christmas in virginia

Last Tuesday, sans hub or Britton, I flew out to see my family in Virginia and celebrate Christmas with them. Last year I went at Thanksgiving, but this year it worked out better that I go right after Christmas, and it was fantastic. My flight out was delayed because the cockpit had a loss of cabin pressure, so they had to find us a new plane. Luckily American Airlines is headquartered in DFW, so it took all of ten minutes. But I arrived an hour late in Richmond. No problem - Jessica was there to pick me up and take me back to King George! Our mom spent Christmas at Jessica's house, so she was already there. First things first - opening presents!

I got a mug for my mom at the Salt Lake City airport that says, "Always speak your mind, but ride a fast horse." It's so her.



Yes that book says "Busy Timmy!" I have a copy that Britton loves (belonged to the hub as a child), and I wrapped it with Tim's Home Depot gift card since Jessica's house project wish list keeps Tim busy!





I made this quilt for Jessica's family for her living room. The pattern is "Road to Tennessee" and the colors were a great coordinate to her room.



Jessica's kids have always been able to tell the difference between me and Jessica. Emily was no exception! But not being her momma didn't stop her from holding on to my legs or wanting to be held, and I can't even remember when Britton was that little.



On Wednesday we ran some errands together, including taking Garrett to Pet Smart for some fish. Jessica had told me she was getting him a big tank for Christmas, and suggested a gift card for him so he could get fish. Perfect! It took him a while to decide (the selection is ridiculously overwhelming) but we came home with fish and a snail named Gary.

On Thursday we set off for Virginia Beach. Last time I even saw this water I was eight months pregnant with Britton, and I really needed to see water with no land on the other side. I needed to see my beach.




That night we had dinner at Bubba's with everyone! It was great to see Stephanie, Kevin, their kids Gavin and Alexandria, my aunt Jill and my cousin Kristen, and of course Jessica, Garrett, and Caroline were there too! You can't beat seafood that hasn't been frozen. I miss really good seafood so much, and my mom knew that and treated us to an amazing seafood dinner.







On Friday Jen DeSantis came over for lunch to visit and catch up! Jessica made chicken caesar salads and I made some pretzel bread. We hung out for hours, and her little boy Adam came over to play. Then it was off to the airport for me to catch my flight home. I had a great time and loved getting to see everyone! Thanks for everything Jessica!