December, Part 5: Christmas at Watercolor

The Thompson family has it figured out--rather than exchange gifts at Christmas, we go on a family trip! Each year we enjoy time together, which is the greatest gift we have to give. This year we headed South for the beach, to Watercolor, for relaxation, good food, shopping, and warmer weather. Our trip was relaxing at times, but for the most part it was eventful. Scott's father, Gerald, was admitted into the hospital for serious complications from diabetes. He spent the entire vacation in the hospital--under the watchful eyes of very caring doctors and nurses, who made our entire family feel welcome. They understood we were on vacation and even catered to him on his birthday (yes, he was very sick on his birthday!). Without elaborating, Gerald had fluid on his heart and lungs, therefore was experiencing complications with his kidneys. At the end of the week, he was stable and discharged and was sent home with a change in medication and strict instructions on his diet. He was in much better spirits, although I think he's most upset that he cannot eat potato chips anymore!! Many people contacted me and Scott and our family members throughout the week, offering comforting words and prayers. Most thought it was sad that we were experiencing such an event while on vacation, but I honestly believe it was a blessing--we were together, with no distractions, and were able to spend time together throughout the entire week. Although this is not how we would like to spend a holiday, we still feel that we were able to be together when it mattered most. Hopefully, Gerald will continue to grow stronger and that we'll be able to return to the beach soon so he can join us on our bikerides!

Me and Scott at the Seaside Pavilions

Mo's first trip to the beach

He LOVED it!

Eli and Ford ready for a bike ride

Uncle Scott, Eli and Ford (while Aunt Mary plays with the camera while riding her bike!)

Eli and Ford heading in to the hospital to visit Papa on his birthday

Scott and myself at ACME for dinner

MeMaw and Eli

Ford and MeMaw

December, Post 4: Christmas at Camp Sloan

This was the year that all of the Sloan kids were at my parents for Christmas. It was very special to have everyone at home again--especially since we had 2 new babies to celebrate with as well as a 3-year-old, who is just now understanding the excitement of Christmas. As you can imagine, having this crowd together was indeed a circus--a fun one at that!

My mom, Lynn, and her sister, Tricia; my brother, Brad; Scott and myself; my brother-in-law, Jeremy and my nephew, Joseph; my cousin Waybe (Tricia's son); my Godmother, Victoria; my dad, Bill; my brother's wife, Bentley; my sister, Catherine, and nephew, Luke; my Godsister, Adrienne; my sister, Sarah, and her husband, Jeffrey, and my nephew, Hayes.

In years past, my mom got the gang matching pajamas. This year, since we all had plenty of pjs and because there were so many of us, she got us matching t-shirts that say "Christmas at Camp Sloan. The babies even had little onesies! Too cute :)

It was very fun and special to have our two new babies together for Christmas this year. What a blessed year the Sloan's have had--it's really exciting to see our family grow...and grow...and grow!

Joseph (5 weeks) and Hayes (5 months)

A Sloan tradition is to open poppers after our big Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. We all wear our crowns and play with our cheaper than cracker-jack toys and tell the cheesy jokes that come in the poppers.

On Christmas Eve we attempted to get some sweet photographs of the grandchildren. It seems that Mo thought he should be included in the photo op--and Luke felt it was important to introduce Joseph to his buddy Mo. So, for a few minutes, we paused to let the 3 have their special moment.

Apparently this break kept Luke happy, so we actually got one pretty cute picture (out of the 30 shots taken from 2 cameras!). We finally stopped snapping when Luke started covering his face and fussing that his eyes were hurting from all the lights (flashes). I guess he is not going to take well to the paparazzi!

Christmas morning was really fun--we had TONS of presents, so it took all morning to open our loot. The highlight was watching Luke open his gifts, and seeing that he really could care less about everything other than his new Superman pajamas (which he wore for 2 days!) and his new Superman and Batman figures. He played with them for days!

Mo got more toys this year--imagine that! I thought it was funny that one of his favorite toys was a pink ball (which I think was really meant for Sipsey!).

Christmas at Camp Sloan was very special for me this year--my family is so important to me, and it's really a blessing to have everyone together to celebrate big occasions like Christmas as well as random weekends. Watching my sisters as mothers is also very meaningful to me, and it was great fun to see them together with their babies. Our family was truly blessed this year, and it seemed a perfect way to end the year...together.

December, Post 3

Scott's Promotion


Yea!!! Scott got a promotion at the Alumni Office!!! Once the paperwork clears HR he will move up from Club Coordinator to Assistant Director. He will work specifically with the Schools of Pharmacy and Law--which will be a big change from working with every individual alumni club. He is very excited and I know he will enjoy the challenge and change of pace (as in travel). For the past 5 years, Scott has worked at the Ole Miss Alumni Office overseeing club meetings, activities, events, etc. which has been very rewarding for him. This change, though, comes at a great time as he has grown weary (and I have grown lonely!) of travelling 3-4 nights a week for close to 6 months of the year. Moving up is not only a nice change, but it is also a blessing as Scott indeed loves working with his colleagues who have become more like family. He has said since the day that I met him that he would love to retire from the Alumni Office! Where else can you get paid to share your passion for Ole Miss!!

