SATURDAY: Dustin and I went up to Jax to visit my family. My cousin's birthday is right before Thanksgiving and for her birthday my aunt had asked me to make her a quilt using all of her old high school shirts that she no longer wants to wear but also doesn't want to get rid of. I spent the better part of 2015 (on and off) working on this quilt. It was definitely one of the biggest sewing projects I've taken on. I have never measured and remeasured and measured just one more time for luck in my life. But when you're making this for someone you love, you definitely want that to show. You want to make sure you get it right. I didn't want to just throw it together in a weekend. This took lots of planning and work. And if I'm being honest - stress. I just put so much pressure on myself for this to be the best it could be. I'm so happy with how it turned out. I'm even happier that my cousin loved it so much. She said she's already gotten some use out of it. Thankfully Jacksonville gets a lot colder than Orlando!
It was nice spending time with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. My aunt hooked us up with a little breakfast buffet filled with fresh fruit, bagels, muffins, and quiche! It was all so good! We ate and talked. One of the funniest conversations was when we talked about Diagon Alley. Dustin told them all how terrified I was when I rode on the Gringotts ride which is entertaining on it's own. But then my aunt and uncle told us the first day they were at Universal they walked around "London" and couldn't find Diagon Alley. I mean I can totally understand how that could happen because they hid it (just to make it even more authentic). So they just left! HA! I was happy to hear they found it on their second day. I would've been sad if they hadn't got to enjoy it while they were there. I gave my cousin and my aunt and uncle a "Dinner Is Coming" cutting board. I came across it when Katie and I attended the Deland Indie Market and thought it would be perfect for them. I'm so happy they liked it! We had such a good time hanging out and watching football. I especially enjoyed my uncle and Dustin doing their best Spurrier impressions. I really like visiting them and I'm glad Dustin and I have started to do it more often.
We headed back down south and stopped in St. Augustine to meet up with Matt and Rachelle as a last before-baby-Benton-hurrah! Also the four of us were craving some Cousteau's! We've been there 3 times this year. Ha!
We all decided we wanted "real food" before eating dessert so we stopped at this cute little eatery called Monkey Life Grille. We all really enjoyed our meals. If you're ever in the area, check them out! I had fun looking at all of their monkey art too!
We walked around awhile so we could digest. I was hoping to find some cool Christmas gifts in one of their cute one-of-a-kind stores but I had no such luck. Oh well! We still had fun window shopping. I've noticed the new trend is beard oil. And part of the trend is charging a ridiculous amount of money for it. There were bottles in practically every store we went into. It just seems pointless. I don't mind a crunchy beard; it doesn't have to be silky smooth! #grizzlybeardsforlife
We finally made it to Cousteau's and enjoyed some of the best milkshakes and waffles in the biz! And we totally wore our beanies for the 10% discount. Duh! I just want to wrap up that moment and store it in a place of my brain I'll always be able to find it. The streets were wet from a recent rainstorm. It was cool but not cold. Christmas decor was everywhere including inside Cousteau's. For most of the time we were there, it was just the four of us hanging out enjoying our time together. It's crazy to think that the next time we see the Benton's they will be parents! This whole childfree ride with them has been some of our fondest memories but we get that they are ready to move on. This chapter is closed for us but I'm excited to see what the new chapter has to bring. Also I kind of can't wait to see Dustin hold a baby again. I don't think he has held one in 8 years (ahem Aubrie!). Ha! Matt and Rachelle are already great parents but now they get to be great parents to a child of their own which is the coolest. Countdown until Baby Benton is getting very real. I've put my bet in for Christmas Eve so we shall see...
SUNDAY: I try and go to the Big Bang Bazaar as much as I can. I always knew Katie would love it but they typically have them on Saturdays when she is working. Thankfully the holiday BBB was held on a Sunday so not only did she get to see what it was all about BUT I got to go with her. It was in a different location than I was used to but just as nice. There were a ton of venders which was awesome! Katie and I both bought candles and cupcakes and so on. I went especially crazy with the embroidery hoops. ChelPanda and ChicGeekErin just make some really badass ones. They certainly aren't your grandma's embroidery! HA. The more NSFW the better in my opinion. Aubrie spent the day with her dad so Katie just had Kierce. That girl was ready to spend some money. She had a $10 bill and it was certainly burning a hole in her purse. She was so cute when she told Katie to go away so she could buy her Christmas present. I stayed with her and watched her buy a "mystery bag". I have seen both Aubrie and Kierce go out of their way to buy something special for Katie and it just warms my heart to see how giving and caring they are growing to be. Good job Katie!
Since we were part of the "first 100" at the BBB we got swag bags which I always love. We got so many different samples and little gifts. My favorite one was my life-size Ron Weasley face. I still don't know if it's purpose is to help you pretend to be Ron or if maybe it has a more practical use like keeping you cool. Either way I love it! Another successful event!
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