Home for the Holidays

Phil and I were so excited to be able to travel home to the Louisville, KY area for Christmas! I had been home in April, but it had been over a year since Phil had been back. We are lucky enough to have families that live just minutes from each other, so we got to spend a lot of time with both sides of the family. I had been bummed about the lack of "winter weather" in Florida but
was very excited to see snow as we landed in KY. The first thing on tap on Sunday was a big lunch at Buckheads in a private room looking out at the Louisville skyline. Apparently Phil's dad had to pull some strings to reserve a spot big enough for all seven Stephens' siblings and their significant others, his parents, and my parents and sister. It was great having everyone together again, and I am amazed at how much everyone seems to grow up in the times that we are gone. On Monday, Phil and I drove up to Indianapolis, IN to visit with our friends John and Sarah and picked up Brad and his girlfriend on the way up there. Both of these guys are some of Phil's best friends and were groomsmen in our wedding. We had a great time catching up! Tuesday we spent time at both of our houses and then went out for a nice dinner at Lilly's for my sister, Shelley's, birthday. It's a very nice restaurant, but while everyone else ordered exotic items, this pregnant chick ordered what amounted to grilled cheese and fish sticks from the tapas menu. =) We saw Up in the Air the next day, which was good but not fabulous. We also met up with some great friends that we hadn't seen in a while- Ross, Robin, Lance, Courtney, Ashley, Matt, Angela, Jason...it was so great to see you all! I even got to see my adorable godson, Logan!
Christmas eve was spent at my Aunt Mary Jo's house, which is tradition, and we had so much family fun with the pickle hunt, Chinese gift exchange, and "Lefty Righty game." The night ended with the candlelight ceremony at church which is always a beautiful affair and helps us to remember what the holiday season is all about. Christmas day was split between both families and involved lots of food, gifts, laughs, and love. Phil, his brother Luke, Luke's fiance Alison, and I headed up to Cinci, OH the next day to catch up with relatives on Phil's side that we hadn't seen in quite a while. This was preceded by a stop at the Gap outlet for a few baby boy outfits and some maternity jeans for me and a ride across the Ohio River on the Anderson ferry. fun fun.
It was a fast paced, activity filled week, but it was a great time with family and friends. We miss everyone already!