A Christmas Holiday Recap

When I arrived back home from my January work trip last week, I was tired. It was late, I had a few long days with productive, but exhausting meetings, my to-do list in several areas of my life was too long, Colin kept the girls up so they could see me before they went to bed, and Zoe had a bad rash that was going to need medical attention in the morning. After a good night's sleep and recovering (to some extent) from the most recent trip, I realized that feeling so drained may have been a result of so much travel over the past 10 weeks. I'm still feeling a little drained after a 3-day weekend, but it was good to get more things checked off the to-do list.

Between November 7 and January 11, I've spent almost 6500 miles in the car. The bulk of those miles came from trips up to the northeast for both Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years.  And while sitting or driving the car is one aspect of travel that can be difficult, I find the packing, unpacking, and recovering from the trips to be the hardest. My monthly travel for work is the easy packing since it is just me. But trips up north require thoughts about the weather, holiday outfits, activities we might do, and making sure things like clothes, diapers, snacks, food, beverages, and activities are available for the 12 hour trip. Most of that planning and packing falls to me since I get to rest in the car (or entertain in the backseat) while Colin does the bulk of the driving.

In between all these trips, which took place just about every other week, we tried enjoying some holiday events in or around home. We enjoyed a holiday potluck with Portuguese friends, gingerbread house making with our friends and neighbors, tried making Aunt June's famous cookies as a family of 4, and checked out a few holiday light displays and shows. We capped off our holiday fun with the annual Pullen Park Express, which is a fun evening of endless rides on the carousel, holiday crafts, a train ride around the park, and the girl's first (and only) time meeting Santa.

All dressed up for a holiday dinner

Girls enjoying their fancy, sparkly silver shoes

Scheduling and actually doing activities with two toddlers is no easy feat. They did surprisingly well in their holiday outfits, but we spent more time entertaining them and chasing them around the holiday dinner than talking to anyone. Colin spent a long time building gingerbread houses, only to have Zoe eat part of one and Darwin completely demolish (ie - eat) our neighbor's house. The clean up for any food activity is always a challenge and I wonder if it is worth it. But, I know it is. While Zoe is still too young to follow some of the rules, I see Rose focus and take pride in her work. And watching Zoe naively eat a gingerbread house is endearing. I sometimes catch myself all wound up in a type A personality, and it seems we all have different triggers. I am constantly grateful for a husband who is much more relaxed and doesn't seem to mind spending an entire afternoon putting together gingerbread houses that will all be demolished either during decoration, or shortly thereafter.

Gingerbread house decorating (or eating if you are Zoe)

Rose likes to organize mommy's cookies - perhaps picking up on some type A organizing skills

I've never been too eager to have the girls meet Santa. It seems cruel to force kids to sit on the lap of a stranger so we adults can take a picture. We gave Rose the option to meet him and she said she wanted to, so we went for it. She was completely into it this year, but we made the mistake of trying to have Zoe sit with Mrs. Claus for the picture, an experience that petrified her. When we got to Santa we didn't bother trying to see if Zoe wanted to sit with him. Even Rose was a little reluctant to sit on his lap, until they got to talking about the movie Frozen.

Our friend Lucas and his family joined us at the Pullen Park Express

Rose hamming it up on the carousel

Zoe enjoying her ride on the carousel with mommy

Ready for the train ride

First time meeting Santa

While traveling 12 hours is not ideal, we continue to make it bearable by leaving between 1-2am after a few hours of sleep. It helps if we can have the car packed early so we can go to bed shortly after the girls do. They typically sleep for the first 5-6 hours, and are fairly content in the car for most of the morning. We have been able to make pretty good time on our recent trips. Unfortunately, during the Christmas trip, I battled a sore lower back, which has been hurting on an off since starting the trip.

Rose alternates between sleeping and playing in the car

Zoe could sleep for most of the drive

While visiting family, we were able to engage in some new and some regular activities. There was some snow on the ground in New York, so the girls got to try sledding down Colin's parent's front lawn on Christmas Day. We also checked out a museum in Albany that has a free carousel. We rode it about 3 times. In Rhode Island, we checked out the awesome Boston Children's Museum and managed to make a trip down to the beach. It was a little too cold for me, but Rose enjoyed playing in the sand.

