I made it home a few days earlier than Evan to start off my winter break and immediately got to bakin' with Mom. My great-grandma's sugar cookie recipe is a tradition around the holidays, and we were not only whipping those up, but also butter cookies, chocolate covered pretzels & chocolate dipped Oreos. Yum! (Did I mention I'm going to go on a sugar detox as soon as I cross the NC border?)
I got to see a lot of old friends from Charleston before Christmas, too. It had been far too long since I'd seen my best friend, Ellie, and getting to spend some time with her was really meaningful. It's a great feeling to have gone months without seeing someone and being able to get back together and feel like you haven't missed a beat.
Evan made it to Charleston the same evening as Chris & Abby, and the rest of the McDonald crew. We all went out to a nice dinner and enjoyed being together for the first time since the wedding! It was hard to believe it had been that long since I'd seen Betty, Mike, & Keegan. Luckily, the next time we all get together won't be so far away - we've already scheduled a summer vacation in July!
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| Abby, Betty, Keegan & Nancy at dinner! |
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| Chris, Molly, Evan & Mike at dinner! |
The next evening was the Drescher Family Christmas Party, a tradition for over 15 years. Instead of celebrating with lots of family friends, which is what we typically do, this year we had 16 family members in town instead. Of course the Dreyer family was there (since their practically family) as well as the Clay-Agsten crew & my mom's dear friend Meg. It was a relaxed atmosphere with a lot of happy friends and family being thankful for all we have this Christmas season and feeling blessed to all get to be together.
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| With Kai, the sweetest little girl around! |
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| Three Generations of "Foxy" Ladies :) |
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Dad with Grandpa Otto & Grandma Dottie! At the end of the party, once everyone who wasn't sleeping at the house had left (which actually wasn't that many people), Evan decided he wanted to keep the spirit of Christmas going and we had our little gift exchange at 11:30 pm instead of waiting until the next day. I was an extra lucky girl this year, getting the DSLR camera that I've been wanting for years, along with multiple books and accessories to accompany it. Thanks, Ev. :)   Mom was a wonderful host all week long. Once again, she outdid herself! It was really special for my family to celebrate Christmas in Charleston this year. It's hard to believe how far my mom has come since this time last year. We all counted our blessings time and time again as we celebrated these good times.    I caught a shot of the absurdity of Christmas morning at the Drescher household before Mr. Ethan dove into his gifts with wild abandon.  Needless to say, he tore through all of his gifts in record time. 
A few hours later, I got around to opening my big gift from my parents -
an iPad Mini! Woohoo!!
At the end of Christmas Day, I tried out my new tripod (another big thanks to Evan!!) and we took a family shot. Amazingly, all faces are visible and eyes are open! Having everyone together in Charleston was a really wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.
Of course there is more to talk about...time with Evan's family in Lewisburg, New Years Eve in Pittsburgh...but I'm getting tired so that will have to come in the next post. Many thanks to everyone who has made this winter break so memorable and fun - I love you all!
-Molly
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