KP: Snow

KP Writes:
When driving home to MO, the highways were dry and clear but the side roads were a packed snowy mess with mounds of plowed snow on the outer edge of the lanes. The parking lots were even worse.



The Grandview Plaza shopping strip, (the property IHOP just purchased to renovate for our Bible school) was a site. The snow plows had just made a single pass through all around the edge of the lot. (up next to the side walk/building). Here are a few pictures.

We drove the van behind the snow to give you size perspective.


When we got home, just 2 miles away we tried to pull in our drive way, couldn't get in, then almost got stuck. So, 1st thing on the agenda, shovel the driveway, then unload the car. (And don't forget to salt the steps and front porch!!)

This is our driveway, after we tried to pull in. We measured 6.5-7 inches deep, but a friend of ours who stayed for Christmas said that they got a foot of snow!!!
The snow wasn't completely unspoiled in our yard. The deer had been making their daily trek around our house.




Love ya,
Kristian

KP: The Ride Home

KP Writes:

I can honestly say I do not think we could have taken another thing in the car back to MO with us! We were full in every crack available. We had cubbyholes for our bodies which worked great until we had to brake once on the highway. The girls were napping and you can see some of the items shifted. But, not to worry, they never even stirred!




Love ya,
Kristian

KP: A Few Highlights

KP Writes:

A picture of Ashton and Mallory in costume for the Dramatic Truth Christmas Performance, The Mystery of Christmas.




All 7 of our very impresive OneThing interns plus two of their friends, dressed up and came to see the girls perform a variation of the Nutcracker with a gospel presentation.


About a week later we left for GA.



Crab leg dinner with Grandma and Papa and cousin Scott who is home from Mississippi State.





Tuffy and Kelda grinning like opossums while treating us to Chili's and just before playing Santa and Mrs. Claus at the AT&T store!!


A shot of the entire group taken by our waiter.




The picture says it all!!




Scott, Mallory, and Ashton at Lake Lanier Is. Light Show. (We stopped in the shop for a restroom break and a quick picture.)




Posing again in front of a tree at our favorite meeting place with the Diaddigo's...McDonalds. It has been our tradition for years to meet and talk for hours at the Mickey D's. We used to meet every couple of weeks before the move, now we meet every trip home!! We love you, Rebekah (and Kelle too)




WOW!!! This Christmas season has been a whirlwind!! We have had a great time, visited a lot of friends and family, attended services at our home church, laughed, cried, prayed, talked, watched Ashton and Mallory's former studio's Christmas dance performance, went to their cast party, shopped, wrapped, worked (you have to love laptops and cell phones), ate, packed the car and unpacked the car, ......



Many of the events, Ashton has blogged about and I am just filling in some pictures to pass the miles.


We are currently driving back to MO but thought I would try to write a quick post, or it won't happen for a good while what with the OneThing Conference, the Leadership Conference, an 18th birthday, jury duty, and 5 groups of house guests totaling 15 different people all by mid January.

What an exciting season the Lord has us in. We say yes, Lord, as well as give us wisdom in managing our time, the strength to do things we are called to, and discernment in appropriating rest and family time.


We are now in Jackson Co, so I have to close down the computer....


Love ya,
Kristian

AP: Day 8-10: Christmas Vacation

Day 8, Sunday: On Sunday we went to church at RiverStone, our home church in GA. It was very exciting and Christmasy. We were blessed to be able to hear not only Daniel Bashta sing, but also Rita Springer and Mac Powell. It was really cool. The church was even nicely decorated for Christmas and had a tree in the front foyer.

Then we went to see our old dance studio's, PHWD, Christmas performance. It was so much fun to see all the dancers and the instructors. They did an amazing job! Being the first time we had ever seen the show, we had always been in it and never seen it live, we were thoroughly impressed! We had a great time visiting with them and even got to continue the fun when we attended the cast party that evening. It was so much fun to be able to hang out with them and see them again.

Day 9, Monday: On Monday I was able to sleep until 11! I was very happy to receive some much needed rest! Then Mallory and I went to Panera Bread Co to meet Virginia M. for lunch. She is one of our dancer friends but we couldn't see her because she went to the Saturday night show. She is still enrolled in KSU, works for her parents coffee shop, teaches dance, works in the office for the studio she teaches at, dances, and finds time to hang out with us. Needless to say, she is a very busy girl! We were happy that we got to see her. Then she treated us to DipN'Dots. It was so good!!!!!! (The boy in the picture is her boyfriend, Johnny)

Afterward Mallory and I spent some time at home alone, girl time!!!, because Nana and Papa were at a staff Christmas party and Moma and Daddy were eating dinner with another couple. We ate pizza and ice cream while we watched the movie Fly Away Home. Then when Nana and Papa were back home we watched it again! It was a lot of fun.

