Going to the hardest and darkest...to shine the light of Christ

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Day 8-10: Christmas Vacation



Day 8, Sunday: On Sunday we went to church at RiverStone, our home church in GA. It was very exciting and Christmasy. We were blessed to be able to hear not only Daniel Bashta sing, but also Rita Springer and Mac Powell. It was really cool. The church was even nicely decorated for Christmas and had a tree in the front foyer.



Then we went to see our old dance studio's, PHWD, Christmas performance. It was so much fun to see all the dancers and the instructors. They did an amazing job! Being the first time we had ever seen the show, we had always been in it and never seen it live, we were thoroughly impressed! We had a great time visiting with them and even got to continue the fun when we attended the cast party that evening. It was so much fun to be able to hang out with them and see them again.



Day 9, Monday: On Monday I was able to sleep until 11! I was very happy to receive some much needed rest! Then Mallory and I went to Panera Bread Co to meet Virginia M. for lunch. She is one of our dancer friends but we couldn't see her because she went to the Saturday night show. She is still enrolled in KSU, works for her parents coffee shop, teaches dance, works in the office for the studio she teaches at, dances, and finds time to hang out with us. Needless to say, she is a very busy girl! We were happy that we got to see her. Then she treated us to DipN'Dots. It was so good!!!!!! (The boy in the picture is her boyfriend, Johnny)



Afterward Mallory and I spent some time at home alone, girl time!!!, because Nana and Papa were at a staff Christmas party and Moma and Daddy were eating dinner with another couple. We ate pizza and ice cream while we watched the movie Fly Away Home. Then when Nana and Papa were back home we watched it again! It was a lot of fun.




Day 10, Tuesday: Today I got to sleep in again! Then I got to go to Jessica's house and spend time with her. I had a great time talking to her and spending time with her. It was also good to see her dog, Kanobi, again. He has so much energy! We enjoyed avalanche snacks, cookies, and milk! While I was at Jessica's, Mallory and Daddy were shopping, Nana and Moma went shopping, and Papa went shopping. Mallory was my little Elf. She was able to get the last minute Christmas gifts I needed while she was out and about. Thanks MAP! Then I went home and got to eat a yummy meal fixed by Papa........potatoes, peas, bread, and STEAK!!!! We had a great time visiting and chilling with them.

Well, that is the end of day 10. I'll update more later. Only 2 days until Christmas!!!! =)

Day 3-7: Christmas Vacation

WOW!!!! So much has happened since day 4 of our Christmas vacation! I will try to give you the brief synopsis.



 

 


Okay, so on day 3, Tuesday, we got to go see the lights with Grandma, Papa, and Scottie at Lake Lanier. They were so pretty!!! We had a great time driving through seeing all the different things. We got to see the 12 Days of Christmas, Teddy Bear Land, different birds and animals, santas, christmas decorations, disney stuff (like the wizard of oz, aladdin, jack and the beanstalk), and much more. It was so cool! Then we got to go to Wendy's for dinner! It was very yummy and we had a fun time. Scottie, do you still need that bobby pin???



 Day 4, Wedenesday: Moma, Mallory, and I got to have lunch with Mrs. Diaddigo and Rebekah. It was our annual drink off.......who can drink the most Coke in the time we sat in McDonalds talking!




We had a fabulous time talking and it was so much fun to catch up with them learning what is going on in their lives. Rebekah is now dancing with the Atlanta Ballet and is able to be in their Nutcracker. So she gets to perform in the Fox Theater!!! Isn't that cool! I can remember my dad took me to the Nutcracker at the Fox when I was a little girl.......and now my friend is dancing there!!! Crazy! Not to brag or anything, but she also has 72 college credits! And she's only been taking classes since January!!! Way to go RKD!




Then I got to go with a group from our church to Cenntenial Park in Atlanta to go ice skating. But don't worry about us girls, we took 3 boys with us......to protect the 12 of us! It was a lot of fun! And I didn't even fall down! :) Then we went to eat a Taco Mac. I had so much fun hangning out with my friends and it was really good to be able to spend time with them. Thanks Kayla for organizing the event! :)




Day 5-6, Thursday: Then Mallory and I got to go to Aunt Amy and Uncle Alan's house to spend the night with AJ, Autumn, Abram, and Archer. We had so much fun playing with our cousins! We love hanging out with them and it was good to see baby Archer. I got to play chess with AJ. Let me tell you, he is really good!!!! And we had fun teaching them how to play Blink, a card game. Then we, the 5 of us, got to sleep in the same room. Mallory and I got the bunk beds and the 3 others got to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor. I was surprised that we even slept at all! Then we got to go to Uncle Alan's restaurant for breakfast. I got grits, bacon, and a raspberry sweet biscuit. It was so yummy!!! Then we went back home until Papa picked us up and took us to our next destination......our other cousins house!




We got to spend the night with Gabriel and Victoria on Day 6. We had so much fun talking and hanging out. We ate Mexican for dinner. It was delicious. Then we went to Kohls to buy boxers! We are starting a new tradition for the four of us.......buying a new pair of comfy sleep shorts every Christmas. I got a pair with smurfs, Gabriel got some with Dr. Suess, Victoria got a different pair of smurfs, and Mallory got some with footballs. Needless to say we were very excited! Then we went to Dairy Queen because Uncle Tuffy was craving ice cream. We all got cones, some dipped in chocolate and others not. Then we went home, watched Alvin and the Chipmunks, and went to sleep.



