In addition to Christmas, our Christmas countdown, and Shrek, we had a lot of other fun December activities going on. It was a busy, but wonderful, month!
I gave Ryan tickets to see Sarah Brightman in concert at Symphony Hall. She is an icon, and this performance was beyond incredible. This has become a top five concert for both of us, hands-down. She sang so many beautiful Christmas songs, and it was truly lovely. At one point, while she was offstage changing dresses, the orchestra started playing Masquerade which is a gorgeous song, and we recognized it as a nod to her originating Christine in Phantom. Suddenly though they changed to play Phantom of the Opera, and she came out to sing. It was amazing! We couldn't believe we'd just heard the first Christine sing Phantom!
Ryan and I also went down to State Farm Arena to see Nate Bargatze in his stand-up comedy show. He was hilarious! He's our age, so he has the right combination of humor and relatability. He had three opening acts too. One of them was his father, a magician/comedian, and he was wonderful too. This was a night filled with laughs which we needed.
Lily was excited for her class annual Yule Fest which is a progressive dinner.
The class started out at the Johnson's house for salad and soups, and then they headed over to our house for the entree. Ryan grilled up a ton of New York strip steaks, and they were delicious. I made roasted butter garlic carrots, lemon almond green beans, and mashed potatoes with butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon toppings. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal, and we loved having all the kids over.
Such a handsome group of young men.
Such a beautiful group of young ladies (though Avery was missed!).
When they left our house, they headed over to the Wilkinsons for dessert. We are so thankful for this group!
One of the parent drivers took this picture of Ryan and me, and I liked it.
Lily and I continued our tradition of going to see her friend, Katie Brooks, in The Nutcracker. She did a great job!
There was a beautiful night during Christmas break one evening, so we enjoyed a great firepit together. I always love these evenings.
I successfully completed my Smyrna Safe Business course. My classmates and I were recognized at a city council meeting which was pretty cool!
The school changed the date for the Christmas program, and it fell on the same night as the Sarah Brightman concert which meant Ryan and I couldn't attend. We snapped this picture of the girls and Lauren Martin before they left. I hate that we missed it, but we definitely saw an incredible show that evening.
Lily made this cute little Target sugar cookie set as a Christmas decoration. How fun is this?!
These three. They've been in school together since Pre-K, and they have such a special bond with one another. I love this little group. Lily and Nate were happy to support Avery as Shrek.
I absolutely adore this delightful smelling Christmas mix! Bama gave us this, and it totally brightened up the Christmas smells.
We love having Granna, Papa, Wayne, and his family over for brunch on Christmas Eve. McKayla and Bennett were with Bennett's family this year, so we missed seeing them. I am thankful for our family.
We were all excited to head downtown to see Cirque du Soleil's performance of Echo a few days after Christmas. These are always so cool! This one was no exception.
We've enjoyed a lot of rest and downtime in this last week of the year which has been absolutely lovely. We know "the real world" is coming back quickly!
This has been a wonderful month, and really, it was a great cap to a wonderful year. Our family recognizes how blessed we are. We have many incredible opportunities and experiences throughout the year. We are thankful for each one of them. Most of all, we are thankful for a God who loves us so much that He sent His son to live a perfect life, take the penalty for our sins, and then rise from the grave to conquer death for us. We pray that we can honor God with our lives throughout the upcoming year. We look forward to all that is to come in 2024!
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