One of the junior girls at NCCS was in The Nutcracker at The Fox this year. Their family generously gave us three tickets to the show on Monday, December 23. Clint Strange and I decided that we would make the whole day a surprise for Emma. We started the morning by making reindeer pancakes and then had her get dressed up to “go to Atlanta”. Emma could pick anywhere in Atlanta for lunch and she quickly selected Firehouse Subs. After lunch, we drove around and looked at Christmas decorations before the performance at 2pm. Emma LOVED The Fox…she couldn’t stop looking around! During the performance of The Nutcracker, she was glued to the stage. The show was amazing and a perfect fit for our Christmas family day! Unbeknownst to Emma, we had already packed the car for our trip to Memphis to celebrate Christmas with my family. We left The Fox and just started driving. Emma must have thought we were taking a REALLY long way home! We stopped for dinner at a Cracker Barrel in Anniston, AL and then kept driving. She never saw the stuff in the back of the car or asked any questions. She finally fell asleep and then woke up to her last surprise of the day…a hotel. Emma loves hotels! We made reservations at a hotel about an hour and a half south of Memphis to break up the trip just short of our destination. She was so excited to stay in a hotel! We woke up the next morning and drove the last leg of the trip and had a wonderful Christmas in Memphis. We are so glad that we took Christmas Eve Eve and planned a fun adventure for our family. So grateful for these moments!