One thing I have noticed about getting older is the increased value I place on quality time. I tend to get so caught up in my routine of day-to-day life that I rush through things that I should take the time to stop and enjoy. A few years ago, Clint and I started planning one day during Christmas break that we would spend the entire day together just doing stuff we wanted to do. It doesn’t have to be anything that costs a lot or requires a ton of preplanning…just the two of us hanging out all day.
Today was our Christmas date day and we have been looking forward to it for several days. Emma has been on Christmas break with us, but she knew she had to go to school today so that Mommy and Daddy could have some time together. We had a great time playing with Emma this morning and feeding her breakfast and giving her a bath. We dropped her at daycare a little after 9am and then hit McDonald’s (Clint) and Starbucks (me) for our favorite breakfast items. From there we headed to the movie theater in Acworth to check out Invictus the movie about the rugby team in South Africa starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Let me stop here and say that Invictus is a must see for any leader that is wanting to challenge their team to go further faster. Very good movie and tons of excellent leadership nuggets!
After Invictus, we made a few quick stops at Babies-R-Us, LifeWay, and Borders to return a few things and do some Christmas shopping. Clint suggested On the Border for lunch since he knows I love it. And I was hinting about finding somewhere to eat “on the border” of Kennesaw and Acworth. He is very good with direct hints!
From On the Border, we headed to Garden Ridge to check out some patio furniture and looked at their Christmas lights. Clint is determined that Emma would be very proud to have the most decorated house on the block next year. It is his mission to be the Clark Griswold of our neighborhood!
After Garden Ridge, we went to Lowe’s, Hibbett’s, Kohls, Home Depot, Dollar Tree, Target, and WalMart. It was crazy everywhere since it is only 3 days before Christmas…but the people-watching opportunities were at an all time high, so it was totally worth it! One quick stop at Kroger and then we picked Emma up at school.
We came home and all had dinner together and walked down to take some pictures in front of our neighbor’s house. They have tons of lights and it looks really great! I think Clint is wanting to take them on for the coolest Christmas House next year. I’ll keep you posted about that.
After we got home, we put Emma to bed and started putting away some of our treasures from the day. One of my former NCCS students came by the house to hang out. We baked cookies and caught up while Clint was wrapping gifts in the basement. What a great way to close out a day dedicated to quality time!
I believe that God ordains Christmas break, summer, Spring Break, Thanksgiving Break, etc. to build in times of Sabbath for those of us that aren’t so good at making them happen on our own. I am very thankful to have these two weeks off so that I can spend all day each day with Clint, Emma, and our family and friends just celebrating Christmas and the Savior who is the source of our hope!
What kind of things do you and your family like to do during your quality time together?