All smiles waiting for the carousel ride in NY

The girls loved spending time with their entire family over the Christmas-New Year's trip. Rose looks up to her 6-year-old cousin Isabella, and is exhausted after a day of playing together. Both Rose and Zoe love the attention from their aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I always feel like I've gained 10 pounds when we get back, but there is so much comfort in being surrounded by family and food during the holidays. I also like getting a quick glimpse of winter and then heading back to our warmer weather. Though Colin and Zoe managed to catch a bug during the week, it was short-lived for both of them. My back was (and continues to be) a major bummer, though I hope some rehab and massages (Merry Christmas to me!) will be the fix I need.

Opening presents in New York on Christmas Eve

Rose posing with presents on Christmas morning

Girls opening presents on Christmas morning

I'm glad we were able to enjoy some holiday fun and visit with family to celebrate the season, but I'll admit that I am very grateful to have a few weeks with minimal travel and scheduled events on my calendar. It felt good to take down the tree and Christmas decorations this year. For me, it was the promise of a less hectic schedule ahead. We've started to get back on track with our diet (except for a few lingering sweets). Now, I'm hoping the weather can cooperate so we can enjoy some walks to the park as a family on the weekends and I can get back to some regular exercise.

I hope you were all able to enjoy the comfort and joy in your family/friends this holiday season and that your New Year is off to a tremendous start.

Christmas With Our Families 2012

This holiday season we decided to take a tour of the northeast, stopping to visit friends and family along the way.  From North Carolina, we drove up the I-95 corridor, with a stop in Baltimore to sleep, before continuing on to NYC, upstate NY (Albany area), Boston, RI, and back through NYC to NC.  We drove about 1800 miles during our 10 day adventure.

The first post from our travels includes details about our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations.  We spent Christmas Eve with Colin's family in upstate New York.  Being the only family members not living in the area, it's easiest for us to travel to visit the family than for the other 8 members to travel to us!

The Millers beautiful Christmas tree is overwhelmed with presents!

We decided to open presents before dinner, and our 8-year-old nephew Brian distributed the gifts to everyone.

Two-year-old Isabella was one of the main attractions at Christmas!

She loved her tea set, stuffed animals and books.

The living room is filled with people and presents

Brian couldn't wait to put together his legos

Our Italian Christmas Eve dinner (and oyster soup for the fish eaters)

On Christmas Day, we woke to 2" of snow on the ground and stockings filled with gifts from Santa.

The snow is a beautiful backdrop to the Christmas decor

The Millers must have been good this year because Santa filled the stockings!

Colin and I had wanted to do something for others for the holiday, and since most community volunteer opportunities were filled, we opted to cook brunch for the family instead.  On Christmas Eve, we prepared The Food Network's Sourdough Strata and Sausage, Apple, and Walnut Stuffing, so it was ready to be cooked on Christmas morning.  I had made the stuffing at Thanksgiving and found it to be a delicious breakfast item.  The second time I made it, at Christmas, it was not as good as the first time because I used Sourdough bread and non-spicy sausage.  The Sourdough Strata was the highlight for me and most of the family.

The Sourdough Strata (left) and Sausage, Apple, Walnut Stuffing (right)

Before setting out for our 3-hour drive to Rhode Island, we managed to get a few holiday photos of the family.  The toughest, by far, is to get 2 kids and a dog to sit still, look, and smile at the camera at the same time!

The Miller crew, minus one, on Christmas Day

Darwin, Isabella, and Brian almost all looking at the camera

Thankfully, it had snowed the 1-2" overnight and the skies remained mostly clear during the afternoon drive from Albany to RI.  We arrived to dinner in the oven, more presents under another beautiful tree, and the Clemente family ready to welcome us with open arms.

The Clemente tree is also filled with presents

An amazing dinner consisting of lots of vegetables, pork and ham

The Clemente's on Christmas Day

After pictures and dinner, we opened our gifts.  It was funny that my brother, Colin and I all got sneakers!  I guess we all want to help each other stay fit in 2013.  Even my parents received exercise gear (just not sneakers).  I love that my family is motivated to stay as healthy as possible and supports each other to exercise! 