Good job, baby--and when the ink dries, we'll celebrate at a restaurant of your choice!

December, Post 2

Christmas Tree
For the past 9 years, Sarah and Jeffrey have sold Christmas trees here in Oxford. This year, with the addition of Hayes, they felt that their time would be limited and they would not be able to spend cold nights at the tree lot. I am so proud of them, as they decided to hand over their tree business to our church for the youth to run. With that said, Sarah, Jeffrey and I were busy for a few weeks working with the kids on selling trees, setting up and taking down the trees, making wreaths and such. Although it was a hectic (and cold) time, it was so much fun working with the kids and their parents--especially my favorite family, the Ashmores! At the end of the long week, the youth raised enough money to send them on their planned summer mission trip to Mexico to install a water purification system. How cool is that!

Here are a few pictures of our little tree, which was 5' tall. I loved it and so did Mo! He also loved one particular ornament--a snowman that lit up. I finally had to hide it (just like the McCarty bunny!)

December, Post 1

Because we are so behind on our posts, and quite a bit has happened in the past month, I'm going to post short little notes from the month of December.

We started the month celebrating Scott's 35th birthday!! As in years past, Scott ran the St. Jude half-marathon in Memphis, TN. Scott really enjoys this run, and although his running is sporadic throughout the year, he seriously trains for the St. Jude run. I've gone to cheer him on in the past, and can honestly say that this is an event that motivates!! I just haven't quite gotten enough motivation to actually run!! This year Scott's sister, Cindi, ran in the race, as well as friends Wendy and Jay. I was also very proud of our friend Glenn who ran the entire marathon! Our good friend, Ian and his girlfriend, Angela, always host our running gang for the race. According to Scott, Ian cooked a fantastic pre-race meal for them!

To officially celebrate Scott's birthday, I surprised him with a delicious dinner at a fancy restaurant in town and then our friends surprised him at home with a dessert party! Scott was totally surprised--he had no clue, which made it great fun for everyone!! Thanks to all that came to the party--it really made Scott feel special to have his friends and their precious children together in his honor! I'll add pictures from that evening to this post soon!

Thankful

This year we have lots to be thankful for....LOTS--family, friends, travels, good health, new jobs, faith, nephews, each other.

We went to Cindi's for a delicious meal (especially that turkey!!) and enjoyed being able to sit outside for a few hours. I love Fall and it's nice to have a few days of warmer weather before the real cold nights of Mississippi winters.

We are also thankful that both of our football teams are WINNING!! I haven't given much props to THE Alabama Crimson Tide this season, but do not worry...they are my first love. I am so excited about Alabama football and have really, really missed not being in Bryant Denny this year more than ever! Scott and I did make it over for the Ole Miss/UA game and I was thrilled that he talked me into making the trip. Even if you're not a football fan in the least, Alabama football is exciting!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Thanksgiving weekend was a perfect football weekend---Ole Miss shutout Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl...


...and Alabama shutout Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

Watch this video all the way through:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pFSmO3nNRA

We are also thankful for good friends and family...no matter where you are!

NOLA & Death Valley

We have had quite an exciting month--lots of road trips and fun with friends and family!

Scott and I hit the road to NOLA to visit with good friends and to watch the Rebels play LSU in Baton Rouge. We had a fantastic trip---and since Ole Miss won, 'fantastic' might be an understatement.

We spent the weekend with Scott's college roommate, John, and he treated us to lots of good food and good times! Friday evening he grilled for us and hosted my college roommate, Elizabeth, to join us. It was great for us to catch up with friends that we haven't seen in too, too long. I hate that I didn't take a picture with Eli...but trust me, we both look the exact same! Not only was the food delicious (even though there was no ranch dressing involved), but the entertainment provided by John's 3-year-old nephew was priceless. I really enjoyed hanging out with John's brother and his precious family. Scott has talked highly of them, so it was nice to meet and visit with them.

Saturday, after another delicious meal, we loaded up and headed to Baton Rouge....which was indeed an adventure. I mean no disrespect to those of you who actually graduated from LSU, but the Tiger fans are maniacs. I have never experienced the hazing that we experienced on our walk to the stadium. Wow--they have no regard or respect for ladies!!

The walk to the stadium was quickly forgotten when we then had to walk up the ENTIRE stadium to our seats (even more hazing!). I can now say that Scott and I have lucked into seats on the TOP row of TWO stadiums in the SEC. I think we might start a new tradition.



From the top of Death Valley, we cheered as loudly as we could in hopes that the Rebels would know were were there--and because of the GREAT game, our cheering was quite fun! I was so happy for the Ole Miss team because they have truly had a great season, and it was fitting to wrap it up with a big win at LSU! Hotty Toddy! Ole Miss 31- LSU 13
Saturday night we treated ourselves to a very nice dinner at Mr. B's and a quick walk down Bourbon Street. No Ole Miss fans were out, and we were no where near intoxicated enough to enter any of the bars so we didn't stay long.


Sunday, Scott and I went downtown to Cafe Du Monde and had some yummy beignets, followed by a nice walk around Jackson Square. It was then time to head back to Oxford....after a fantastic weekend getaway.




Thank you to our wonderful host, John!!