The Holidays Are Over!

So it has been awhile since I last updated my blog since we have been so busy with the holidays. I am so excited the holidays are over because it is really time for AJ and I to start our married lives now. Since the wedding we have been busy moving me down to Kentucky, settling my stuff in, Christmas shopping and spending a week in Columbus for the holidays. It seems like it was a giant holiday vacation from real life...

All in all I would say the holidays went well. We had 4 days worth of Christmas. This might seem like a lot and let me tell you it was!

We started with a gift exchange on the 23rd at the in-laws house with AJ's parents and brother and sister. This was fun and everyone got just what they asked for. I got a cool new robe from VS and a new, bedazzled Ohio State sweatshirt, which was a major purchase for AJ's family since they HATE OSU and are big Penn State fans! Thanks for my new sweatshirt, I love it!!

On the 24th, we got started early on our trip to Vandergrift, PA to visit AJ's mom's parents. AJ's grandmother is currently in a nursing home since suffering from a stroke; because of this condition, they were not able to make it to the wedding and this was my first time meeting them. Let me tell you, they were a delight and so adorable. I hope when I am 90 years old my husband loves me like AJ's grandfather loves his grandmother. After our visit in Vandergrift, we were off to Pittsburgh for Christmas Eve celebrations with the Browell's.

Boy was I in for a treat! About 30 of us gathered at his grandparent's condo and had a Christmas dinner, followed by lighting an advent wreath, singing Christmas carols, AJ's dad dressed as Santa Claus with a gag gift exchange, which was quite adult and quite hilarious, a real gift exchange and some cocktails. This was all super fun! AJ's cousing Xander had me in the gift exchange and I got a Barnes and Noble gift card to buy books for my Nook!! The only thing missing was midnight mass...

Early on Christmas morning we headed back to Columbus to my mom's house. We got there around noon and did our immediate family gift exchange before the rest of the family arrived. My favorite gift was make-up remover from my mom. She is going to think that is so lame because I received a lot of other fabulous gifts, but I really needed that remover! I had been licking a Q-tip for over a year now refusing to buy remover...

I made Chicken carbonara for our Christmas dinner, which was delish. I was quite pleased with how it turned out. It was my second time making it. I used this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. You may be enticed to leave out the lemon zest, but it really makes the dish, so don't leave it out!!

Later on in the evening, after a nap, we did our traditional Christmas eve celebration minus the gift exchange. We had pepperoni rolls, shrimp cocktail, sausage meatballs, red velvet cake, etc... We had all of our family and friends over and we played Apples to Apples. I think this is the most hilarious match I have ever played. Jaclyn was the big winner...twice!

On the 26 we headed to my dad's house to celebrate with my dad. step-mother and Nonie. We headed over around noon and had some appetizers. I would have to say the best was Kim's vietnamese egg rolls. She always fry's them up for us, but they are so delish! We had a gift exchange, AJ and I got a desk we wanted from Target and some additional money. We put the money towards a desk chair and a sofa for our bonus room! Kim made a fantastic prime rib for dinner followed by a homemade apple pie by Francesca!

My Nonie and Kim for iPad's so the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent setting up the iPad's, teaching Nonie how to use her iPad and looking at wedding pictures :)

For New Year's eve, all of AJ's friends from UK decided to celebrate in Louisville. We started the day watching the UK vs. UofL game across the street from the new KFC YUM! Center at Bluegrass Brewing Company. This is a HUGE Kentucky rivalry, thank God UK won! We stayed the night downtown at The Seelbach Hotel and rang in the New Year at Sully's at Fourth Street Live! It was a great time and I wore an awesome black sequin dress. It's nice to have a permanent NYE kissing partner :)

All in all I would say we had a VERY merry Christmas and a happy new year! I hope everyone else's was just as wonderful as ours was. I am sorry I don't have any pictures to share, my charger was packed in boxes and my camera was dead :(

On Friday, AJ and I are off to Birmingham, Alabama to attend the BBVA Compass Bowl. UK is playing PITT. Hopefully we get a W!

Until then...