Christmas In Richmond

"Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for other. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values."-- Thomas S. Monson

Christmas is usually a pretty routine deal, even sharing the holidays between two families. Usually it involves dinner with Will’s side of the family and then opening a few presents and dinner with my side. This year we added a little pizazz to our Christmas festivities.We had already seen Will’s mom the week before and they don’t really celebrate Christmas since they are all in the military and were almost never in one place over the holidays. So it was dinner as usual, just a week early.

We drove up to Richmond to see my parents on Christmas Eve. We did something completely new and decided to cook them dinner since for some reason they love frozen dinners…not going to fly with us. We eat fresh vegetables and meat so we were going to have a non frozen dinner.We broke out all of the pots and pans that I’m sure have barely seen the light of day since the 70s… yes they were almost all over 20 years old… We made fresh and from scratch mashed potatoes with russet and sweet potatoes, vegetable casserole with zucchini, squash, onion, peppers, green beans, etc.

We then grilled some DELICIOUS steaks in the skillet. It was a huge success as were the diabetes friendly carrot cake and not so friendly cookies that we shared with friends we saw later. Stuffed to the brim we bid my parents adieu and left to see some Christmas lights. Before you get all offended that we ditched family on the family holiday, my parents go to bed super early so we stayed a while then went to enjoy the night.

Downtown Richmond always has tons of neat lights, especially at the Jefferson, but we went to something a little less ritzy and saw a local’s favorite Christmas spot. Richmond has a Tacky Lights Tour every year that brings out hundreds of us in droves…if you know where to look. They have paid tours that take you everywhere, but it’s not necessary. Two weeks before Christmas they have a fun run 5k that lets you run past all of the houses with the amazing lights, but we missed that.In order to be qualified to be featured on this Tacky Lights Tour you have to have a minimum of 40,000 lights on your house and in your yard. I’m pretty sure they all have at least double that. We drove and somehow found parking on the first try in the middle of a neighborhood packed with people walking around seeing the lights on two houses on the tour. We even brought Atlas who had several toddlers fall in love with him and follow him around for 15 minutes straight.

We were blown away. The amount of lights on these two houses was insane. It was so bright they lit up the entire street. How they could afford that electric bill was beyond me, but they did have donation stands set up, hot chocolate you could buy and pictures with Santa. I’m sure they made out well, especially since it was their 41st year of doing it. They had your regular string of lights bedazzling the trees, but they also had crazy unique lights set up like melting snowmen, bowling alleys, kissing reindeer, hot air balloons, airplanes, and so so so much more. Pictures are probably the only thing that can do it justice.

After having our minds blown we decided we wanted to walk around more so we hopped over to Short Pump Town Center, which is a giant outdoor mall that allows dogs. We walked around and saw some lights, but nothing on the level of what we had seen, but definitely enjoyable nonetheless.

Another tradition of mine before both of us moved out of state was to go over to my long time friend’s house (Laura) and enjoy being with her family and maybe sing some tunes together on the piano. We walked in and her dog immediately fell in love with Atlas and followed him around all night and kept trying to play with him at all costs. They clearly had an amazing time. I hadn’t seen Laura in over a year and her family in over 2. It was great to catch up with them, play with the pups, and just relax with some piano music and good friends.

Christmas morning was uneventful since my parents decided to sleep in to almost 10. I took the dog for a 1.5 mile walk and enjoyed breakfast with Will. When my parents finally woke up we enjoyed unwrapping super neat presents and just hanging out together. We stayed for a while and enjoyed the day, but headed back to Greenville that afternoon so we could beat traffic. All in all it was a great holiday with lots of the same old tradition and new experiences that made this Christmas unique.





The spirit on Christmas is the spirit of love and of generosity and of goodness. It illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world's busy life and become more interested in people than in things."--Thomas S. Monson

Tony and Scott Got Hitched!