Showing off our exercise gear

To continue with our tradition, we ended the night jamming out to Rock Band! Colin tested his abilities on hard and I managed to save us during a few songs by doing the vocals and the guitar at the same time!

It was wonderful to see all of our family and to spend some time with each other during the holidays. 

Stay tuned for more on our holiday week adventures! I'll warn you that there will be lots of pictures of very adorable children!

What is your favorite holiday memory?

With the Miller family, I love that the family, presents, and wrapping paper fills the living room when we open gifts.

With the Clemente's, I love that we jam to Rock Band.

Tour de Northeast Part 3 Burlington and New York

After spending our first day in Burlington celebrating the wedding of my college friend, and the evening reminiscing with a group of my friends and their spouses, we spent a quiet evening at the Hartwell House B and B.  My college roommate found the place and when she told me it had 2 guest rooms and the other was still available, I figured it would be fun to so relive our college days "living together."  This time, however, we had our own rooms and didn't have to share a bathroom with 20 other girls!!  

Between the heat, traveling, and being up and about all day, my cold was worse and I finally broke down and got a night-time sleep aid so I could rest.  I did feel more rested in the morning, but unfortunately, my cold didn't feel better.

After a delicious breakfast made and served by our host at the B and B, and enjoyed with my friend and her husband, Colin and I packed up the car and spent the rest of the morning and middle part of the day checking out our favorite places in Burlington and looking for new spots.  Here are a few of our old favorites:

Late night pizza and wings at Manhattan Pizza and 

one of Colin's favorite food spots - Ali Kabob's - right next to it.

Our "first date" was at the Red Onion on March 14, 2001!

Church Street is always packed on the weekends in the summer - 

too bad college months are in the winter!

Promenading on the waterfront

After walking around downtown, we took a quick driving tour through UVM's campus. In 2008, we brought our bicycles up to Burlington from NYC (this was before I started blogging) and rode through most of campus, checking out many of the renovations that were done after we graduated.  At that time, there were some beautiful new dorms on East Campus, a brand new student center, and new athletic facilities.  As we rode around, Colin found a structure on campus that looked like a design he created for one of his classes. And I found my name on a plaque in the new student center. It was quite an adventure!!

During our drive this time, we were unimpressed with another new dorm building, the Redstone Lofts, located behind Simpson Hall. The image online doesn't make it look so bad, but in person the view was hideous and not consistent with the rest of UVM's brick and green color scheme. We also found ourselves very frustrated trying to navigate out of the dorm and gym area with the car. We were turned around in circles a few times with one-way streets. I can't imagine what it is like to get around when students are around, or worse, during a hockey game! Since our time was running short, we didn't get to walk, or drive, around main campus, though I would have loved to see the updates around the student center. The building was finished when we visited in 2008, but much of the area around the building (including my former nutrition building), were under construction.

A structure on campus that resembles one Colin drew for his class

The new student center on Main Street

The plaque in the student center with my name on it!

Heading to Colin's parent's house, located just north of Albany, NY, we decided to take the ferry across Lake Champlain at Charlotte, VT.  This was a common trip for us, especially during my junior year when Colin took a year between college and law school and lived at home.  During this trip, we enjoyed the view of the mountains to the west (New York) and the mountains we were leaving behind to the west (Vermont). A rain cloud passed north of us, looking like it was headed to Burlington, and thankfully, we remained dry.  

Ferry Crossing at Charlotte, VT - looking over to New York

Before leaving Burlington, we decided to order food "to-go" from the local, sustainable restaurant The Farmhouse Tap and Grill, a new restaurant.  Our order included the local, grass fed burger and the veggie burger (their menu changes often).  Both items were very good, but our dining experience was less than optimal.  On the ferry, I had to keep the food on my lap since we didn't have a table, and the wind kept catching pieces of my meal!  

The Farmhouse burger, enjoyed on the ferry

Once on the New York side of the lake, drove about 30 minutes north to Willsboro, New York, an area where Colin's family has spent years vacationing.  In the 11 years we have been together, I've spent a few long weekends with Colin and his family in Willsboro and it's always nice to see and hear about the joyous memories of Colin's youth and make memories of our own. One year, we water skied in Willsboro Bay.  It was my first time, and I actually got up.  It was a lot of fun, but I do remember the water being pretty cold!!

