Our stockings
My parents
The boys and their new toys
Christmas jammies (taken on 12/24/13)
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Our 14th Anniversary Dinner---12/15/13
Happy 14 years of marriage to us!
We did something completely nontraditional for our anniversary this year by including the kids. It fell on a Sunday this year and it just wasn't worth the logistics of getting someone to babysit them. Our first pick was to go to Choplin's in Cornelius but we got turned away due to the place being shut down for a holiday party. I was very disappointed. Clayton called our second choice, Epic Chophouse in Mooresville, to make sure that they were open. He asked if we needed a reservation and the girl said it would be no problem. Well, she lied. We had to wait at least 30 minutes before being seated. As soon as the boys started looking over the menu, they freaked out over the prices and said so loudly. We were so embarrassed! We never take our kids to really nice restaurants so they weren't acclimated to the atmosphere or the sticker shock, lol. It turns out that they didn't really offer a real kid's meal but they could whip up just about anything for them. Hayden chose his regular chicken fingers, but Emerson was thrilled to get his own steak E devoured his before I could even begin to eat my fish. Clayton shared some of his with him so he was in steak heaven. This place is known for great steaks and it didn't disappoint. I will not be ordering fish next time, that's for sure. Oh, I forgot to mention our delicious appetizer. We had cheese toasts. They were divine! For dessert, the boys opted for the Epic cake (the cake was humongous-the pic does it no justice) and I had the creme brulee. Everything was remarkable and we will be going there again.
Strange thing to note: This place happens to be a block away from where they film the tv show Banshee. I have been on set in that area before but didn't notice this great place. The Cadi, Miles' Diner, and the meat processing plant are all one street back from the restaurant.
Sorry the pics are terrible but they were taken with my iPhone in low lighting.
Molly was happy when we returned. She is completely smitten with my man. I don't blame her, lol.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Yearly Ornaments, Colorado Spruce, & The Novice---12/1, 12/5, 12/10
On the 1st of every December, the elves ring the front door bell and run. All we ever see is the bag of ornaments that they left for us. I got the cute owl, the boys each got a penguin, and Clayton got a cool Santa. This is a fun tradition for us and it will be good whenever my boys move out. The thought is that they will have a collection of meaningful ornaments to start their own trees with. Their grandma Christie sends them yearly ornaments also so they will definitely be able to decorate an entire tree by adulthood.
When I got this unexpected gift in the mail from Lowe's, I cried. It totally touched my heartstrings when I saw that it was a "Colorado" blue spruce. I miss that state so much (though I love being near my family and I hated the long winters there). I hope that we move that way again and that my parents follow us. We shall see.
I have been doing a lot of background acting lately and it is so much fun! On this day, I was working on the set of a new TV show called "The Novice". I had already worked on the pilot the week before but got to return since I wasn't seen. Unfortunately, I wasn't really seen this time either. I was in the far background as a pedestrian during a scene where there was some action on the streets. Clayton's car (the silver Corolla on the street) was left all day to serve as a vehicle waiting at a traffic light. The people working in uptown Charlotte weren't too happy with us being there as this was a busy intersection that got blocked off for filming all day long. Egad. Considering that the show messed up the morning and evening commutes for many people, there were a lot of bad things said online, lol. Anyway, this show will be on USA and is made by Fox. It looks to be a pretty decent show. The lead guy is a cutie named Shane Coffey and his father is played by Alan Ruck (Cameron from Ferris Bueller).
Sunday, December 08, 2013
Meet Molly---Adopted 12/8
This rotten cat has rocked our world. She is the sweetest thing! I had planned to get a cat next Christmas but Molly just kinda happened. On our neighborhood app, someone was looking for a home for her. I couldn't resist. I just had to meet her and see if she was the cat for us. Sure enough, she is the bomb diggity. Though Clayton is her favorite person, I won't hold a grudge. ;)
Attached to my hip (literally!)
These bottom pics are grainy because I took them on my iPhone without a flash, but check out this cat's crazy way she lays on our bed at night. She LOVES the heated blanket.