We drove up to Dallas Friday December 21st and spent the night at Aunt Shelley and
Uncle Jim's house. The next morning, Jason's cousin, Jessica (she's so sweet - I just want to pinch the heck out of her), dropped us off at the airport and we flew out to D.C. Jason's brother, Michael, and sister, Julia, came to pick us up. I was quickly reminded of the one thing I hated most about living in D.C. - the traffic. After a two hour drive in traffic, we finally arrived at the Capra house in Fredericksburg, Virginia! We weren't there long before I was whisked out the door for some last minute Christmas shopping with Rachel, Angie, Michael and Jacob. When we got back in, I was in for a lovely surprise. Jason's brother, Joe, brought his girlfriend, Dillon, over to meet some of us out-of-town Capras. She is SO cute! I just love her!
Joe Shmo and Dillon
A couple of days after we arrived, Joe gave Dillon a beautiful promise ring (a promise to get married). So we started referring to her as his "prom-ancé". We're still not sure why they didn't just get engaged (the old fashioned way), but they have their reasons. They're both still in college and they don't want a long engagement - or something like that. Anyways - I wholeheartedly approve and I can't wait until they get married! Hopefully it'll be soon - we need some more married Capras in the world! ;) I can't believe they're the same age that we were (18-19ish) - when we actually got married! We're all for young marriage! ;)
Kristin and her cousin, Shawn (or as we like to call him - Shawn Shawn) wasted no time at all in pretending to go out on "friend" dates. It was so funny - Jason's sisters (Danielle, Joanna, Julia and Emily) and our niece Tory, would dress Kristin and Shawn up and then set up a table with flowers and drinks and then they'd just sit and watch from afar. It was like their reality TV or something. Me and Angie had to make sure Kristin and Shawn understood that they were family and this was just a friend date. Nothing more! We are not in the business of promoting "togetherness" between cousins! ;)
Aw...they're so cute!
We finished off our first night in Virginia with some wine and a couple of board games - Last Word and Scattegories.
The next morning, we went to church and picked up some bagels and cream cheese to bring home afterwards. After biting into my bagel, James and his girlfriend, Tish, walked into the kitchen. What a way to meet someone for the first time - with your mouth full. Tisk tisk. Anyways - James and Tish are both stationed in Germany and they're both in the same career field. Her family lives up in Maryland, so they took turns visiting with both families - so that worked out nicely! Tish was very sweet. She's quick with clever and witty comments - just like James, so it's fun to watch them go back and forth.
Rachel, Tish and me
Jason, Michael and I went out to the mall with James and Tish shortly after they arrived for a little more shopping and a stop at Starbucks for coffee and schmoozing. On our way home, we stopped at Tropical Smoothie (our favorite place to get smoothies) to pick up some drinks. Mmm...yummy! I miss Tropical Smoothie! There was only one here in San Antonio and it closed down. 20 Krispy Kremes will survive and thrive here in this city, but not a healthy place like Tropical Smoothie. San Antonio spits in the face of healthy food! Ugh. I can't wait to get out of here!
Anyways - that night we decided to go out for a movie - compliments of my Daddy-poo. I highly recommend everyone to enlist one person in their family to take on the horrendous challenge of being a theater manager - just so your whole family can see free movies. Paying for your own theater ticket is SO overrated! ;) Thank you Daddy-man! Jason, me, James, Tish, Michael, Rachel, Jake and Mommy Capra saw I Am Legend. Eek! I'm not one to usually watch scary movies, but this one wasn't so bad. It was more of an action/thriller. It reminded me more of a Signs-type of movie (the one with Mel Gibson and the alien-takeover). I can handle M. Night Shyamalan movies as far as scary-type movies go - but that's as far as I'm willing to go! I don't like scary/horror movies. Nuh uh. They're not for me!
James, Mike and Jason enjoying a little arcade shoot-out after the movie
The next day was Christmas Eve, so we spent the WHOLE day preparing for Capra Christmas. Jason, James and I were out at the party store, Target and the mall buying things for decorations and party prizes (via Daddy Capra's magical credit card). We stopped for a short break for lunch at Five Guys and then got back to shopping. We spent the rest of the day back at home - decorating, setting up the games and wrapping presents/prizes. We did break for a little while when we went to a Christmas Eve service at church later that night, but we got right back to work on the rest of the Christmas preparations as soon as we got home.
