Time off!!

Finally I have a chance to settle the masses and get some pictures posted from Christmas and New Years.

Caution: This post is long... (there are too many good pictures, so click on the "pictures" link to the right for more!)

My last day of work was December 21st and I didn't go back until January 2nd. It was awesome. My time off included a trip to Amarillo, Taos, NM, back to Arlington, then to Round Rock and Back. It included 1963 miles driven and a full beard.

I went to Amarillo on Saturday the 22nd and was dreading the drive because it was snowing in Amarillo with 50 mph winds and a below zero wind chill...I couldn't wait. So after getting 13 mpg driving directly into a NW 50mph head wind I finally made it. As I drove up to merge with I-40 I saw semis backed up and thought, great traffic is bad. Only to get up there and see an 80 care pileup! Cars and trucks sandwiched together like building blocks, it was crazy.

So I crawl into town on snow and ice just thinking about how much I missed this. First stop was Kabuki with Kyle and Elisheba, then to get my windows tinted and then to Hummers with Zane and Matt and Tiffany. Since the Cowboy game was on the NFL network and Amarillo is largely a cable town we had to scramble to find a place to watch the game and we ended up in Claude of all places at Tiffany's dad's...we are committed to this team.

Sunday began at 4am when Kyle, Matt and I loaded up and headed to Taos for some skiing. We skied all day and drove home that night around 11:30, a true suicide run and we had a blast.

After a day of hanging out in Amarillo on Christmas Day and a wild game of pictionary...

It was finally Ryan time on Wednesday morning... he spent the morning at Great Grandad and Memaw's and opened his first Williams' present. He knew what he was doing and was ready for this Christmas.

A very cool police car and fire truck for #1.

We headed to Arlington Wednesday with Aunt Kristin and then we got to Round Rock on Thursday along with Matt and Tiffany and Christmas was unofficially Thursday night...Kristin couldn't wait. Ryan absolutely cleaned up and had a blast, here is the proof....

The Barrage Begins....

Sweet Fire Truck to ride on from Nana...

Table and chairs to play on...


Cool Train tent from Uncle Matt and Aunt "Tipp"
And yes, everyone had to get into the tent at one point or another, here he's getting quite the kick out of Nana in the tent.

This Christmas stuff is hard work, a man's gotta eat...

Time to help Uncle Matt put together his big motorcycle.

Using Uncle Matt's present with Paw Paw, future Rock Star...

Friday was my birthday and I'm officially closer to 30 than 20...not good..ha. Matt, Tiffany and Kristin took me to 6th St and we saw a comedy show and went to a dueling piano bar, very cool btw. But I'm still mad at Tiffany for telling them it was my birthday and I had to dance to Elvis on stage...not a pretty sight.

We celebrated Tiffany's birthday on Sunday with lunch at Chuey's, a trip to the park and then some fun at Dave and Buster's.

Ryan's time at the park was fun...he loved feeding the ducks...(great picture)

Walkin' with Paw Paw (great picture)

Slidin with Aunt Kristin and Nana..

...and with Aunt Tipp and Uncle Matt

Ryan had way too much fun with his two aunts who he adores and his Nana. He was the object of some modeling and pure fun one night....

And this pretty much sums up the last couple of days in Austin..chillin'

And proof of the infamous vacation beard...

Well...that's vacation in a nutshell, more great family time. Too bad I had to go back to work with no scheduled days off until Memorial Day...no bueno!

Happy New Year everyone. 2008 will be a freakin sweet year.