A Raleigh Christmas

This year instead of Carter and I travelling to Roanoke for Christmas, our parents came to Raleigh to spend the holiday with us! I got to play hostess (my favorite!) and cook for most of the weekend. Our parents rented the rental apartment our complex offers, so they each had their own bedroom and bathroom. Koda was crazy the whole weekend with all the attention he gets from our parents...as if Carter and I don't give him any love.

We had a great time hosting Christmas here. Since we couldn't be 'home' for Christmas I decided to be a little non-traditional in our choices of food. On Friday we ate at Simply Crepes, a new experience for our parents...they LOVED it. For Christmas Eve I cooked a Balsamic, Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Loin, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, homemade mashed potatoes (Carter's specialty), and corn muffins - I must say it was delicious. On Christmas I made Lemon and Rosemary Roasted Chicken, roasted winter vegetables, mushroom and walnut stuffing and collard greens - it too, was tasty. We finished the evening with a German Chocolate Pecan pie and coffee.

As always our parents gave generously and got us way too much for Christmas, but it was much appreciated. Our extended families sent gifts with them as well, so we had tons to open on Christmas morning. Koda also had some gifts to open as well. He spent most of the morning running from one new toy to another. We attended Summit's Christmas Eve service (which was great) where I saw a former co-worker. I was so surprised to see him there I asked him, "What are you doing here?" He laughed and told me that he and his wife were now Christians and were baptized about a month ago!! Seeing them there at church worshiping God was definitely one of the highlights of my weekend!

Unfortunately in all the packing to leave, my camera was mistaken for someone else's and made its merry way back to Virginia, so I don't have any of my pictures to post. But thankfully with the iphone I received for Christmas, I took a picture of our Christmas tree and one of Koda and his new toy pheasant.

Better Late than Never...

Thanksgiving was great - we took a week off from work, packed up the car and Koda and headed to the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Carter spent a week hunting in West Virginia with his cousins and shot the buck of a lifetime! I'm so proud of him, even though I'm not really sure how big the average deer is....be impressed.

I spent the first half of the week with my parents and Koda. We had a great time! My parents took turns being off from work, so I had a mom day and a dad day. They took me to some of my favorite restaurants...Macados and Three Little Pigs, yum! We went shopping and visiting with some family. Carter came back on Thanksgiving and we spent some time with my family and then headed over to West Virginia, where we spent the rest of the week. 

On Friday, instead of fighting the shopping crowd, I went with Carter's cousins (girls only), mom and aunts to The Greenbrier, a beautiful resort in West Virginia. I had never been before and was amazed at the architecture and design. A few of us signed up for free passes to the Casino and we all played the slots...I doubled the dollar my mother-in-law gave me, woohoo! One of Carter's cousins put in $20 and won $400! We were so excited for her! 

Here's a picture of us all taken by the only man brave enough to come with us...so a special thanks to Jennifer's boyfriend, Jason.

All in all, we had a wonderful time. As for Christmas, we have decorated...pics are to come. Our friends Catherine and Becky helped us pick out our tree.

Koda LOVES Catherine and Becky. He's under the impression that he's a small lap dog.

Koda and Carter are doing well...just a man and his dog. We're looking forward to Christmas! Carter's parents and my parents are coming down here this year. I'll be doing all the cooking :) Can't wait. There's much more to come in the following weeks...so stay tuned.