I can't mention Christmas Eve without also mentioning Michael's little mishap. He and Jacob were moving two old toilet bowls to the front for garbage pick-up when Jacob started to drop his end and Michael tried to compensate for the shift in weight and the bowl was dropped and broken in pieces. Somewhere along the way, Michael cut his pinky finger on some broken porcelain and had to go the Emergency Room for stitches. Jason was very disappointed that he wasn't there at the time, but was slightly comforted once he came to the realization that he didn't have any supplies/equipment to tend to Michael's wound anyways, so he couldn't have done anything even if he wanted to. Jason really needs to start carrying around his own medical bag. He could be my own personal doctor that I could lend out to those in need...when I'm feeling particularly generous of course. ;) Here's a video clip of Michael dancing in his Christmas Gecko costume. I think the killer combo of pain medication and alcohol can account for some of it...
Jason riding the pinata...
Michael and James testing out one of the games.
Michael and Jason testing out the Sock 'Em Bop 'Em game...
Jason and Michael taking a break from the preparations
The next morning...Christmas Day!!!! If you've never experienced a Capra Christmas extravaganza, than you've probably never had a Christmas that has lasted...quite so long. ;) When Jason first started "directing" Capra Christmas (back in December 2000), his first and foremost goal was to make Christmas Day last as long as possible! I have an obligation to also mention - that although we seem to make a big deal out of making Christmas into a big party/present/game/prize ordeal - we Capras always remember the real reason for the season - and that's Jesus! Just in case you thought we were getting a little carried away... ;)
We started off the morning by meeting in Jason's parents' room (like we do every year). After Jason's Dad said a prayer, we all ran down to the kitchen to get our faces smeared with war paint.
James applying the war paint
Smashing the paint in Sarah's face
Rachel's ready to go!
Angie and her kids are ready to go too!
Jake was going more for that uni-brow look
Jason making his intro remarks for Capra Christmas
We finally got started in on the presents. We'd do 2-3 rounds of presents - starting from the youngest all the way up to the oldest (except for Mom, Dad and Jason). Then we'd break for a game, then back for another 2-3 rounds of presents and on and on it went. I think Christmas lasted about 6 hours this year. I'm not sure - but I think it lasted longer the year before last. Instead of going into all of the details - I'll just attach a few pictures. I can't put up a picture of each person though - there's just too many flippin' people!
Katie's 1st Christmas present (I Love You This Much bk and stuffed rabbits from Gma and Gpa)
Kristin's princess dress up clothes from Aunt Angie
Jason giving instructions for the first game (shoot down the helicopter)
Mark was the first to shoot down the helicopter, so he won the remote helicopter (Tony and Angie must be so proud). ;)
Back for more rounds of presents!
Onto the next game - Iron Chef Cookie Decorating Contest! The secret ingredient...Big League Chew!
Jason overseeing the contestants
And the winner is...Danielle (for Cookie Island)!
She wins a Santa Patrick!
More presents! Kristin gets a beautiful crochet blanket from her 10-yr old Aunt Julia (Kristin brings this out with her whenever we lay down in the living room for a movie now - she loves it!)
Our little present to the Fredericksburg Capra kids...Mario vs Sonic Olympic Games
Jacob...winner of the Diet Coke and Mentos drinking competition
The look of defeat. Jason - after us girls won the ice cream eating competition. All of the girls had one tub of cookie dough ice cream and all of the boys had their own tub of ice cream. The contest - which team could eat their tub first! Mmmm...cookie dough ice cream...
Our gift to Tony and Angie's kids...or just Angie (we left it up to her). A gift card to her favorite store in the world - Target!
Katie and her Grandpa Capra relaxing after a tough day of opening presents...
Ah... the day is almost over. Now it's time for Mom, Dad and Jason to open up all of their presents. Everyone was particularly looking forward to using the present we got Mom and Dad for Christmas (a fire pit w/ firewood). I've wanted one for SO long!! Maybe we'll get one for an anniversary present to ourselves in April. Next it's time for some family pictures before everyone goes their separate ways and then we spent the rest of the night playing Guesstures and Bunco and then we enjoyed talking and keeping warm around Mom and Dad's new fire pit outside in the cold. :)
Rrrr...this would have been a good picture...had it not been for Katie's slimey little fingers smearing up the lens just seconds before we took the picture (I didn't notice until it was too late). :(
Mom and Dad Capra with all of their grandkiddies
All of the Capra kids (except for Tony - who's still deployed)
Mom Capra took a quick picture before Jason had a chance to make a weird face (which he has been known to do...purposely). Yay for Mommy Capra!
