Christmas in Florida

We drove back to McKinney on the 26th and then caught a flight to Florida to spend the rest of the holiday with my family. Mom loves having everyone together and she even cooked another traditional dinner especially for John and me. My oldest brother Sam and his wife Farrah have been building a house. We went down and checked it out. The house is close to being down, so we were really able to get a feel of what the finished product is going to look like. They have put a lot of special details into the house. I am very excited for them!!

We were also able to see some of my cousins before we left town. My mom’s side of the family used to have a very traditional sit down dinner every Christmas at my grandparent’s house. It would range from 30 to over 40 people. My mom is one of seven. All of her brothers and sister would attend every year with their families. It was an organized chaos, but we loved the opportunity to see everyone. It has been a hard tradition to let go of, so I still try and see some of my cousins when we are home.

Christmas in Orange

We spent the first part of Christmas in Orange with John’s family. John’s mom knew how much I missed my traditional dinners, so she bought me a little baby turkey to cook. I called my brother Matt who has become quite the chef. He walked me through the rub down and how to cook it. 6 hours later it turned out to be the best turkey I have ever eaten!!! It might be first timers luck, but I really hope we can repeat it.

John’s dad had an extremely special surprise for me. They have a baseball mosaic on their bulk head by the water with all of their handprints surrounding it. After talking about it for 3 years, we were finally adding my handprint next to John’s. It was a very symbolic and meant a lot to John and me.

Once the handprint was set in cement, we took some family pictures on the steps. We were in need of a current family picture. With all of us together, it didn’t take long before we were goofing around. John’s dad was still able to capture some really great shots.

Kiwanis Christmas Party

John and I attended the Kiwanis Christmas party tonight. It helped us to get more in the Christmas spirit. The gift exchange was hysterical. I love to see what gifts people fight over. The cheese balls were a major hit, but immediately had one owner when they started getting eaten mouth first!! The holidays always seem to bring out the kid in all of us.

Miss DC Weekend

This weekend is dedicated to helping Stephanie Williams, Miss District of Columbia, prep for Miss America. Her flight lands in a few hours and she is staying through Monday evening. We are going to work on interview, walking and mental preparation. Stephanie is an extremely intelligent young lady who only has one more year of medical school. We are looking forward to getting to know her better this weekend. There is no experience like walking across the Miss America stage. I want every young lady to have the best experience and wake up the next morning with no regrets.

Bingo Night

I helped my fellow Kiwanians host Bingo Night at Homestead Nursing Home. I had no idea bingo was so competitive. These residents were not playing around. They were there to win and let us know it. I was thrilled when my lady won a game!!! There was one table of ladies that won over half the games. Next time I am going to try and get a seat at their table!

Serving Lunch at the Samaritan Inn

Our Keller Williams North Collin County office donated money to host lunch at the Samaritan Inn. It is the largest homeless shelter in Collin County. We heard a spokesperson for the Inn at a local networking meeting a few weeks ago and we decided to find a way to get involved. We were able to raise the money quickly. We also collected gift cards to local stores so the parents staying at the Inn could have the pride of buying their children Christmas gifts. We collected over $400 in gift cards and we are already have a great to start to host another lunch in January/February. Six of us went over to help serve lunch. We were greeted with big smiles and positive attitudes. They were excited about having choices and fresh vegetables for lunch. It broke our hearts, but reminded us how grateful we should be for the luxuries we have in our lives. We left the Samaritan Inn humbled and wanting to do more.

Breakfast with Santa

I made an appearance at a Breakfast with Santa this morning. A local dance studio was performing Christmas dance numbers. During one of the breaks, I had the opportunity to speak to all the little girls and sign autographs for them. Rose, my of my friend’s daughter, is destined to be a beauty queen. The crown fit her head perfectly!!

Keller Williams Christmas Party

John, Doug and Lane headed to the panhandle to go pheasant hunting. John and Doug have never been, so I can’t wait to hear about their experience! Our Keller Williams office party was help at one of the new Darling Home models in Tucker Hill. I was greeted at the front door with Christmas carolers and a lively crowd inside. There was tons of food, drinks and even a Grinch dressed up as Santa. It’s nice to be around all my colleagues in a social setting. I love being a part of this office!! They are truly endearing and fun to be around!