As we drove up to Willsboro, we noticed how deserted the downtown area looked with the small IGA (grocery store) closed up.  We made our way to one of our usual spots, known as "the point" and enjoyed a beautiful view of the bay, mountains, and Burlington across the lake.  

Photo taken on a trip to "the point" back in August 2008

From Willsboro, Colin drove the 2.5 hours south to his parent's house. There, we were greeted by the whole family and enjoyed a nice Italian dinner, a tradition Colin refers to as "Meatball Sunday."  We spent a quiet evening with the family and I was grateful to relax.  Unfortunately, my cold did not get better as the day progressed, but the worst appeared to remain behind me.  The opportunity to rest that evening and sleep in on Monday left me feeling better for the last day of the trip.

Stay tuned as we make our way to Boston for the final leg of our tour!

What do you do when you are feeling under the weather while traveling, but have a packed itinerary?


For the UVMers who read the blog, what campus updates must we see the next time we visit?

Ending the Summer in Myrtle Beach with Family

After a very busy work week last week and expecting another busy one, I'm reminiscing of our last beach trip...

Labor Day marks the end of the summer for most, but I think we have quite a few weeks of beach weather left here in North Carolina.  To celebrate the "official" end of summer, we decided to join our brother and sister-in-law, nephew and niece in Myrtle Beach.

The weather and location could not be beat!

 

The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the sand and water.  Our nephew acted as I used to at the beach - drop whatever you are carrying the minute a spot is selected and run for the ocean!  There were many times I got myself into some trouble taking off like that.  Thankfully there were enough of us adults and we were close enough to the water to keep a watchful eye on the kiddos.  The water temperature was perfect and we spent our fair share of time enjoying the surf.

At low tide shallow pools of water form, making it perfect for little ones - like our 9 month old niece.  We had a great time "walking" among the pools of water.

Too bad we only got to enjoy the beach for one night.  But we made the most of it, checking out the arcades and ice cream shop down the street!  It was awesome to be so close to the ocean, hearing the waves from the living room!

 

How did you celebrate the end of the beach season?
Are you ready for this fall weather?

Hosting Friends and Family in Good Weather and Bad

Shortly after traveling to the northeast to visit friends and family, we were able to host some at our house.  I always expected to have more visitors in NYC, since it is such a touristy place, but I guess when you have a 1 bedroom apartment, people shy away from visiting you.  Now that we have a 4 bedroom house and live in the suburbs, there is more space for people to stay comfortably, but there is not as much to see here in the 'burbs.

When my best friend from home expressed interest in finishing up her summer vacation with me in North Carolina, I was ecstatic.  We've been good friends since high school and have remained friends even though distance has kept us mostly apart for the past 12 years (has it really been that long!!??).  During her visit, we enjoyed lounging by the pool, hitting up some local restaurants, and a day trip to the beach.  The weather wanted her to have a great time, so it cooperated with warm sunny days and cool nights.  It was great to catch up and reminisce about the days of old.  We even had someone ask us if we were sisters - just like they did in high school!!  I can't believe we didn't get any photos together while she was here!  We don't think we look much alike, but perhaps it's just that we have a similar build, dark hair, and olive complexions (thanks to our Portuguese heritage).

The most recent picture we have - taken 5 years ago.

Not long after spending a few days with my BFF, we were hosting my brother and sister-in-law, niece and nephew.  They were able to get to North Carolina before Hurricane Irene reached their path and we were able to spend the stormy day with them, watching movies on our big screen at home.  The best quote of the weekend came when our nephew said, "I thought your house would be lame without a TV, but the projector is pretty cool."  We probably watched more on the projector that weekend, than we had the entire month of August.  In hindsight, we should have better prepared for indoor kid's activities with some puzzles or board games to change things up.

Speaking of the projector - I agree wholeheartedly with Colin's perspective on "taming the tube" as we say in the nutrition world.  It only allows us to watch programs for a short amount of time before either it, or the computer, gets too hot.  And it's harder to see on the wall when it's daylight out.  So if the projector or computer turn off because it's too hot, it means we've been sitting around watching too much.  And if it's bright and sunny out, we should be enjoying the day, not in front of the screen.

