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Weekend Snapshots: NYE 2016

by 36 Comments

Good morning from Atlanta!

After hundreds of tears and thousands of hugs, we said our goodbyes to our family yesterday and boarded the flight back “home.” We’ll be driving back to Harrogate at some point today. Perhaps after a last “hurrah!” at a brunch place in Atlanta.

Though it was hard to part ways with the family, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to ring in the new year. With a trip to Universal Studios and some quality time with both families together, it was a perfect way to end 2016 and begin 2017. (Well, that. And Mariah Carey’s live, embarrassing performance on stage before the ball dropped).

Other highlights from the weekend included:

  • Watching Ankur and Megan try butterbeer for the first time.
    We agreed that the hot one tasted better than the cold one, but was more difficult to drink in large quantities at one time. Both were sweet. Both were magical.

  • Figuring out the ultimate amusement park hack: Going through the single-rider line to cut the waiting time in half.

    Nobody actually talks to each other during the ride so we don’t need to sit together anyway. Best time saver ever. We can chat through our short[er] line and then part ways for the 2-minute duration of the ride. #Genius #LifeHack #YoureWelcome

  • Walking through “Hogsmeade” and seeing all the fun things they were selling at Zonko’s and Honeyduke’s.


    I was so impressed that they extracted every single teeny detail from the book in order to display it or sell it in their stores. For example, in one of their shops, they were selling “R” and “H” sweaters – exactly like the ones JK Rowling had described Mrs. Weasley knitting for the boys while they were away at Hogwarts. I wish we could have spent hours there – examining every little thing.

  • Mexican Train Dominoes with the Family


    It’s pretty challenging to corral the family together to sit down long enough and play a game. But, when it happens, it’s pretty wonderful. Especially when the adults get really into it. (In this scenario, we’re pretending that I’m not an adult. The adults mean the parents. I’ll be a kid forever, please and thank you.)

  • Heads Up with the Fam


    Speaking of entertaining adults, my dad was the star of Heads Up again this year. I’ve said it once before, but I’ll say it again. When he gets into a game, he GETS INTO a game. From the “zoom-zoom” sounds of a motorcycle to his hoppin’ and boppin’ around the living room pretending to be a pole vaulter, there’s no person more invested in this game than my typically-reserved, conservative father. Thank goodness for the feature that allows us to record all the silly things he does. Some day, I’ll make a slideshow of them all.

  • NYE Fajita/Taco Bar – Complete with Margaritas


    My sister has always been a really good hostess. She loves throwing parties and everyone always leaves her home feeling buzzed off the wine, the company, and the ambience. She’s just got a knack for it. That’s why, when my Mom asked her to take charge of our NYE dinner, she immediately jumped on board and created a DIY taco bar. She’s the coolest sister and made our NYE experience that much better by adding her creative touch!

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It’s going to be hard to come back to reality after a wonderful weekend with our families. But, we’ve already begun the countdown until we see them again!

Hope you all had a fantastic night and enjoy your day off today (if you have it off!)

Questions of the Day:

  • Have you been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Did you try the butterbeer?

  • What did you do for NYE?

  • Do you have the day off today? 

Comments

  5. It makes me smile to hear about what a wonderful holiday you had! Also, I did the single rider thing recently too at Epcot, and it was awesome!

    Reply

  13. Looks like you had an awesome time! I mean, butterbeer! 🙂 And how great is that taco bar?? We do have the day off today, then back to work tomorrow! Have a wonderful 2017!

    Reply

  22. Such a great place to be for the holidays. I went to Universal Studios a few years ago and I totally need to go back.

    Reply

  24. Any occasion is always great with family! Christmas and New Years’ (and Thanksgiving) are the best times for family bonding. I love your sister’s taco bar. That was an awesome idea! Oh you were asking about butter beer? I haven’t tried it yet, but it does seem like something I would be interested to try. Wishing you and your family all the best this New Year!

    Reply

  25. Happy New Year to All.
    Your family pictures are awesome.
    Thanks for sharing.
    God Bless You.

    Back to routine tomorrow……..

    Reply

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