Christmas Vacation!!!

Jon and I leave tomorrow. (Woo Hoo!) We are heading to Nashville for a couple of days and then we are going to Clarksville. We will be back on Monday! We have a lot planned for our little trip, and we are both extremely excited because we really haven't been anywhere in a while so it should be nice. I always love all the Christmas stuff up there, and we have kind of made it our little family tradition to go every year in December. We just go and relax. This year these are the things we are planning on doing:

• We are going to go on the Jack Daniel's Distillery Tour. We have passed it several times heading to Nashville and Clarksville and it looks so interesting. The tours are free so that is always a plus!


• I have wanted to see the Parthenon in Downtown Nashville for a long time so we are going to go tour that and hopefully get some neat pictures. I've heard it is fabulous!


• I also want to go see the giant guitar in downtown Nashville too. So maybe we will grab lunch down there.


• We are also going to go to the Hermitage to see President Andrew Jackson's Home and take the historic tour there. Jon loves history so I thought that would be a super nice treat for him.


• Of course we have to go to the Gaylord Opry Hotel for all of the Christmas extravaganza they have: the little Christmas show that they put on, the fountain light show, the hall of trees, the huge outdoor Nativity scene, and we hope to take a carriage ride to see the outdoor lights if the weather permits and the wait is not horrible.


• Lastly, we plan to hit up the Opry Mills mall to do some good ole shopping. My favorite stores there are the Apple Barn and Old Navy. Jon loves all the Tennessee stores they have. He says it is God's country.

We plan to head to Clarksville Sunday morning to meet up with his family. We get to meet his dad's new girlfriend. I have already planned to visit the Winery before we leave to get my family some. They all love wine, and since Jon and I don't like it...it is nice to have someone to buy it for. The winery there is very pretty. We are staying the night there, and Monday we will take our time heading back to Birmingham. Jon said if we saw anywhere else we wanted to visit on the way back we could go...or if we don't finish all of our tours in Nashville we can go back on Monday. We got a super deal on our hotel, we are staying two night for $120! It is a nicehotel. They have a full fresh cooked breakfast in the morning, cocktails and refreshment party at night from 5-7, they have a free soda fountain and popcorn bar, indoor and outdoor pool, and the staff there is incredible. We stayed there last year and loved it! Oh, and it is in a awesome location!
We are both super excited to get away for a little alone time and just enjoy each others company. We see each other all the time, but there is something special about getting away from home, work, and the cell phones so we can just relax and be together!

Well alright, I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I promise to take some pictures and post them on here of the things we did. xoxox-The Whittens

Christmas Survey

A Christmas One (via Pink Lucy)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love to wrap presents with wrapping paper. I only use gift bags if it is a last minute gift or I have no other way of wrapping it! I could wrap gift all day...it is so fun with all the ribbons and bows!

2.When do you put up the tree? Normally Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving, but we put it up about a week and half before.

3. When do you take the tree down? After the new year when I finally get the time.

4. Do you like eggnog? Yes, I like to have at least one cup each holiday season.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? My pink my buddy doll that my daddy gave to me

6. Hardest person to buy for? LOL, just about everyone, but this year defiantly my nephews.

7. Easiest person to buy for? Jon!

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, it is the one that my grandmother had that she had given to my mom. My mom gave it to me last Christmas.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? I totally mail my cards. I love getting them from others via US mail so that is how I send them.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Lets not go there!

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? Home Alone, and most recently This Christmas

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually start my shopping around the first of November. However, this year Jon and I have been on a roll and we have gotten almost everyone bought for!

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? no

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Oh, that is not fair. I can't have a favorite...I like to much of it.

15. Favorite Christmas song? Probably Country Christmas from Loretta Lynn or Santa Baby

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I have always traveled since we have such a large family with my parent being divorced and all especially since Jon and I have been together and his parents are divorced. This year we have talked about coming home Christmas eve night and spending the night at our house so we can have Christmas with "our" family.

17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blizten. Maybe Prancer...Rudolph.....how many were there?

18. Angel on the tree top or a star? Bow...this year mine is red and gold!

19. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? We always open the ones with my mom Christmas eve, and then the ones with my dad Christmas morning.

20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the stress of figuring out the holiday schedule and then the stress of trying to keep everyone happy! So this year Jon and I have vowed that we were only going to strive to keep us happy, and the rest will fall in to place. Our family first!

