This year I was scheduled to work for New Year’s Eve, and while I wasnt HAPPY about it, I was just resigned to the fact that I would ring in another year with my coworkers. Then a girl on the opposite color squad came out looking for a trade for the days just before it, and it worked out for me that I could trade with her, take a day off, and be with my family in North Carolina! It had been a little while since I had made the trip there to see my sister and her family, the most recent times I have seen them have been when they have come here. My loyal sidekick and I started the drive at lunch time and quickly hit some sluggish traffic that was making me a little depressed. I talked to my sister and my favorite handy fellow to pass the time, and soon enough I was moving along again. It did feel like I was driving for ever, that last hour was kind of brutal, it had gotten dark and I was watching the temperature drop and drop. But then I was there! I will say that I passed by the house before realizing it was theirs! In my defense they live in a suburban area, it was night, and both cars were in the garage. My nephew, bro in law and sister were eager to see me, and of course my little guy Waylon, and we were showered with hugs! My big sis and her family had just come from visiting our mom and brother in Pa, and she said she had a surprise for me, and although I had some pretty wild dreams about what the surprise was , I really was not prepared. When our Daddy passed away he left a large collection of records, and since we shared the same taste in a lot of music, I was really wanting them but its difficult to get up there for me to begin with let alone come home with a large amount of records. Well my sis brought me some of them, starting with the Hank Williams ones, and she had me crying within minutes of being there. She was hugging me, my nephew was playing with Waylon, and my brother in law was so kind as to bring my bags in and into the guest room! Right as I was getting there, my sister had a scrumptious meal of spaghetti and home made sauce with her homemade meatballs ready for me to devour..I didnt even stop to take a pic of it before digging it. We talked and laughed, and after dinner we watched a movie called Kubo, which is a kiddy movie but it was really good, and you should all check it out on redbox for sure. I headed to bed and fell asleep pretty quickly despite my not being used to sleeping at night.
The next morning was New Years Eve yay!!!! My sister and her hubby made waffles with homemade whipped cream and strawberries for breakfast and then we all relaxed a little before my sister and I went to get our eyebrows done, since mine were looking weak instead of fleek, and I had told her no pictures were to be taken until they were fixed up. She took me to the mall where she gets her eyebrows done, and I felt much better after that was taken care of. We headed home and started to make a list of food and beverages we would need for the festivities that night, and went to go shopping. Before the shopping though, we went to Pacos Taocs, which according to an article I read, is rated as the 4th best tacos in America!! The tacos were pretty phenomenal, and we really had a good time in this laid back spot.
After some short naps by my sister and I (dont judge!) It was time to make the New Years Eve dinner, and they like to do a seafood feast! There were lobster tails, and crab legs, along with a huge baked potato and some broccoli..it was so good! We moved to the living room and started watching a movie called Burnt, which has Bradley Cooper as a chef, and I loved it..well we didnt get to finish that cause we needed to tune into the ball dropping..but even before we got to that, we happened across a live performance by Salt N Peppa, and really no one can get down to some old school tunes like me and my sis-even getting us on video indicating who was allowed to dance..which is of course, ONLY the sexy people!
We were armed with champagne, and only the hope that a simple count down would take us to something different. There is always the idea that a new year can bring you 365 new chances at changing things that maybe you havent been too pleased with all year. Call me superstitious, but its something I have to think works. Maybe i should just go ahead and count down at the end of every month and see what that does for me. Well soon enough the guys were heading to bed, but not before my sisters husband ordered Magic Mike 2 for us and accidentally locked us in the media room, causing my to exclaim -HELP were stuck in here..we need booze, and cheesy poofs!! We were freed, and enjoyed a lot of laughs, sipped drinks, ate truffle cheddar cheese and watched the movie..with pausing for smoke and bath room breaks, it was like 0500 before we were going to sleep. I also walked Waylon barefoot in the cold and wet with my shirt up over my head. We decided our livers are champions, since we were up having a delish brunch at like 11am. The rest of the day was relaxing in our pajamas, watching movies and just spending time together. We also read all the things we were grateful for out of the gratitude jar, which is something my sister does to remind them of all the reasons they are fortunate and all the things they are grateful for throughout the year. I loved that I got to be included in it! Next was another fab meal..did I tell yall that I actually took more pics of food than I did of people on this trip? Its a tradition from our roots in Pennsylvania, Pork and Sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and green beans. Not only did my sister NAIL IT (as I’m sure she always does, I just have never had hers before) she also made home made apple sauce because I mentioned that I liked apple sauce with my pork. We finished the movie Burnt, and I was so beat after that I kept falling asleep and had to call it quits!!
The next morning we all woke up in stages and didnt really eat breakfast which is probably good because we had been stuffing our faces the last couple days and we were already deciding what to have for lunch. My nephew sadly lost out on his vote for sushi, we headed to the Olive Garden for a quick lunch instead. We all enjoyed some soup and salad, along with munching on some calamari. When we got back from lunch I was sad that I had to pack up and hit the road, but I knew I needed to. The goodbyes seem to get harder these days. I was heading out, waving good bye, and wishing I didnt have to. Along my way there was HORRIFIC traffic and what I can normally travel in five and a half to six hours, took me nine hours yall. There was a point where I had to get out and stretch before I went nuts, so I walked Waylon on the highway and made friends with the people in the truck behind me. We were very glad to finally get home and hang on the couch together! I remember 2016 like it was just last week. 🙂
Diaries of Suzy Doozer 
Girl, it was only like 8…😘
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