Is anyone still awake?? ;) Okay, so that's it for Christmas! Sorry this is getting so long, but hey - it's not my fault! Pictures take up a lot of space! I promise - it's almost over!! ;)
The day after Christmas, Rachel left for Germany to meet up with her hubcap, Nate. Angie, Michael and I met up with Joe Shmo and Dillon at the mall for a little shopping (with our gift cards). That night, after a yummy baked ham and mashed potato dinner, we all enjoyed visiting with Dillon around the fire and then called it a night.
A couple days before we left, James, Mike and Angie went up to Maryland to pick up Tish and go to D.C. to go to the Smithsonian and out for lunch. Jason and I had both already been to the Smithsonian, so we ended up not going. Jason wanted to stay home and work on his Capra Christmas video and I wanted to meet up with my best friend Laura (who lives in Virginia Beach)! I also wanted to do Jason's Mom a favor (at the same time) by emptying her house of a few kids, so she could clean one room without another room being destroyed simultaneously. ;) Danielle and Emily were already out for the day doing their Drama Club thing, so I took the rest of the girls with me to Richmond to meet up with Laura and her two kiddie-poos at a schnazzy mall there. I brought along Joanna, Julia, my niece Tory and my two girls. It really wasn't an ideal way to reunite with my little Laura-poo, but it was the best we could do given the little time we had. We met up at Chik-Fil-A for lunch, then we let all of the girls terrorize a toy store, then we took all of them to Build-a-Bear to make their own bears. We took a few pictures here and there and then we had to head back. I only had an hour to drive, but poor Laura had two! Eek! She drove a total of 4 hours just to come see little ol' me! How sweet is that! I mean - I know I'm worth it, but still! ;)
Laura, Drew, Hailey (Kristin's very first friend-we had them a week apart from one another) and Kristin
Hailey and Kristin getting reacquainted in the toy store
Hailey and Kristin giving their bears "a bath"
Julia, Tory and Joanna giving their bears their baths
Laura, me and Katie at Build-a-Bear
Hailey and Kristin with their Build-a-Bears
Lunch at Chik-Fil-A - $20. 4 Build-a-bears - $108. Gas for my sister-in-law's minivan - $40. The chance to see my bestest friend in the whole world (even if for only a few very short hours)...priceless. ;)
Okay, so that was my visit with Laura-poo. 6 hours and $168 later - we were back home. After a Build-a-Bear wedding (between Joanna and Tory's build-a-bears - Buttercup and Buster Brown), we gathered around the fire pit one last time to drink some wine and talk the night away. We finally called it a night around 1am.
Wedding for Buttercup and Buster Brown
No wedding would be complete without wedding cheesecake! ;)
Me and Jason by the fire
James, Tish, Angie and Mike
Me and Mike (Michael's motto - "You never know.") ;)
The next night (our last night in Virginia), Mommy Capra treated all of the girls (over 18) to dinner at Sakura's - I think that's what it was called anyways. It was like a Benihana's and it was REALLY yummy!
Tish, Angie and Sarah
Me, Mom Capra and Tish
Our own personal chef for the evening making an onion volcano
We flew out the next afternoon back to Dallas. We didn't actually leave D.C. when we were supposed to though. We got bumped a couple of times and had to wait around the airport for a little while. We were originally supposed to fly non-stop to Dallas, but we ended up having to fly to PA, run to our next gate as fast as we could (with luggage and 2 little monsters to drag along) and fly on to Dallas. Ugh. We only got back 6 hours after we were supposed to, but I guess that's not as bad as it could have been. Jesse, Doug and Mark picked us up from the airport and brought us back to Aunt Shelley's. I'm disappointed that we didn't get a chance to visit with Jessica and Doug (Aunt Shelley's oldest kids who were only in town for their break) like we had originally planned. :( Hopefully we can see them when they come for their next break.
The only funny thing that happened while we were at the airport in D.C. - was when Kristin overheard an Indian couple who were in line ahead of us speaking Indian. Kristin - in a most friendly and respectful tone - put her hands together, bowed her head and said, "Hola!" It was the funniest thing ever! I don't think the couple even noticed - but it was hilarious! In Kristin's mind, people either speak English or Spanish (thanks to Nick Jr.'s Dora the Explorer). ;)
So that's it folks! I will totally understand if you're fast asleep at your computer with your face lying in a puddle of your own drool. But hey! This story was mostly comprised of pictures - they take up a lot of space! I think I did pretty good though - I took 400 pictures during our trip and I only posted about 50! I could have done much much worse! Okay - I'm going now. This post is long enough as it is! Sheesh!