"The real act of marriage takes place in the heart, not in the ballroom or church or synagogue. It's a choice you make- not just on your wedding day, but over and over again - and that choice is reflected in the way you treat your husband or wife." -- Barbara de Angelis

A few months ago (I know, I know I am VERY behind in blogging) two of our (me and my boyfriend, Will) favorite people tied the knot. Will had served with Tony, one of the grooms, on his boat, the USS Norfolk for a few years and became close friends. Tony is one of those people who light up any room he's in and his happiness and good nature are contagious. His now husband, Scott, is just as wonderful and we were deeply honored to share in their special day.

Will and I had been to quite a few weddings the past 2 years together, but this was our first attendance at a gay wedding and let me tell you it was our absolute favorite. The theme/dress was nautical casual. We had to google it, but ended up coming up with something we hoped would pass. We arrived at the property where the wedding was being held and were blown away. The house was a gorgeous 2 story home that was incredibly decorated, but the best part? It was situated on a river over looking their personal pier with a boat dock on a picturesque river with gardens lining the yard. The wedding itself was taking place near the pier and the reception under a white tent in the yard. Another neat part about the house was the owners. They were also a gay couple who were crucial getting legislation passed in Congress to legalize gay marriage. Being a part of something so special that wasn't yet legal throughout the US was touching to say the least.

That was only the beginning of the emotions. We arrived and everyone was already mingling and to our surprise alcohol was already being served! You could self serve ice cold beers from an ice filled boat in the yard or be served cocktails from the garage of the house that looked out on to the river. We were pretty blown away by that, and how extremely friendly every single person there was. We knew almost no one, but were welcomed like family. We met a lot of interesting, hilarious and all around good people that. We still talk about how nice everyone was; you just don't see that nowadays in our experience.

The wedding began as everyone took their seats and the groom (Scott) took his position and diligently waited for his groom. We were wondering where Tony was going to enter and to our shock we saw  a boat round the corner of the river as music began to play. Dressed in his Navy whites, Tony was standing attention at the bow of a small boat with his best man as they sailed in to the pier where we were all waiting patiently. The siblings of both grooms greeted Tony as he stepped off the boat and hugs were exchanged. I've always seen parents do this, but siblings are largely ignored most of the time. They really included the entire family before they even began their official ceremony. It was nothing short of beautiful. At this point, I'm getting slightly teary- eyed. I noticed my boyfriend's grip on my hand had been tighter than normal and I heard a slight sniff from his direction. I looked over and he was crying. I've never seen him cry before and to make that man cry... well... you know how amazing this wedding was.

Vows were exchanged, and the kiss that marked a new beginning was given to cheers and claps from a small, but boisterous crowd. After everything was said and done we got to line up to give our regards/well wishes and were ushered inside for the most mind blowing assortment of hors d'oeuvres you could imagine... crab cake balls, sliced peppers with hummus, fruit, veggies, sliders, BBQ, etc. What could top that? An oyster roast out on the pier with oysters from the owners' mini oyster farm growing by the pier. (HOW AM I EVER GOING TO TOP THIS?....without going bankrupt lol)

At previous weddings, I'm lucky to get 2 slow dances from Will without profuse amounts of complaining. Tony, knowing Will quite well, dragged him on to the dance floor, gave him more beer, and made him dance. From that moment on I could barely get him off the dance floor. Yes beer was involved in bribes, but it worked and he actually had a really great time. Pictures will prove that. We danced for close to a few hours in between dinner and meeting new people and socializing. There was a group of about 6 of us who tore up the dance floor and kept the party going. Little did we know that there was a woman in her mid 50s who recently suffered a loss and this wedding was her first time being out in a large group. She came up to us later and thanked us profusely for making her laugh and for the first time in a long time for keeping her mind off the negative. Dancing like a fool at weddings is my thing and now no one can argue that it doesn't do anyone any good. Clearly interpretive, weird dancing has made a few peoples' nights.

Once everyone started leaving we made our exit as well after hugging both grooms a few times and thanking them 100x more. That night is one of my favorites I've had in a long time. It's also one of those times where I realized just how much more I loved Will after dancing with him all night knowing how much he hates it and how much it meant to me. Those people I met made my laugh hysterically and celebrate the union of two of the most deserving people I know. Tony and Scott's wedding was definitely one for the books.

"One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity."--Albert Schweitzer