Home For The Holidays: Christmas 2016

From where I’m typing this, I can see a mountain of crumpled tissues about the size of Everest, a week’s worth of pills that run the entire spectrum of the rainbow, plus the seam of the pajama pants I’ve been wearing for five days straight. Point being that I’ve got what practically everyone else in the world has caught this first month of 2017: that nasty—yet all too common—cold.

I haven’t stepped outside much this week (aside from taking the dog out for a quick pee, and even then I practically had one foot in the door and one out), but thankfully I have today’s lifestyle post to make me feel like I’ve enjoyed some real life fresh air for a change. This one goes alllllllllll the way back to Christmas weekend at home with my family in Lynchburg, Virginia, and includes lots of quality time spent chatting around the Christmas tree and cuddling with our massive collection of family pets—my parents’ three labs, their kitty, and our own hound dog, Rocky.

As they say, there really is no place like home, and I just can’t get enough of it when I’m there. Our family is pretty darn close, and we tend to spend hours on end catching up around the fireplace, sharing the latest news from our respective corners of the state.

John and I now live about an hour and a half away from home, and my sister’s house in Colonial Williamsburg is about three hours away. Even still, we try to get together at least every few months in our hometown to enjoy time with our parents and those beloved labs. I’m constantly so thankful for my family—each and every one of them—because I know there are so many others out there who don’t (or aren’t able to) enjoy close ties to home.

Can you even handle those mugs?! Vinny, the yellow lab, lost his ear as a tiny puppy, but I don’t think anyone’s ever told him. Just look at that smile a few photos up! And Parker, the eldest black lab (above), is the type of dog that can see right down into your soul. Sweet, thoughtful, loyal—those words just don’t even come close to characterizing her priceless personality.

Josie, the awkward middle lab, is undeniably a beauty but she’s quite a handful, too. Between her (totally for show) bites and ear splitting barks, she wins the award for Most Diva Dog amongst the pack. All together though, these dogs are family, and I can’t imagine a Christmas without them.

As is tradition, we took them on several walks around the back yard in between holiday tunes and fireplace musings, and, even though my cold currently has me chained to the couch, I can practically hear the leaves crunching under my boots and see the winter sun peeking through spindly tree branches overhead. Oh, to be back at home again…

If you’re hoping to relive the moments alongside me, you’re in luck. I shot another quick montage-type video while being lazy over the holiday, so be sure to scroll on down and click that play button to come along on our walk and watch these playful pets enjoy life in real time.

Again, please forgive my novice skills here as I continue to learn how to do anything other than “artsy” refocusing. There are already things I wish I had done differently in the editing of this video, but I’m just going to leave “well enough” alone and try to raise the bar with my next one instead. I hope you enjoy it and that you don’t mind being transported back in time to Christmas just one more time before officially embracing the new year. Cheers!