Flashback Friday with some sparkle on the side

My parents did an awesome job creating and keeping certain Christmas traditions. One of these was going to McAdenville every year. It's been deemed "Christmas Town USA" (we saw it once on the travel channel and got all excited). As a kid, my parents and I would ride through the town, picking out our favorite houses and decorations, then head on over to a local favorite for dinner... BBQ King.

It's been there for forever, and it's definitely not somewhere I'd stop if I were just visiting. But for those of us that have been here know it's the best place for gross, greasy, yummy food.

I always ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. My mom would order onion rings. She was a total health nut, and only ate these once a year... and every single stinkin year, she'd spend the rest of the night sick as a dog. But she still says it's worth it. :)

(both photos courtesy of retroroadmap.com)

After my parents split, they refused to give up the tradition. Sure, the dynamics had changed a little, but there's always a silver lining, right? Well, this meant we got to go twice. And honestly, each time was special. We made memories with two sides of our family, and it was fun.

On my dad's side, all of us (my little bro, 2 stepsisters, stepmom, dad) would pile into his Suburban, and we'd pick up my great grandmother to take her with us.

As you've probably gathered, my mom is one of those over-the-top, fun, spontaneous types. She was the actress, dancer, singer, and the life of every party. When she went out with her bff, they used to go to the airport. As people got off the plane, they would scream, "Oh my gosh! How was your trip!?! I'm so glad you're HOME!!" and hug them. They'd probably get arrested now. But back then they'd get such a kick from people's reactions and spend all night laughing and having a ball. 

Anyways... so my mom went through this phase where she thought it'd be fun to rent a limo to ride through McAdenville. Turns out, those dark windows are hard to see out of, and we were lower to the ground, which meant we had to practivally turn our heads upside down to see the trees. And then my little brother discovered the sunroof. :)

Obviously, I'm the more sentimental type. I hang on to traditions, keepsakes, pictures... anything that's special to me. Needless to say, I was definitely taking Noah. So we went Wednesday night, and he loooved it. He liked the lights alright, but what he really enjoyed? Getting out of his car seat and looking at the lights while riding in my lap (yes, it's legal... the cars are moving at about 5mph and cops know about it). He especially loved holding the gear shift and helping his daddy drive the car. He thought he was SO cool.

(please excuse my "just out of the shower" look... we piled in the car in our jammies)

One of the best parts... the lake surrounded by trees:

Then there are the houses. The very elegant...

(Brad's favorite)

(My favorite)

...and the totally awesome tacky ones.



Sorry some of them a tad blurry. I had a monkey in my lap, along with fighting a moving car. Tricky stuff.