 



 Day 7, Saturday: We started day 7 with breakfast at the Mountain Biscuit Cafe. Then we headed to Town Center Mall to hear Gabriel and Victoria play piano for their Christmas performance. We also got to see the A. Williams cousins again. Good job G & V! Y'all did really well.




Afterward I got to see my friend Lizzy. It was so much fun to see her, talk, and learn how her life is going. She is still doing swim team, finishing her senior year at Pope High School, dual enrolling at SPSU, and still enjoying some friend time. It was good to see her and we had fun driving around. We went to QT to get a frozen coke and then later split a peppermint milkshake. We even got to go see her old house. We had a great time!!!

That was the end of week 1. More to come........ =) We are thoroughly enjoying our trip in GA!!!!!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Day 2: Christmas Vacation





On Monday we got to sleep in!!! YAY!!! I haven't been able to sleep in for a very long time because life is just so busy. It was very refreshing to be able to get some extra sleep!!!!



Then Mallory and I got to go shopping with Grandma! We were each given a little spending money, Grandmas says every girl needs a little spending money, and we decided to go to Target. The Target right by their house is the biggest Target in the nation. Pretty neat that it is so close to their house! :)

 

We found a couple of cute shirts and then stopped to get some icies!!! They were delicious. Then we decided to stop by Kohls.

 

I absolutely love Kohls. I think it is Grandma and I's favorite store! I love that they always have good deals and Grandma had a coupon as well. We found a few more cute shirts, and Mallory some earrings, and proceeded to come home where another surprise was awaiting us.




We met Unker Tuppy (Uncle Tuffy) and Aunt Kelda for dinner at Chili's. Chili's had a deal so that you could get an appetizer, 2 entres, and a desert for cheaper than what we would have gotten just regular dinners. So Mallory and I split Texas Cheese fries, each got Cajun Chicken Pasta (if you have never tried it.....you should!! It's delicious!), and a brownie sundae. It was really good.

 

Then Uncle Tuffy and Aunt Kelda told us why they had wanted to meet with us......they love us, yes, but there was more to the story. They were buying our family phones!!!! So Mallory and I about burst out of our skin with excitment realizing that Mallory would have a phone and that we would have unlimited texting!!!! Everyone kept making fun of me saying the "whale" was coming out again everytime I would get excited and squeak. Mallory and I got blue xenons, Moma got a red xenon, and Daddy got a silver flight. They are so cool!!! Mallory and I both broke 100 text messages that night!!! Moma even texted me good night!!! Well, that is the end of Day 2! :)






Day 1: Christmas Vacation



We are able to enjoy so much on our trip and I wanted to be able to share it with you. On Saturday we arrived in Georgia tired and a little hungry. It was good to see Grandma and Papa and eat the yummy meal Grandma had prepared for us.




On Sunday we were able to go to RiverStone Church and see many of our friends and family. It was so good to catch up with so many people. The highlight of that time was when one of my friends waved at me like I was a regular sight and then realized who I was. The look on her face was priceless!!!!



After church we were able to go eat at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in the entire world. We were blessed while we lived in GA to live 3 minutes away from the most amazing restaurant. We miss this Mexican blessing so much and have not been able to find anything that is equal to or even close to this. So we got to indulge in our yearly Mexican meal! It was delicious!!!!!!!!!

 

Afterward Mallory and I got to go to RiverStone's youth Christmas party. We got to play several games, eat and hang out with friends. Some of the games included decorating a human christmas tree, a human present, and decorating a table. Then we got to enjoy chocolate chip pancakes, strawberry walnut waffles, milk, and oj. We had a great time!!!



Then Mallory and I rushed home to enjoy a scrumptious meal Grandma had prepared........salad, potatoes, brownies, and CRAB LEGS!!!! She was able to find a great deal at a local grocery store and we were all very excited!!!! We also were able to see our cousin Scott and catch up on everything.





Then we got to enjoy many laughs as we watched the movie Christmas Vacation. Watching this movie has been a tradition for my parents every year and in the past couple of years they have let us watch it as well. Grandma and Papa saw it for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. Well that's all for day 1!!! :) More to come.......

Saturday, December 12, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!



Well, after a long trip in the car and 4 very sore southern ends, we finally arrived in Georgia!!! We are excited to be spending time with our family and friends these two weeks for Christmas. We will post more pictures of our trip soon. Merry Christmas!!!


Thursday, December 3, 2009

Christmas Show!!!




We had our first show this morning!!! It went very well and we are super excited for the rest of this weekend. Hopefully we will take some pictures so we can put them on the blog so that you can see them. I'm rag doll (raggedy ann), African, and Waltz of the Flowers. Mallory is Russian and American. We absolutely love our parts! We have had rehearsals all week and Wed. night we were in the theater from 3pm-11:30. Then we had to be back at the theater at 7:30 for the 9:30am show!!! I was only able to sleep for 4 hours and I feel like I am sleep walking. My body is aching and is a constant reminder that I am finally back into what I love to do after my long 9 month break. Well I have lots of school to do......

Only 8 more days till we're home for Christmas break! See you soon!

Love ya!
Ashton :)