Annie

For as long as I can remember, my grandmother gives us one big Christmas gift as a family. Every small family, inside of our very large family gets a different gift. Often, it's a gift we've suggested in the past year, and more often...it's tickets to a show in Atlanta. It has really become one of my most favorite gifts, and as the kids get older it's neat to have them join us for the fun! This year, we went to Annie. My niece & nephew are connoisseurs of all things Annie. They know every word to every song, and every line of every part in the script. My mom is officially Ms. Hannigan, and we have a major intervention every time we want to watch anything other than the Annie dvd. I'm exaggerating, of course...but not by much. They love that whiny red-head, so it seemed appropriate to take them to see the show in person. Mandy & I grew up with an equal love for the orphans, so it was fun to see the movie play out on stage. We had a blast, and although Bo took 1.5 million pictures, only a couple were anything suitable for keeping.

Ever been HERE? If you haven't, pick up the telephone and make a reservation today. I love the Atlanta restaurant selection, but this is one of my top 3. The past two years we've headed to Buckhead Diner for dinner after the show, and man does it top off the night! This year was a little different with two kids in tow, so we had to be creative in keeping the kids busy while we waited extra long for a table. Although we were drenched from the rain by the time we got to the restaurant, it really was a blast. Thank-you, Grandma, for being amazingly generous (not just at Christmas!). We love the time together-- I'm so thankful to be part of a family that values being together...there's nothing in the world like it.