attended our traditional viewing of the latest Star Wars release with Cooper, Kyle, Erin, Terry, and Fran. It was a blast and everyone loved the movie. I think it’s one of the best ones! We were home for the entire Christmas break, which was nice to lay low and relax. The girls loved their drones, Google minis, fairy lights, and other gifts. Myers enjoyed his second Christmas as well, tearing into a new sweater and some treats. Mom and Jack moved into an apartment they are leasing until they find a new house, so we helped them move. We then went to the Farrell’s house for a fun dessert/wine evening with our neighborhood friends. I feel like I say this all the time, but it’s so nice to have such a great group of friends that just happen to live nearby! Lastly, we rang in the new year at The Liberty and then retreated back to the Mayer’s house for some dancing, karaoke, and lots of laughs. It was a blast, as always! Another year in the books, but we are looking forward to seeing what 2018 has in store for us! Happy New Year!

Hanleigh-isms:

• “There’s five ways to knock out your teeth.” Then, she proceeds to slowly take her five fingers, makes them into a fist, and shakes her fist at us.
• While playing Rock Band, she gravitates to the microphone the most. During one of the instrumental parts of “In Bloom”, she yells “STAGE DIVE!” and proceeds to jump on the ottoman. Oh my!
• We were watching one of the awards shows and she says, “Oh look a red carpet! Strike a pose!”

View Photos | December Video | Fancy Nancy Play Video