I must admit that watching TV, movies, sports, etc. on the huge screen is pretty awesome.  We stream TV shows on hulu, can watch live TV through an adapter that hooks up to the computer, and can hook the DVD player up to watch movies.  Couple the projector with an amplified sound system and you've got a pretty kicking system.  With cooler weather, shorter days, and football season, we've gotten into a habit of using the projector more.  But with a dog that needs to be walked daily, we always remember that the projector must be balanced with daily outdoor activity.

 

 Our home theater meets our basic needs

Visiting Friends and Family in the Northeast

After a wonderful day in New York City and a very enjoyable time with our hosts in Bayside, Queens, we drove the hour and a half east to the North Fork of Long Island.  Colin's law school friend, Keith, rented a house near the vineyards for his wife's surprise 30th birthday party and to show off their 2 month old daughter Mackenzie.

As we all contemplated how Keith was able to keep the party a surprise, their caterer served delicious appetizers and we mingled with family and friends.  Unfortunately, none of the other friends in the group from law school were in attendance, but we had fun getting to meet new people and trying to socialize Darwin. I should emphasize the word "trying" because Darwin literally laid down behind Colin's legs for a majority of the day.  We did make some progress when he finally opened up to Keith's mom when she fed him his food from her hand.

The women of the hour appeared shortly after we arrived and their arrival brought with it a heightened sense of excitement to an already boisterous crowd.  Elicia and Keith were both beaming with pride, and Mackenzie looked absolutely precious in her little dress.

Mackenzie looking like a doll

It was wonderful to celebrate such joy with Keith, Elicia and their friends and family.  The weather could have cooperated a little better so that we could have enjoyed the beautiful and spacious yard and gazebo, but you can never control Mother Nature when she wants the rain to fall.

The adorable family

As the party came to an end, we said our goodbyes, knowing that the next time we would see them, Mackenzie would look very different.  In a bit of a rush to catch the ferry (goodbyes always take longer than you expect), we made it to the farthest point in northeastern Long Island, Orient Point, with just moments before the ferry departed.  With a sigh of relief, we (minus Darwin) enjoyed the 1.5 hour ferry across Long Island Sound to New London, CT before driving another 45 minutes to my parent's house in RI.

I do believe we have to experience bad weather so that we can appreciate the good weather, and Mother Nature decided we needed 3 days of rain.  Our time in RI wasn't plagued with as much rain as we received in Long Island, but it definitely put a damper on the two days we were there.  We managed to take Darwin on a wonderful 5 mile walk along the bike path near my parent's house during a break in the rain and spent most of the trip indoors hosting lots of family members.  Colin's sister Karen, sister-in-law Carla, and our niece and nephew visited with us on Monday and Colin's parents visited on Tuesday.  It certainly made spending quality time with family easier to have everyone come to us.

Sisters-in-law and cousins (Darwin counts as our child)!

The Clemente's enjoyed having a house full of guests!

Darwin got to meet both sets of grandparents

We hadn't seen our niece, Isabella, and nephew, Brian, since they visited North Carolina last spring and seeing how quickly they change is always amazing.  Isabella, at 9 months, is now crawling everywhere, and trying to stand up and walk.  She is a precious little girl!

And Brian, at almost 7 years, is such a fan of his Uncle Colin.  They have the greatest time hanging out together!

There was lots to catch up on over the course of two days since we had gone all summer without seeing almost everyone.  And in my mom's kitchen, there is usually lots of food to be eaten!  My mom always has a stocked fridge and makes the most delicious meals!!  On Monday we had a salmon dinner with seafood rice and a salad, and Tuesday we had an assortment of entrees.  For many of our visits, my mom makes traditional Portuguese dishes, but my parents love to grill during the summer (even if it's raining).

Overall, we had a great few days catching up with friends and family.  I would have loved to take the whole week off and meet up with my friends and see the all the little girls I haven't met in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Delaware and celebrate weddings and engagements, but we had to get back for work.  The problem with having friends in all parts of the country is that it is difficult to see them for all the exciting life-changing events.  We made it to most of the weddings, but it has been extremely difficult to meet the babies.

How do you make the best of a rainy day when traveling?