I'm dreaming of a white sand Christmas

I've had a wonderful Christmas vacation and thoroughly enjoyed my time off. At work, we were surprised when we were told we had the week after Christmas off. Tomorrow if my first day back and I am definitely going to have to get all the Christmas cobwebs out of my brain.

For Christmas, I traveled to Florida to celebrate with my immediate and extended family. As I was driving to the airport, I called my sisters because everyone had just arrived in Florida. I knew our family Christmas had begun because Courtney answered the phone and said they were all packed in the car with presents and suitcases up to their necks. They all had to make the drive from Tampa down to Sarasota in a packed car. Courtney was very overwhelmed and in her true, full-of-drama form, exclaimed that there was stuff everywhere in the car and a huge popcorn tin on her foot. As we were getting off the phone Courtney was shouting expletives about how they needed to stop at the Starbucks she just spotted and she got louder as she realized she wasn't going to get her way...ha. Oh family Christmases. :) The whole gang made it down to Florida and we visited with my aunts, uncle, grandma, and cousins who live there. It is a one-stop shop for family. We were lucky to rent my aunt's friend's house while we were there and it was a perfect fit for us. It was our first Christmas not celebrating at home, which was a bit strange. It is hard to be at home now, especially for the holidays. It is just not the same, so it seems a bit easier to be together, but somewhere else. The weather was wonderful during our stay. We honestly could not have asked for better weather. We made it to the beach nearly every day and soaked up sunshine. This time of year, sunlight feels so good. I honestly just basked in the rays of sunshine as much as I could. The water was a bit chilly, but that didn't stop me from taking a dip in the ocean.

We had Christmas morning at our rented house and then headed over to my grandma's to celebrate with the rest of the family. It was a wonderful vacation and holiday! I'd be happy celebrating Christmas in the warmth again!

Kyleigh in our house for the week

Sisters on the beach on Christmas Eve!

Enjoying a refreshing beach beverage

Florida vegetation

Our house

Christmas morning

Matt & Courtney with their stockings

My dad with a shirt from his alma mater

Watching Rudolph over at grandma's!

Courtney, me, dad, and Kyleigh

Me, Courtney, Kyleigh, and grandma

Not sure what was going on here, but now it is my Grinch photo

Lunch at the Columbia on St. Armands Circle

Seashells on the beach

The beautiful sunset over Longboat Key

Christmas flair on St. Armands Circle. Isn't Christmas in Florida funny?

I love all the palms lit up!

Kyleigh does too!

I miss Florida :(