was thankin heaven in 2011, now things are swell in 2012

I started 2012 with a haircut the other day. I have been trying to grow it out and wanting to wear it more wavy like. I showed the picture on the left to my friend Rachel (hairstylist extraordinaire and close family friend) and the result is on the right. I'd say she did a great job! Just have to grow my length out more! I don't really have those cool looking highlights, I used PICNIK (photo editing )to add them just for fun.
On New Year's eve we went to a drive through lights display out in the country. They also had a building with real ice ice skating and a gift shop with a picture taking corner which is where Kavi is sitting in the picture above, and snack shop too. None of us actually did ice skate because we were too cheap to pay an additional 9 dollars to do it!
They sold s'mores kits for two dollars and you could roast them yourself over an open fire. Fun and yum! They were playing all these line dancing songs like cupid shuffle and such and my daughter Jenny used to work for the YMCA after school program in Florida, so she knew all the moves for all the songs. At one point I dared her to do the next one in an open area in the building to see if a crowd formed behind her, and lo and behold, when I came out of the porta potty there was Jenny with some people behind her line dancing with a small crowd of on lookers! They should have paid her to do that there because you could tell people wanted to dance but no one was leading, hehe. Everyone dispersed shortly after!

a small part of the mile long drive of animated lights

we baked and decorated Christmas cookies with my grandson this year

we all had fun, but Kavi had the most fun!

It has been an awesome holiday season thanks to Cristina and Suj and Kavi living here now. I am so thankful for these past few months! Next week they are closing on a house that is about 45 minutes from here, so we will have to drive longer than 3 minutes to see each other, but I am very happy about their cute house, beautiful setting and close proximity to downtown Birmingham so Suj has a short drive to and from work each day.
2012 brings the expectancy of new experiences and adventures and I am so happy to have family close by to enjoy them with! Hope yours is a blessed and happy New Year too!