In case you were wondering what it would be like if the two holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas were meshed together, well let me tell you!!

It began with our 11 hour turned 13 hour drive from Charlotte, NC, to Wellsville, NY. You see, we usually leave for vacation when Joel comes home from work, that way there's less traffic on the road, and Avery can sleep in the car most of the way.

This time, our partly packed car hit some very wintery weather once we got to New York state. So our night driving plan was foiled by the Ice Queen! Luckily, both Joel and I have snow driving experience. Although we had to stop and reconsider since the roads were not plowed, we kept on Northbound. I took over at Jamestown so Joel could get some sleep. We were basically following in car tracks left from those who'd preceeded us in this white storm. It was a little slick so we stuck to about 30 miles an hour, thus making our trip an additional 2 hours. No fun!! Thank God though we did make it to Wellsville safe and sound, and little tired too.

Joel got a little rest while I played with Aves, who was never happier to be out of her car seat. We visited with mom and Hayley and Avery got reacquainted with them and the house, as she had to check out almost every room.

Later that day, for one of my Christmas gifts, I got to get my hair done. It was so nice to just relax and enjoy it. I tried to schedule it during Ave's nap so I wouldn't be gone too long while she was up.



















We also got the opportunity to visit with our neice and nephew, who get bigger and bigger each time we visit! Mom put up the Christmas tree especially for us (thanks Mom), which made gift giving even more exciting. We got the cutest handmade turkey who's feathers were the kids handprints. It was fun seeing the kids open their gifts as well, and for Avery to be able to play with them too.

For dinner we ordered Pizza King/Pearl Street wings and pizza. This is a favorite that I usually look forward to eating each time we come home because I can't get it anywhere else. BUT, this year they have come under new management and I don't know what happened but both times they have messed up our orders, giving us someone else's to make up for it and not even getting the order right. This will sadly be the last time I order from them when we are home. I would not recommend them to anyone as not only is their food lacking these days but their customer service is non-existent and their owner does not know how to treat people. It's sad that this great wing and pizza shop has taken a turn for the worst. Luckily there are many more New York favorites that I got to partake in....to be continued...