Day 10, Tuesday: Today I got to sleep in again! Then I got to go to Jessica's house and spend time with her. I had a great time talking to her and spending time with her. It was also good to see her dog, Kanobi, again. He has so much energy! We enjoyed avalanche snacks, cookies, and milk! While I was at Jessica's, Mallory and Daddy were shopping, Nana and Moma went shopping, and Papa went shopping. Mallory was my little Elf. She was able to get the last minute Christmas gifts I needed while she was out and about. Thanks MAP! Then I went home and got to eat a yummy meal fixed by Papa........potatoes, peas, bread, and STEAK!!!! We had a great time visiting and chilling with them.

Well, that is the end of day 10. I'll update more later. Only 2 days until Christmas!!!! =)

AP:Day 3-7: Christmas Vacation

WOW!!!! So much has happened since day 4 of our Christmas vacation! I will try to give you the brief synopsis.

Okay, so on day 3, Tuesday, we got to go see the lights with Grandma, Papa, and Scottie at Lake Lanier. They were so pretty!!! We had a great time driving through seeing all the different things. We got to see the 12 Days of Christmas, Teddy Bear Land, different birds and animals, santas, christmas decorations, disney stuff (like the wizard of oz, aladdin, jack and the beanstalk), and much more. It was so cool! Then we got to go to Wendy's for dinner! It was very yummy and we had a fun time. Scottie, do you still need that bobby pin???

Day 4, Wedenesday: Moma, Mallory, and I got to have lunch with Mrs. Diaddigo and Rebekah. It was our annual drink off.......who can drink the most Coke in the time we sat in McDonalds talking!

We had a fabulous time talking and it was so much fun to catch up with them learning what is going on in their lives. Rebekah is now dancing with the Atlanta Ballet and is able to be in their Nutcracker. So she gets to perform in the Fox Theater!!! Isn't that cool! I can remember my dad took me to the Nutcracker at the Fox when I was a little girl.......and now my friend is dancing there!!! Crazy! Not to brag or anything, but she also has 72 college credits! And she's only been taking classes since January!!! Way to go RKD!

Then I got to go with a group from our church to Cenntenial Park in Atlanta to go ice skating. But don't worry about us girls, we took 3 boys with us......to protect the 12 of us! It was a lot of fun! And I didn't even fall down! :) Then we went to eat a Taco Mac. I had so much fun hangning out with my friends and it was really good to be able to spend time with them. Thanks Kayla for organizing the event! :)

Day 5-6, Thursday: Then Mallory and I got to go to Aunt Amy and Uncle Alan's house to spend the night with AJ, Autumn, Abram, and Archer. We had so much fun playing with our cousins! We love hanging out with them and it was good to see baby Archer. I got to play chess with AJ. Let me tell you, he is really good!!!! And we had fun teaching them how to play Blink, a card game. Then we, the 5 of us, got to sleep in the same room. Mallory and I got the bunk beds and the 3 others got to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor. I was surprised that we even slept at all! Then we got to go to Uncle Alan's restaurant for breakfast. I got grits, bacon, and a raspberry sweet biscuit. It was so yummy!!! Then we went back home until Papa picked us up and took us to our next destination......our other cousins house!

We got to spend the night with Gabriel and Victoria on Day 6. We had so much fun talking and hanging out. We ate Mexican for dinner. It was delicious. Then we went to Kohls to buy boxers! We are starting a new tradition for the four of us.......buying a new pair of comfy sleep shorts every Christmas. I got a pair with smurfs, Gabriel got some with Dr. Suess, Victoria got a different pair of smurfs, and Mallory got some with footballs. Needless to say we were very excited! Then we went to Dairy Queen because Uncle Tuffy was craving ice cream. We all got cones, some dipped in chocolate and others not. Then we went home, watched Alvin and the Chipmunks, and went to sleep.

Day 7, Saturday: We started day 7 with breakfast at the Mountain Biscuit Cafe. Then we headed to Town Center Mall to hear Gabriel and Victoria play piano for their Christmas performance. We also got to see the A. Williams cousins again. Good job G & V! Y'all did really well.

