Two weeks off

It was fantastic to have two weeks off with Kari over the Christmas break. We managed to go the entire time without having one day where we did not visit with anybody - well, except the last Sunday, Kari just say goodbye to her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew in the morning before I even woke up. I spend many weekends not even going outside, just resting or doing stuff around the house. So, for me, it was a really busy and really fun vacation.

Here are some of my favorite moments:

Climbing in the "Water Cycle" nets at the Children's Museum with my nieces and nephew.

Having a Florida White Christmas: two trips to Ft. DeSoto beach! The first time it was sunny and chilly - perfect for a picnic and throwing the frisbee.

The second time was sunny and warm - perfect for watching kids dig in the sand and brave the frigid water.

Going to see The Nutcracker at The Straz Center. (Kari already posted the picture I wanted to use.)

Watching the Gators beat Penn State in Urban Meyer's last UF game. I made Ultimate Nachos and Five-Spice Chicken Wings with Cilantro-Sour Cream dipping sauce to distract me from the chaos that was Gator football this season. This was the only game I watched this year that we won. I have no photo of this - just picture me smiling.

Donut Day! The tradition lives. Since I was about 11 or 12 I have celebrated New Year's Eve with an indulgence of donuts. It all started when I was too young to go out for New Year's, but my siblings weren't. I was home with my parents, wanting to celebrate. The wait at a restaurant was too long, so my mom took me to Publix to buy and eat as many donuts as I wanted. There's something special about getting to pick out lots of different kinds at once. Nowadays, we head over to Fray's, but I still pick out whatever I want. The surprising favorite this year was my Powdered Jelly donut.