Christmas down south

We went down to see Dave's family for Christmas in South Carolina and Georgia this year.  I took some fun photos and thought I'd share.


First, here's one of me with Dave's new little cousin, Meadow.  She's asleep, just like I like babies.  I posted this photo to Facebook and my friend's girlfriend asked him, "Did Val have a baby?"  My friend responded, "No, she must have found it."  Awesome.


I made croissants for Dave's family on Christmas morning, which were a huge hit, especially with my homemade apple butter.  I also had to escape the cats on Christmas, so we went back to the hotel for a few hours and I took a nap.  It was glorious.


After spending a few days in South Carolina, we went to Atlanta to visit Dave's uncle and his partner.  They took us to see the Garden Lights exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, which I had never seen. 

There were beautiful lights, floating snowflakes, and other light displays all around the garden.

 I called this one "Manta Claws."

This was Uncle John's favorite part, and it might have been mine, too:  a row of trees lit with green and blue lights.


Dave and I didn't get to the ZooLights show at the Lincoln Park Zoo this year, so this was a delightful substitution.


We returned today to a food-crazed bunny; even though my friend Jackie was feeding him every day, he apparently got a little lonely and decided to eat some things he shouldn't.  I had thought our basement was relatively bunny-proof, but he got at a cow candle I've had since I was in high school (and ate off its ears, legs, and feet).  He also ate an entire bar of Ghirardelli white chocolate.  But he was happy to see us.


Sigh.  Merry Christmas!