Afterward I got to see my friend Lizzy. It was so much fun to see her, talk, and learn how her life is going. She is still doing swim team, finishing her senior year at Pope High School, dual enrolling at SPSU, and still enjoying some friend time. It was good to see her and we had fun driving around. We went to QT to get a frozen coke and then later split a peppermint milkshake. We even got to go see her old house. We had a great time!!!

That was the end of week 1. More to come........ =) We are thoroughly enjoying our trip in GA!!!!!

AP: Day 2: Christmas Vacation

On Monday we got to sleep in!!! YAY!!! I haven't been able to sleep in for a very long time because life is just so busy. It was very refreshing to be able to get some extra sleep!!!!

Then Mallory and I got to go shopping with Grandma! We were each given a little spending money, Grandmas says every girl needs a little spending money, and we decided to go to Target. The Target right by their house is the biggest Target in the nation. Pretty neat that it is so close to their house! :)

We found a couple of cute shirts and then stopped to get some icies!!! They were delicious. Then we decided to stop by Kohls.

I absolutely love Kohls. I think it is Grandma and I's favorite store! I love that they always have good deals and Grandma had a coupon as well. We found a few more cute shirts, and Mallory some earrings, and proceeded to come home where another surprise was awaiting us.

We met Unker Tuppy (Uncle Tuffy) and Aunt Kelda for dinner at Chili's. Chili's had a deal so that you could get an appetizer, 2 entres, and a desert for cheaper than what we would have gotten just regular dinners. So Mallory and I split Texas Cheese fries, each got Cajun Chicken Pasta (if you have never tried it.....you should!! It's delicious!), and a brownie sundae. It was really good.

Then Uncle Tuffy and Aunt Kelda told us why they had wanted to meet with us......they love us, yes, but there was more to the story. They were buying our family phones!!!! So Mallory and I about burst out of our skin with excitment realizing that Mallory would have a phone and that we would have unlimited texting!!!! Everyone kept making fun of me saying the "whale" was coming out again everytime I would get excited and squeak. Mallory and I got blue xenons, Moma got a red xenon, and Daddy got a silver flight. They are so cool!!! Mallory and I both broke 100 text messages that night!!! Moma even texted me good night!!! Well, that is the end of Day 2! :)

AP: Day 1: Christmas Vacation

We are able to enjoy so much on our trip and I wanted to be able to share it with you. On Saturday we arrived in Georgia tired and a little hungry. It was good to see Grandma and Papa and eat the yummy meal Grandma had prepared for us.

On Sunday we were able to go to RiverStone Church and see many of our friends and family. It was so good to catch up with so many people. The highlight of that time was when one of my friends waved at me like I was a regular sight and then realized who I was. The look on her face was priceless!!!!

After church we were able to go eat at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in the entire world. We were blessed while we lived in GA to live 3 minutes away from the most amazing restaurant. We miss this Mexican blessing so much and have not been able to find anything that is equal to or even close to this. So we got to indulge in our yearly Mexican meal! It was delicious!!!!!!!!!

Afterward Mallory and I got to go to RiverStone's youth Christmas party. We got to play several games, eat and hang out with friends. Some of the games included decorating a human christmas tree, a human present, and decorating a table. Then we got to enjoy chocolate chip pancakes, strawberry walnut waffles, milk, and oj. We had a great time!!!

Then Mallory and I rushed home to enjoy a scrumptious meal Grandma had prepared........salad, potatoes, brownies, and CRAB LEGS!!!! She was able to find a great deal at a local grocery store and we were all very excited!!!! We also were able to see our cousin Scott and catch up on everything.

Then we got to enjoy many laughs as we watched the movie Christmas Vacation. Watching this movie has been a tradition for my parents every year and in the past couple of years they have let us watch it as well. Grandma and Papa saw it for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. Well that's all for day 1!!! :) More to come.......

KP: The Weather's Great!

KP Writes:
The weather is great in GA!! If you are here, you may be saying,"What?? Has your brain frozen during your time in MO?" You see, it is dreary, rainy, and foggy. But that is the best part, foggy. It is actually warm enough to be foggy!! Right now it is 63 at 9:30 in the morning. It just popped up on my computer that the current temperature in Kansas City is 11. Yes, 11. And the high today is projected to be 23. BRRR! It is sunny however, but right now, I will take the 63 and dreary!!!
Warm and comfortable,
Kristian

AP: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Well, after a long trip in the car and 4 very sore southern ends, we finally arrived in Georgia!!! We are excited to be spending time with our family and friends these two weeks for Christmas. We will post more pictures of our trip soon. Merry Christmas!!!