Christmas and 2009

Sorry for the delay everyone, the holiday season proved to be as busy as always. Marie and I drove back to Indiana the Monday before Christmas and spent the night in scenic Jellico, TN. Tuesday morning we arrived in Indy and were greeted with an ice storm that shut down I-465. Thanks, Indiana!

That evening we had Christmas at my dad's house with my sister, her husband, my dad, his wife, and her daughter. It was good seeing them and they get an "A" for gift giving. Our favorite gift was the series of classic movies Marie and I have started collecting. BIG, National Lampoon Vacation and Weekend at Bernie's were among the DVD's. Christmas Eve was fairly quiet, I worked during the day and then relaxed with Marie that evening.

Christmas Day also doubles as my Mom's Birthday. Marie and I were able to spend some time with her that day before heading up to Goshen to be with Marie's family. When we got to Goshen, we were greeted with more ice. Hooray. We opened gifts with her family and then went over to their friend's house for food and watched Step Brothers and The Dark Knight. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Step Brothers is the funniest damn movie around.

That Saturday the Martin side of the family all got together for family Christmas. It was a long day filled with food, board games, more food, and gifts. We had a gift exchange for the guys and a gift exchange for the girls. Marie got a set of pyrex containers and I got a car wash kit. Make no mistake, it was my full intent to leave with that car wash kit the moment I brought it for the gift exchange. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?

We drove back to an ice-less North Carolina Sunday and worked for a few days before the New Year. New Year's Eve is also my birthday. I turned 26 and for the occasion Marie and I went to dinner downtown at a really nice restaurant. I ordered duck and forgot how delicious those cute little guys are. That night we went over to a friend's house and rang in the New Year. It was fairly low key, but nice to not spend January 1st with my head in a toilet.

That brings us to 2009. I haven't worked a day this year yet.... and hope to keep that streak alive. Marie and I have a lot going on, so we will try and keep everyone in the loop. There are several visitors in the upcoming months and my sister is due with her first baby in only a few short weeks.

Stay Tuned!

Jay, Marie & Taylor