21. Favorite ornament theme or color? Jon and I always get at least one or two new ornaments a piece each year and then we fill in the rest of the tree with gold, red, and green balls.

22. Favorite for Christmas dinner? I like the way our family usually does kind of a unusual Christmas dinner. We have seafood instead of the traditional turkey and ham. It works well for us! I love the shrimp!

The Big News....

My big brother Timmy got engaged last night to his girlfriend of a couple years, Kylie! I am so excited for them!!!!!!! They both are very happy and excited!

BIG NEWS COMING TOMORROW A.M.!!!! (If all goes as planned)

Hot Water Heater...Best Buy

Well, yesterday the hot water heater went out yet again! We called the plumber out...paid the fee...thought it was fixed...go home last night...and you guessed it. The hot water heater is still broken. We got up this morning and went to Jon's grandmother's house for showers.
The plumber called us back this morning after Jon left him a message last night, and he told us that there was nothing more he could do. He thinks the heater is faulty. Jon called the Warranty company....and after a long come to Jesus meeting that are giving us a new hot water heater! Praise the Lord. However, we now have to pay the installation fee. So the good news...tonight or tomorrow we will be back in business with hot water!!!!

In other big news....JON WON A $525 DOLLAR GIFT CARD TO BEST BUY TODAY! He was so happy. He won it at his team building meeting for work. His store sold the most energy drinks (SoBe) gave the card away! So looks like Jon's dream of a 42 inch plasma HDTV will be coming true sooner than later! We had agreed not to get one until we got our debt paid off, but Best Buy has one for $699. So after our vacation to Nashville we are going to get one. It will probably be after Christmas so we can rearrange our living room! YEA! I am so happy for my sweet husband. He has wanted a big screen for so long, but we vowed to be debt free...and now he has been blessed with that gift card! Not to mention I am looking forward to moving the other one to our bedroom so I can snuggle in bed and watch movies and my shows like Jon and Kate and The Duggers without having him complain! HA! It will also be nice for lazy Saturdays in bed (if we ever have one)!

It is Christmas Time!

Hey Guys! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, ours was good, and I have to admit that it was very nice sleeping in my own bed that night!
So here is our weekend recap:

Wednesday- worked until 4pm. Headed home to gather everything to take to Jon's family to
celebrate Thanksgiving. We had a good time. We played cards and just hung out.
Thursday- got up around 8am, and got ready to leave. We left around 10am and headed to my grandmother's for lunch. It was great. We got to see some family we haven't seen in a while. The food was delicious as usual. Then we got to my dad's around 3pm. It was nice. We ate good, and then relaxed for a bit before heading back to Birmingham. On our way out we dropped by my mom's camper to finalize our Black Friday plans, and then we stopped by my brother's house to see how Kylie and her mom had decorated so beautifully! Jon was a doll and drove us home.
Friday- I woke up at 3am, and got ready to shop. I met my mom, my aunt Terry, and cousin Kayla at Kohl's. We shopped, shopped, and shopped some more. My mom and I even made it to the Galleria. I home about 4pm that day, and I took a nap. I was exhausted. Jon got off early, and surprised me. He wanted to go back out shopping, but by that time it was rainy and cold, I was tired, so we head to Sam's for a bit and then head right back home. Jon said he was crazy for even thinking he wanted to go back out shopping! LOL I went to bed fairly early!
Saturday- I did not get up until around 11am. I ran out to the store, got home, got ready, and we
headed to an Iron Bowl Party. ROLL TIDE! 36-0! Then we headed home to watch Phillip's last game at Tennessee. It was very emotional! We like Phillip!
Sunday- Got up reluctantly...headed to church. I felt awful! So after church Jon and I ran a
couple errands and then it was home. I stayed in bed the rest of the day.

I still feel lousy today, but I have pretty much managed to stay at work all day. I have a floral class tonight, but I have no energy left to make it to it! I hate to cancel, but I need to rest and get well. Jon and I are heading on our vacation to Nashville/Clarksville Friday morning early! Must. Feel. Better. NOW!
The good thing is that Jon is working til 9 tonight, and tomorrow he has boy's night so I will not have to cook or do anything once I get home. Then on Wednesday we have church, but nothing after that. Thursday Jon is working til 9 so I will be home packing and getting our stuff ready to pull out bright and early Friday!

So now begins our Christmas planning...more details to follow!
Have a great night...I will be nursing a bowl of chicken soup with my pillow, blanket, and baby girl Sarah!