Friday, January 11, 2019

Cheers to the Weekend, Why, Hello January 2019! Edition

Here we are, 11 days into January 2019 already! At this rate, this year is going to FLY by even faster than last year! It's been an action-packed start to the year, and I'm happy to say cheers to a CLEMSON NATTY WIN!!!!!! to kickstart the post. That, and more we are saying CHEERS to this weekend: 



Clemson Natty. Okay, y'all know this Clemson diehard has to start this post with our incredible win over Bama. My hub and I were so excited and so grateful to see it all go down in person. We took an early morning flight on Monday morning and made it to our AirBNB in Santa Clara, California, right around noon. After grabbing some quick In-N-Out burgers, meeting up with a couple we love who we were sharing the house with, and freshening up, it was off to the ESPN tailgate to meet up with several of our college BFFs. With Keith Urban's live concert playing alongside us, we took in the scene, caught up with our friends, and got ready to enter the stadium. 






We went in about an hour before kick-off to grab some dinner and watch the pre-game prep on the field. Then, it was time for the game. I had told my hub for weeks that I just knew we were going to win this game. This team is special, our coaches are special, and I just had this unshakeable feeling. I did not feel one nerve, not the least bit of anxiety, at any point before or during the game. This was going to be our night. And I wanted to be there to see it in person. Honestly? I just didn't know it would be as awesome as a win as it was for our Tigers. I thought we'd win by a field goal, a touchdown maybe. But our Tigers had a different plan in mind. 








I cannot begin to describe how it felt in that stadium. It was a night I won't forget. One of the reasons I love our team is because our coach and QB never hesitate to give all the glory to God. They know that this is a game. It, nor their successes nor failures, define them. Their identity is in Christ and they use the God-given platform and talents they've been given to further the Kingdom of God. I just love our Tigers. <3




We stayed until long after the game was over, watched the trophy presentation and all the post-game speeches, collected some of the celebratory confetti, and savored the moment for what it was. We kept saying it felt like a dream (and then, like a nightmare, we walked a mile to get an Uber - ha! :/ ). 







After catching some zzz's, we took it easy the next morning before heading out to a winery (The Ridge), then lunch, then another winery (Testarossa), and then stopped at a local grocery store to get supplies for dinner. We headed back to our rental, where we relaxed and our friend cooked a delicious dinner. Then, my hub and I packed our things and headed to the San Fran airport to catch our 12:30 am flight. :0 We were asleep on that plane before it even took off - ha! ;) It was a whirlwind trip, and I would do it all over again  in a heartbeat to witness that win, spend time with my hub, and make memories with friends we love so much. Go Tigers! 










New Year's Eve/Day. Before the Natty, though, there was fun to be had to kick off the new year! On New Year's Eve, I did my annual countdown to 12:00 noon with my kiddos (aka Happy Noon-Year ;) ). Later, our little fam o' six headed to a fun neighborhood party with some dear friends. We let the kids stay up past bedtime but not all the way to midnight - in fact, this grandma made sure to set my alarm for 11:58 pm so that I would be sure to wake up for my NYE kiss from my hub. #oldtimers






We enjoyed our traditional New Year's Day meal of ham, collards, black-eye peas, and cornbread, all scrumptious thanks to my hub! We spent most of the rest of the day painting our playroom. It had not been painted for over a decade and still had the cheap paint from when it was built. After years of hardcore playing, let's just say it was in desperate need for an update. Enter: Sherwin William's Sea Salt. I love it because, depending on the time of day and the light that comes in, it changes from a greyish-blueish-greenish tint. It felt so nice to begin 2019 with a fresh start! 





Raleigh's actual birthday. I'm sure everyone has now seen my post gushing about Sensational Sleepovers and Raleigh's 7th Birthday Sleepover. But what about her actual birthday? Well, she began the day with the best surprise of her life: for literally TWO YEARS, she has been begging for a cat "when [I] turn 7." And here's the thing: our Raleigh is the most loving, nurturing caretaker of our bunch. What's more, Cooper, our miniature yorkie, who is now 14.5 years old, has been rapidly declining over the last 12+ months - he is now blind and deaf, has dementia, and sleeps the majority of the day. And yet, Rals loves and cares for him like no other. We knew she was more than deserving of having her birthday wish come true. So, about a month ago, I started searching for a rescue kitty, and about a week before her birthday we found him: the most precious, 5-week old kitten. This little fella was not supposed to make it, his foster mom told me. But he is a fighter. And our family has a thing for wee warriors. So, first thing in the morning on Raleigh's birthday, she opened a box to find pictures of her brand new kitten. With any luck, we'll be meeting him next week and then bringing him home the week after that. <3






Rals also enjoyed the traditional daddy-only birthday breakfast, a shopping and manicure date with momma, and plenty of playtime with new toys the rest of the day before her enjoying her birthday dinner request: what else but mac 'n cheese for our girl?! It was a great day for our 7-year-old Raleigh Jane. :) 







Birthday party central. Speaking of birthdays, we were in birthday party central last week/end with Banks having two parties for two good buddies and Harrison having two parties for two sweet friends. Between those and Raleigh's birthday, it felt like a non-stop party 'round here!  




And now, we are getting back into the swing of things. We have a few basketball and flag football games this weekend, and my hub and I are attending a charity event Saturday night. Otherwise we have big plans for lots of rest and recuperating from the wildness that was the start to January. I hope your year is off to a GREAT start. Happy 2019 to all and to all a good night! ;) 


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