Multi-Part Christmas, Round 1

Part of me is sad that we can't have one gigantic Christmas with both James' and my family all in one place.  Maybe somewhere in the middle - I hear Mississippi is nice this time of year?   However, that means it would all happen in one day.  So, that sad part of me quickly realizes that multiple families in multiple spots means MORE FESTIVITIES!  YEA!  I love that we get to spread holiday cheer throughout the entire month of December.  It means more family time and more food.  Two of my favorites.

Last night we celebrated our first of a few family get-togethers, with the Copeland Sisters (as I fondly refer to them as), James' brother, and some good friends.  The Copeland Sisters (James' mom and aunt) always bring a good time and are so wonderful to praise my cooking even if it's a little dry (in my opinion), a little late to the table, and maybe not as traditional.  Like when I add lemon zest to pumpkin pie...which James really liked, right James? (wink)

This Christmas, we enjoyed the following:  Roasted turkey breast and gravy, sauteed green beens with shallots, a baked potato gratin in a rosemary crust, homemade rolls (a shout out to Fresh Market for making them), and a pumpkin pie with marshmallow merengue.  Pretty tasty!

On a side note, preparing these holiday meals reminds me of a few things:  1) I love to cook for people, 2) I need learn to thoroughly read my recipes beforehand, and 3) timing how to get food to the table at the same time (and at a reasonable hour) is an art form.  But I digress...

A few pictures of the family!

James and his mom

James' brother Chris and Aunt Wyllene

And a few pictures of the present exchange that ensued after dinner.  Definitely not the reason for the season, but it sure is a fun part of it, isn't it?  I think it means I'm getting older and more mature, but I enjoy watching people open what we got for them more than I enjoy opening for myself. (Well...okay, I still enjoy opening for myself, too. I'm not THAT altruistic!)  :)

What a lovely evening with the family - I feel blessed to be a part of it.  We will definitely miss them on Christmas day (and I'll probably keep thinking more about my Mass 2012 Christmas Celebration in Mississippi....)

Christmas Time is Here!

And what a better way to kick it off than with our annual high tea up in Washington, DC.  Something I look forward to every year, and don't dare miss even since I've moved down here to Georgia. I'm a sucker for a good tradition.

Speaking of traditions, we stayed down in Old Town Alexandria - my old stomping grounds.  Brought back so many memories!  I made sure we hit up Murphy's, even if it was for breakfast.  Hey, an Irish Breakfast is a legitimate reason to hit up a pub at 10AM, right?

We stayed at this super cute boutique hotel called Hotel Monaco.  We all know my preference / loyalty for a Marriott, but this place warms my heart with their pet friendly policy AND habit of putting goldfish in your room, if you're without your pet and miss the company.  Love it.  (On another note, they had the best wall paper in the bathroom.  It's now inspired me to redo the master.  That is for a whole other blog post...)

Our Christmas tea / Engagement anniversary weekend also coincides with the annual Scottish Heritage day in Old Town.  Add some bag pipes, and you've got yourself a good old party!

But the real reason, of course, is to see one of my best friends, Andrea, and the lovely ladies who all have the privilege of being friends with her.  We were back at the Mandarin Oriental, which meant beautiful atmosphere, delicious treats, and celebrity sightings (why hello, Mr. Di Nero.)

On Sunday, I got to catch up with my good friend, Jessica, before spending some good QT with my husband.  There is always something new to see in DC, and this time it was the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial.  Impressive and beautiful - I'm glad to see it standing among our other National Monuments.

Of course there are some oldies, but goodies.  One of my favorites is the Korean Memorial.  (Both my grandfather and James' father served in Korea, so this one is especially important to us.)

And, because it was Christmas time, we had to hit up the National Tree.  This is the place that James was supposed to propose 3 years ago, before I ruined all his plans and said 'I REFUSE TO STAND OUT HERE IN THE SLEET, BABE!'.  :)  It was really gorgeous on this day, so we had time to troll around and find our State trees.

What a wonderful time of year! I love this weekend, this season, and all the people we get to spend time with in it.  More to come, because this just kicked off the holidays for the Sassers!

So Thankful!

Ah, so much to be thankful for this year!  This Thanksgiving, we head down to Texas to celebrate with the Kerrs.  (On a side note, it's so hard when you love both of your families and have to split up for Thanksgiving - maybe one year it can be a Kerr / Sasser Thanksgiving...in a neutral state!  We can meet up halfway in Vickburg, Mississippi. Who's with me!?)

I'm just going to narrate the weekend with some pictures I took, because they tell the story of how much fun that we had.

First, there was all the food preparation.  We had not one, but two turkeys.  Oh, and a ham.  And about a thousand sides that all came in a casserole dish.  Love that 9X13!  One of the funniest conversations I overheard was between my aunt (the fabulous hostess) and my health nut sister: "Aunt Judy, is there butter in this cornbread dressing?"  "Oh, honey, not that much, just two pounds.".  (For those of you who aren't familiar with how that translates, two pounds is EIGHT STICKS.)

"That's not bacon grease, is it!?"  

The women weren't the only ones slaving away in the kitchen.  The boys took their turkey frying responsibility very seriously, in between rounds of Corn Hole, bird watching, and beer drinking.

