Christmas, a new year, and a birthday!

Allll in the same weekend!  We spent Christmas with my family this year, so Eric's parents decided to come down to visit us for New Years weekend so that we got to spend a little holiday time with them too. Kevin, Eric's brother, celebrated his 17th birthday with us a few days after Christmas...Eric and I decided to go with some quirky cupcakes instead of a traditional cake!

We left all of the Christmas decorations up until after we exchanged gifts with everyone, although I was DYING to do a clean sweep and declutter! I couldn't wait to get the holiday decor down this year!

The next morning, I made some traditional cinnamon and brown sugar scones and we exchanged Christmas gifts. Pardon my appearance...Eric and I had just gotten back from working out, so I just pulled on jeans and a baseball hat! Eric's parents bought us both Kindles for Christmas this year, and we love them! I must say, I was a little skeptical at first. I was an English major after all, and I love EVERYTHING about books - the way they look, the way they feel, the way they smell....I'll stop now.  But I have enjoyed the convenience of the Kindle and having whatever book I want at my fingertips, and Eric loves his for travel!  Plus, a cute avocado green leather case didn't hurt either :)

 I think Eric's parents' favorite gift from us was a pre-ordered Dinner With the Schmucks DVD that we got them. They LOVED that movie (we haven't seen it) and raved about it so much, that we pre-ordered it for them and wrapped up a little note in an empty DVD case since it didn't come out on DVD until January 4! They were thrilled :)

That afternoon, we went to Lowry Park Zoo. The best thing about Florida is sunny, 70 degree New Years Eves! (It means you can wear cute dresses out to celebrate without worrying about a coat!)  Lowry Park is one of the top zoos in the nation, but I'm too lazy too look up the actual stats. ha. Eric and I had both been before for special events at night, but we had never been during the day to see the animals. It was a first for all of us, and it was nice to get out of the house and do something active for the day after all the snow we had in South Carolina the week before.

That night, we headed to The Laughing Cat, a tiny boutique Italian restaurant in Ybor City in Tampa. Our favorite restaurants here are in Ybor, and this one ranks with the best of the best! Eric and I both agreed it is the best Italian food we've had outside of what we have eaten in Italy! I was terrible about taking photos while we were out, but we did get a couple of group shots before leaving!

Eric and I might just be the palest people to ever reside in Florida.

Pardon my purse in the chair...and no my dress is not made out of velvet, although it appears to be in this photo.

We came home around 10:30, popped a bottle of Prosecco and counted down until 2011! The next day, Eric's grandparents drove over (they only live about an hour away from us...our only family in Florida!), and I cooked a traditional Southern New Year's Dinner! Now don't be confused...dinner in the south (pronounced "dinnah" by most) is actually lunch, with "suppa" being dinner. Got it? It caused some confusion with my northerner in-laws and what time "dinnah" was actually being served :)  I made a pork loin, these collard greens, traditional black eyed peas and rice, and a sweet potato souffle. The collard greens, in particular,  were EXCELLENT! Eric and I made another batch for dinner after everyone left!

Eric and I enjoyed a couple of days of quiet and getting our house de-Christmasized and in order, and then it was back to work and school for 2011! A great holiday season, yet again :) And we're already looking forward to next year, as we'll be setting sail for the Caribbean on Christmas Eve for a 5 day Cruise with ALL, literally, of the Ferri clan! But first, we have Paris/Versaille, the U.S. Open, a graduation, two weddings, a girls' NYC weekend with my Nana, and a fall getaway trip for Eric and I to look forward to! 2011 is shaping up to be a busy, but fun, year already!