Wow, so of course I am now FINALLY catching up my blog, from the comfort of my new bo concept couch in Abu Dhabi, 14 days post Christmas. Where does the time go?
It was just too busy to actually find time to write while in the states for the holidays. Don't get me wrong, we had the BEST time...it was just a little tough to pull away from enjoying the company of family and friends to actually focus and write. I've gotta get better about my time management.
OH! I should have made that my new year's resolution! That is, of course, if I believed in new year resolutions. I'm pretty much of the mind that you should be thinking all year round of ways to feel happier, healthier and full of life. Guess I'll just make a mental note of the time management then :)
So, here' s how our second half of the holidays went:
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| Met up in NYC with a tn fav :) |
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| Carriage ride in the park a must! |
Before we left the East Coast, we made one last visit to NYC, where we took in our favorite sites, visited one of my dearest life friends, experienced a very popular little lady's yoga class, and then ended the night with a krispy cream donut and train ride home to princeton. Tres bon.
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| power nap time! |
We arrived in Memphis on Saturday, December 18th. After my sis picked us up from the airport we arrived at their new house in Collierville and got the grand tour. So fitting that they are finally living in Memphis. That night we went out for Thai to celebrate my uncle's 61st birthday! So nice to enjoy big milestones together!
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| Nothing cuter than a 2 year old saying "poop", lol |
On Sunday, we relaxed most of the day, then made the little drive to Bartlett to attend my 16 year old nephew David's church christmas show. He and I had been inseparable when he was just a little thing...I guess we both were little things back then...and due to different situations in life, we hadn't seen each other for nearly 10 years. As soon as I hugged him, the tears came rolling down. (funny how the heart reacts before the brain sometimes...)
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| El Vaquero, Paris TN |
On Tuesday, Traci, Joey, Mieka and I ventured to Paris, TN to have lunch with my oldest friend April (we've been friends since the 6th grade at Henry School...dance parties, Bush (the band not the president) and banana fudge ripple ice cream will forever make me think of her :), visit the dentist (no cavities, yay!), spend a little quality time with our step grandmother Blanche, then visit our old neighbors Sam and Betty in Henry. It was indeed a FULL day, but great for the heart.
Wednesday night was another great night at the Stewart-Salwell home, but this time included them introducing Joey and I to Gus's Fried Chicken. We've been in withdrawals from it since we arrived back in Abu Dhabi! Honestly SOOOOO GOOD!!!
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| Wkend at Bernie's?! No? lol |
Thursday night we had a little slumber party over at Veronica and Jared's. A fun night of gaming that included "guess the wine" and "celeb charade-esq"...then we finished the evening falling asleep in front of the fire while "Elf" played on the big screen. haha, perfect night!
Saturday, Christmas Eve...got a head start on the morning to finish up some holiday shopping at the Wolfchase Galleria. Traci, Tyson and Mieka were off to Tyson's fam in South Fulton, so it was just Joey, me and mum for the day. After we finished our mall errands, had a little lunch of chick-fil-a at the foodcourt, we then headed home for some showering, whipping up a batch of reindeer food (if you've never had this, you're missing out) , then off to Jared's Church in mid-town (immaculate conception) for some true Christmas Spirit.
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| love this lil lady! |
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| gotta feel out our presents! |
After the service, we headed home...but taking a little detour first to pick up a little dinner. Where? Chinese take-out! haha And a new tradition is born!
We got home with a plan to take a few holiday pics (the ones shown), set up a little buffet in the kitchen, change into some comfy pj's and find a good holiday movie on tv. "A Christmas Story" seemed to be the obvious choice!
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| Gotta wait here... |
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| My uncle Ted and Papa Julia |
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| Wow! |
Christmas morning! Mum, Joey, Mieka and I had to wait at the stairs until santa's little helpers were finished getting everything just right in the living room.
Yup, she got a jeep! lol By the time noon rolled around she was already trying to conceal items under the hood! Clever little thing my niece!
We enjoyed a nice long day together, opening presents in the morning, having a little southern breakfast of country ham and biscuits (and coffee!! Traci got a great new maker from Santa Tysonian), slowly getting to the stockings (my fav part!), a big Christmas dinner at 4pm, then some nice lounging. Just as it should be :) .
On Monday, my half brother David, his wife Kim, my neice Lexi and my nephew David stopped by for a little post Christmas celebration. It was really lovely spending time with them, but it never seems to last long enough.
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| Rocky start for our journey back home. |
Then of course Tuesday had to come around... Time for us to head for the airport :( After some crazy weather was reported in New Jersey, our flight from Memphis to Newark was delayed about 3 hours. This photo was taken as we waited on the tarmack for an eventual take off. We did finally fly out at 3:50pm and had to take a later flight to London. But with business class tickets, we got to enjoy a rather delicious meal in the british airways lounge...and as much wine as I want! hehe
After a few drinks and lots of silliness at Ray's, we headed over near Marina Mall (not far from our apt at all!) for a little outdoor concert overlooking the water. 
A few weeks ago we (Joey, me, Nadine and Wissam) got tickets to the Mubadala World Tennis Championships at the Zayed Sports Center here in Abu Dhabi. The New Year's Eve weather was a little chilly, but the crowd was amazing! So much positive energy. Tennis fans really are a classy bunch. 
Thursday night we had a little slumber party over at Veronica and Jared's. A fun night of gaming that included "guess the wine" and "celeb charade-esq"...then we finished the evening falling asleep in front of the fire while "Elf" played on the big screen. haha, perfect night! 
Saturday, Christmas Eve...got a head start on the morning to finish up some holiday shopping at the Wolfchase Galleria. Traci, Tyson and Mieka were off to Tyson's fam in South Fulton, so it was just Joey, me and mum for the day. After we finished our mall errands, had a little lunch of chick-fil-a at the foodcourt, we then headed home for some showering, whipping up a batch of reindeer food (if you've never had this, you're missing out) , then off to Jared's Church in mid-town (immaculate conception) for some true Christmas Spirit. 
We enjoyed a nice long day together, opening presents in the morning, having a little southern breakfast of country ham and biscuits (and coffee!! Traci got a great new maker from Santa Tysonian), slowly getting to the stockings (my fav part!), a big Christmas dinner at 4pm, then some nice lounging. Just as it should be :) . 
After arriving in the city we caught the metro, always a fun adventure, for Madison and 79th. Lunch at Serafina was the perfect first stop for these hungry bellies! I ordered an ice coffee (had to keep the energy level up!) and Joey a coke with lemon, then we split the burrata tomato basil appetizer, a spinach salad for me and a napolenatana (anchovy) pizza for Joey. Yum!
After making reservations for our return on Friday, but this time with our entire family, we were off for a nice leisurely stroll through central park. The weather was just perfect!
A visit to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree, window browsing on 5th, chocolates, and then meeting up with Pammy (since she works for Loreal, she was able to work from the city on Monday, lucky girl!) at Bryant Park...there we sat for a little bit and watched the families ice skate. The holiday energy in the city is one of the best in the world....so magical and warm :)
Once we arrived in London, it was morning and a good opportunity to beat a little jet lag with some easy yoga flow! We found a lovely little corner of the airport, overlooking the planes and the sunrise and settled in to our favorite morning moments....me in my postures and joey in a good book.