But the end result was a DELICIOUS feast that had a good mix of old traditions and new recipes.  Check out my plate (which I cleaned):

One of the most special parts about this Thanksgiving is complete representation of Robert and Estella Kerr's (my grandparent's) offspring.  All three brothers, all of their children, and all of their grandchildren. The complete bunch.  Of course, no one remembered to grab a picture of everyone together, but I did manage to snap a few good shots of certain families.

the Ben Kerr's

The Michael Kerr's

So glad the newlyweds could join us this year!

The Anderson's

Cousins!

Inlaws = co-conspirators

Happy this little lady could join us!

After everyone survived Thursday's eating festivities, we still had a fun-filled weekend in Houston.  Lots of shopping, hanging out, and MORE EATING.  Oh, and (randomly) a train ride. 

The good news is that we took advantage of the lovely hiking trails in the neighborhood to walk off a few calories.  Not sure if we made a dent on the expanding waistline, but at least the views were gorgeous!

As I said, so much to be thankful for!  Our family is top of the list, but it's one of many things that we thank God for each and every day. 

Sweet Baby, Sweet Baptism!

If it's been a while since we posted, it's only because these past few weeks have been craaaaaaaazy.  I know I always say that, but it's always true.  After getting home from seeing my family in Texas, I caught another plane to Sao Paulo, Brazil.  That 9.5 hour bumpy commute is not for the faint of heart, but it's totally worth it to work with such great people down here.  (I blogged last year about my favorite things in that country, but the people are definitely top of the list!)

After a week in Brazil (and another successful project go live - YEA!), I flew straight from Sao Paulo to Boston for the baptism of our great friends' third baby.  Talk about a climate change!  Spring to Fall, heat to cool temps.  My body was slightly confused.

The Pfiefers are some of our favorites - and they have three beautiful kiddos that we just adore!  We mentally take down parenting notes when we hang out with Jen and Jeremy, because those two certainly have it together.  Last year, we visited them and drove up to Maine.  Looking back on these pictures, I can't believe how much their two oldest have grown.

James and Jeremy go way back to their college days, and he was so honored to be the Godfather for their newest addition, Mackensie. James took his duties very seriously, and was always there to feed, burb, hold...until someone needed a diaper change and he was happy to pass her off.  (I better clarify with him quickly that will not fly with our own kids.)    :)

We had a wonderful weekend, and feel so blessed to call this wonderful family our dear friends.  Only wish that they lived closer so that we could see them more!

My Sweet Mimi

This week, James and I traveled back home to Waco to say goodbye to a very important person in my life.  My sweet maternal grandmother went home to be with the Lord on Friday.  It's so difficult to describe how the pain of loss is balanced with the peace of knowing that she is in a much better place; but that comfort and our faith is helping us through such a sad time.  What a reunion it must have been to see my grandfather - her soul mate - once again!

Newlyweds!  

She's going to have many legacies that live on through her, but I wanted to share some of the important things and lessons that I learned from her and try to make a part of how I live.  By no means an exclusive list, but a few of my favorites (and I think she would agree!)   

A Strong Marriage - Mimi lived 86 full years, and 62 of those years were married to her sweetheart.  She would probably admit that they weren't all easy, but she would be quick to remind that marriage was about commitment and devotion through both good and bad times.  (She would also set an example by remembering mostly the good - no need to dwell on anything else!)  James and I have 60 more years to keep working towards the example that they set for us. Should we be so lucky!

Mimi with me on my wedding day

Handcrafted Love:  It may have been common in 1950, but these days I'm probably in the minority of people who enjoy what my Mimi would simply call "hand work".  At a very young age, she taught me the basics of crochet, needlepoint, and embroidery.  What's more, she instilled in me the importance of sewing whatever I made with love, and how special a handmade gift can be to someone.  Or how warm it makes you feel to see a very worn loved baby afghan that you made!  When people ask me where I learned to crochet, I think back to my little 8 year old self spending hours and hours with an ever patient grandmother who taught me chain by chain. 

This sweet lovey would be a ball of yarn without her!

Carry On:  I'm thinking through how to best describe what I so admired about my grandmother, so I'll try to do so through an example:  when I would call her from an airport and say something like "oh, we're delayed 30 minutes, blah blah blah" she would share a story that put things in perspective.  She would laugh and think back to when she was traveling....from the US to Japan on a military jet...by herself...with three young kids (my mother being a few months old) in tow...and almost crashing into a Japanese mountain after a 20 hour flight and several failed attempts at landing...only to walk off the plane and experience her first earthquake.  Can you imagine?  And if I would ask "wow, Mimi, how did you make it through all that?" she would chuckle and say something like "well, honey, I just did!", as if the thought would never ever cross your mind to not do what you just had to do.  Our generation is a bunch of sissies, comparatively.  I love, loved her stories, and they inspire me to seek perspective, stay positive through life's circumstances, and above all (to steal a British saying from that generation) "Keep Calm and Carry On".

Active members of the Ex-POWs,
and committed to helping preserve the stories and honor the heroes of our military

I'm going to cap it at three, but I could go on and on and on... I'll jot them down in my heart so that she may continue to be a positive influence as I evolve into the woman I want to be.