Christmas with the Halsey family

First, a bit about the story . . . every year, my mom's family has a large Christmas party. Other than weddings, it is pretty much the only time all year that we get to see each other. Anyway, being in Virginia, Michael and I don't get to go anymore (we have to teach through the week right before Christmas and normally this is on the weekend in the teens). Anyway, this year, I found a really cheap flight and flew home to surprise everyone -- even my mom. My dad picked me up at the airport (my parents are divorced) and dropped me off at the mom's. It was so much fun . . . I walked through the front door and said, "is there room at this party for one more?" My mom was sooooo excited. Plus, my 93 year-old Grandma was there, and I felt like it was really important to see her. It felt so good to be there, and a fun surprise on top of that.

Anyway, here are a few pics from the day -- just random stuff.

My mom, my uncles and my grandma . . .


I have the cutest cousins . . .