christmas weekend

And just like that, Christmas is over.  Here are a few Instagram pics from the weekend.

We left for Houston on Friday.  It was nice to be able to sleep in, actually enjoy a cup of coffee, and take our time.  On the road, I got bored.  I took a picture of my new (and first) pair of Toms from my sister. 

And I would like for you to meet my new love, Stella.  She is a Canon EOS Rebel T3i, and it was love at first shot!  I've been hinting at Paul for an SLR, but completely ruled it out this Christmas since we just recently bought a load of furniture for the house.  So she was a very nice surprise.  It's actually my Christmas and early birthday present.  He loves me, and I'm so grateful!  Oh, and he also got me our very first board game - Cranium!  It's sort of a joke because I hosted a Games Night with some girl friends a few months ago and we had absolutely zero board games (how'd you like that Mr. AZ reference?!).

I've been wearing the same pajamas for Christmas since 2008.  I hope to continue that tradition for as long as I can! 

My mother-in-law made Paul's favorite cherry pie for dessert.  We had wigilia on Christmas Eve, which is the traditional Polish supper held on December 24th.  We shared the oplatek and had salmon, tilapia, mushroom soup, coleslaw, pierogies stuffed with cheese and potatoes (which I helped stuff), shrimp cocktails,  and sauerkraut in observance of the Black Fast (no red meat).  Lucky for me, I love seafood.  This is a complete opposite of what my family does on Christmas Eve.  In the Filipino tradition, we have nochebuena, where is basically another Thanksgiving feast, with turkey, ham, and a roasted pig (or lechon) as an added bonus.  We did sort of combine the two traditions when we had Christmas at our house last year.  We shared the oplatek with one another, but ate meat! 

We've driven this route many times before, and I am just now able to snap a decent picture of Sam Houston.  My excuses are either a) I'm talking b) can't get a good shot, or c) (and most likely the case) I've fallen asleep after driving for less than 30 minutes.  I've come to a conclusion that I can pretty much sleep anywhere, anytime!  We rarely make any rest stops, but, I'm glad we did because I saw this pretty tiling in the restroom.

All in all, we had a fabulous Christmas!  There was a lot of family time and stuffing ourselves with food.  I also drank enough coffee that could last me through the new year - which is, by the way, in less than a week!  Can't believe it!  Make every last day of 2011 count!

How was your Christmas?  Did you get what you wished for?  Are you about 10 lbs heavier?  I hear ya!