Happy Holidays!

Cliff and I were very lucky this year as we were able to go back home for ten days over the holidays.  We got to spend some quality time with family and friends in Virginia and Maryland.  We were always on the move but we got to hang out, eat amazing food, and reconnect with people that we love.

Before we left we got to have tea with Brie.  The place was really awesome as they had over 80 different teas available.   Per Brie's recommendation we ate at a Lebanese restaurant and had some really tasty falafel, homemade pita, tzatsiki, and other goodies.  It was the perfect pre-travel meal.  After dinner we spent the night at Kathy and Jill's apartment.  It was pretty wonderful to be able to see these folks over the holiday.  Yay!

I tried really hard to take photos during our trip.  Sometimes I failed to document everything but overall I was pretty proud of myself.  Sadly we didn't get photos with our friends in Williamsburg (Rachel, Allen, the two kitties, Sara, Brad and Cati) or Shanann and Caroline in Maryland.  Our visits were short and I think I was just so excited to see them that it didn't register to take photos.  Otherwise, the photos serve as a highlight reel of our trip so we hope you enjoy!

The security line at PDX.  We made it from this point to our terminal in less than 30 minutes.  Portland International really is a wonderful airport.  Small, super clean, friendly staff, and they have a guy who plays the steal drums outside of a Hawaiian cafe.  Awesome.

Ok so I didn't take this photo.  I failed to take any photos at the ODU vs. VMI game on the 22nd.  We got to sit in the new seats and get to know some of the new faces on the team.  Their new players look really good and I think they are going to be a great team in another year or two.  Thanks articles.dailypress.com for the great photo!

We got to spend two nights with Dad and Grandma.  On Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Margaret and Uncle Chris's house for dinner.  It was really wonderful as we got to see the whole family.  After dinner we came home and exchanged gifts.  We got a new alarm clock that plays ambient sounds (think thunderstorms, waves, windchimes, etc.) and we gave Dad a webcam so that we can Skype. On Christmas morning we went to IHOP for breakfast (by the way their pumpkin pancakes are pretty amazing).  It was so warm that Dad was in shorts and Cliff was in a short sleeves. Great visit.

At the Lyddane house we opened presents, ate Christmas dinner, and then played several hours of Taboo and Mad Gab.   Here Cliff is trying to explain to Joe and Stephen which syllable they need to emphasize to get their phrase right.

The next day Cliff and I got to have Christmas with Mom, Pam, and Nanny.  We went to the Gaylord Hotel right outside of Washington, D.C.  We did this last year and it is quickly becoming a beloved tradition.  We exchanged gifts, ate dinner, and hung out all night.  It was really nice to be able to spend time all together.

While at the Gaylord, Mom and I went to ICE!  It was a huge room filled with ice sculptures.  The temperature in the space was between zero to four degrees so they give everyone these huge blue coats to wear while inside.  We didn't wear the hoods (we should have as it was so cold) as we were both creeped out by putting something on our head that sooo many other people had worn before.   I wish I had taken more photos as it was really neat to see what people can do with a ton of ice and nice lighting.  At the end Mom and I got hot chocolate to help us thaw out.

We finally visited Andrea's apartment in Baltimore!   Andrea had a Vaccaro's Groupon so we stocked up on fill-at-home cannoils, chocolate macaroon cookies, and cake.  You can't not go to Vaccaro's and stuff yourself.  We also got a Himalayan Feat from an Indian restaurant that is right around the corner from Andrea's apartment.  It was advertised to feed two people but based on Andrea and Joe's previous meals they knew it would feed more.  It was so much food!  The four of us couldn't finish it all.  It was the best Indian food Cliff and I have had in a long, long time.  We decided to eat in so that we could pig out in our pajamas... and believe me we did.

On our last night we all ended up at the Lyddane house.  For his birthday, Stephen got edible tablets that make sour foods sweet.  We decided to have a feast of grapefruits (many as you can see by the bowls and peels), lemons, pickles, coffee, and generally any other food that was in the house that we wanted to test.  There was so much fruit!  I generally hate grapefruit and even I was sucking it down.  We all ate so much fruit that our teeth started to hurt.  I love Lyddane activities.

 

In addition to the fruit feast we also had Lydanish (danish made by Stephen- this time with cream cheese and lemon filling).  We had to document everyone eating the official family food.  I feel like this photo has the makings for a 2012 Lyddane Christmas card.

We had a wonderful trip and were so excited to see everyone.  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and may 2012 bring you much laughter, good health, and many happy times!