2007...What a year!

Well it's finally here...the end of the blog for 2007. Thanks to all of those that read it! Hopefully it provides some light hearted entertainment and a short break from the work day. Steph and I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope that 2008 brings lots of happiness and joy. New Year's Day is typically a time to "start fresh" and make those resolutions people rarely stick to. Just remember that everyday is an opportunity to make a difference in your life and the life of others, so don't worry if you can't keep all of you New Year Resolutions, just do the best you can and try harder the next day...don't wait until next year!!

December was a little less hectic than November. The first weekend we went to downtown Franklin with a few friends for "A Dickens of a Christmas". The downtown area streets were closed off from traffic and vendors set up booths all over town. They offered everything from food and drinks to numerous crafts and Christmas gifts. About 100 or more people were dressed up as characters from the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. It was definitely a great way to start the Christmas season and get in the spirit.

That same weekend Stephanie did a great job of decorating the house to look like Christmas had arrived! I of course helped out by setting up the tree and watching football until she made me do something else. In the end, it was beautiful and really felt like home. We have a lot of ornaments that we have gotten over the years and I need to thank my Mom for most of them. She started this tradition years ago and I think it is a great idea. What she does is buy 2 identical ornaments, one she wraps and gives to me or my sister, and the other she puts on her tree. That way no matter where Casey or I am we feel like our tree has a little reminder of Mom and Dad and vers visa. I know it should be vice versa, but hanging around Feeney over the years has driven me to change common phrases into something almost unintelligible...like vice versa to vers vicea, hindsight is 80-20, you get the ideal, etc.

The middle of December was Stephanie's Christmas party for work. Steph's co-worker Scott and his wife Barbara were great hosts. They have a beautiful house not far from downtown Franklin. Food was catered in and we had a grab bag gift exchange which turned out to be quite funny for those involved. It was the game where everyone draws a number and then you pass around the gifts until someone gets stuck with the worst gift. We play a similar game with my family. (note the picture of Uncle Joe and his "new" hat.)

The following Saturday we were invited to attend the Nashville Symphony with Brandon and Shay. It was going to be my first trip to the Symphony...I wasn't quite sure what to expect. A good friend of mine(Bob)constantly had classical music on at work for years and I have learned to tolerate it and almost appreciate it. So needless to say my expectations for enjoyment were a little low. I will have to admit I had a great time. The music was almost entirely Christmas tunes. It was amazing and very enjoyable. The second 1/2 was also a treat with special guest Jose Feliciano...most of you have heard his hit Feliz Navidad. You can look him up at www.josefeliciano.com. Muchas gracias a Brandon y Shay!

Somewhere around this time of December, I was busy playing Santa's helper. I took a seasonal job at UPS. Basically I rode around with the driver and delivered the packages to customers. Nashville is probably not known as a very hilly place, but let me tell you otherwise. It is very hilly! The job was fast paced and fun. It allowed me to get some exercise during the day and then eat all the fun Christmas goodies. Speaking of goodies, Lindsey, our good friend, made us Bourbon Balls. For those of you that haven't had one it looks like a Buckeye with a pecan on top. After a few it is a good idea not to drive anywhere! They are very good, but quite potent.

Our first Christmas in Nashville actually took place in Cincinnati. Steph was able to get a few days off, so we traveled home for 4-5 days. It was nice to have plenty of time to see friends and family while we were home. We celebrate most of our family events on Christmas Eve. So a normal day for Steph and I is...8 am at Momzes and Papa's, eat breakfast, open gifts, visit...then about 10:45 head to Steph's Mom & Dad's, eat brunch, open gifts, visit, snack on more food, play games, about 4:30 Steph and her family headed for church while I went to my parents to start preparing dinner. About 6:30 we eat dinner (Pork Chops stuffed with apples and blue cheese) then we open gifts, visit, play games, etc. Quite a full day.

A few highlights and moments from Christmas this year: Favorite Gift-A whole box of Aunt Kathy's Chocolate Chip Cookies. I tried to steal Jeff's box, but he caught me. Most Thoughtful Gift-A few people this year decided it would be better to give to a charity instead of exchanging gifts. My parents and family members, Steph's Family, Jeff & Casey, and a few people in Jeff's family all made contributions to the Autism Society of Greater Cincinnati in other people's name. Very nice of them. Most Surprising Gift-Stephanie got me a new digital camera. She was very sneaky and actually sent it to her parents house and gave it to me on Christmas Day. Most Uncomfortable Moment-Playing board games at Janet's house. Normally I love board games, exspecially scrabelle (spelling intentional for Casey and Aunt Kathy), but this was a little different. Julia wanted me to play her new game she got for Christmas...High School Musical 2. Now for those of you that haven't had the privilege of playing this game it involves a lot of singing and dancing. I didn't win, lets just say that.

On that low note I think I will end the 2007 blog. Thanks again for tuning in and sometimes even tuning out as I babble on endlessly sometimes. Talk to you next year!