Our Best Christmas Ever?

Well, the 2010 holiday season has come and gone, and we are all back into our regular routines.  That hasn’t been easy to do after such a great vacation, but in the midst of the busyness our family will be part of during 2011, the memories that we made over the recent holidays will remain with us no matter how busy we get.  

Louanne, the girls and I were riding through Cary on New Year’s Eve when Louanne commented that this was one of the best Christmases we’ve had as a family in a long time – perhaps the best of all time.  We all began to take inventory of the events and happenings that contributed to this declaration, and it wasn’t long before we were all in agreement with Louanne.  This was indeed one of our best Christmases ever.  

It was somewhere around this point that I began getting that sad, nagging feeling in my stomach that I get near the end of all vacations; that sick feeling that in only a short amount of days all of the great times we were reminiscing over would be distant memories.  It wouldn’t be long, I thought, that I’ll be on a plane or in a cold hotel room somewhere, far away from these relaxed and simpler times.  

Then I began to do what most men do.  I started to try and identify the source of this affliction so that I could somehow repair it.  If I could identify why it is that I get these sick feelings about my vacation being over, then I could avoid that post-vacation letdown once and for all.  I hate going back to work after a vacation is over.  No matter when or where the vacation is, there is always a letdown.  So I began to think about why that is, and whether or not it can be fixed or avoided altogether.  Let the evaluation process begin.  

Over the next couple of days, as my own personal D-day of January 3, 2011 drew near, I ran  this great mystery through my mind in an effort to solve it.  I decided to start at the beginning of this conflict to figure out how I got to this point.  This required going back over the holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving, and reminiscing in detail about all of the things I had done.  The list is impressive:  

Mema and Pepa Miller




• Thanksgiving weekend was a real blast.  We had a house full of family on Thanksgiving Day, including Louanne’s brother and his family, her parents, one of her cousins and his wife, and my parents.  We went to eat at McCall’s – a great BBQ and seafood place in Clayton, NC, and we enjoyed a wonderful weekend filled with food, fun and family fellowship.

• My mom and dad gave Louanne, the kids and me tickets to see the Nutcracker ballet at the NC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem on December 4^th.  This is a family tradition that was begun by Louanne and me before we had children.  One December I took Louanne to see the ballet when we had very little money, and we had such a great time.  We felt like we were special strolling into the Stevens Center and sitting near the stage amongst “the rich people”.  We carried that tradition on for a few years until we moved to Cary in 2000.  This year mom and dad surprised us with tickets for the whole family, and it was a special time for all of us. 
   
• A friend gave Louanne and me tickets to an off-Broadway performance of Young Frankenstein at the Durham Performing Arts Center.  While this isn’t a Christmas-themed play, it was a rare Saturday date for us, and we enjoyed the performance very much.  I will never listen to Puttin’ on the Ritz again without laughing and thinking about Frankenstein coaching his monster to get the lyrics right.  We finished the evening at Tyler’s Tap Room on The American Tobacco campus with some tasty fried olives, delicious fish tacos and a French Dip.  A great date Saturday!
   
• December 16^th was my first day of Christmas vacation, and it was a wonderful first day.  We all slept late and woke up around 9:30 to a mess of freezing rain and sleet outside.  The roads were icy for a while before clearing, but we weren’t concerned with the roads.  We fixed a hot breakfast, then took our plates and gathered in the den – something we don’t regularly do.  As we sat together, we decided to get to the business of knocking out our list of Christmas movies we wanted to watch.  So we sat in the den together on that icy morning, ate breakfast and watched A Christmas Story until noon.  That was only the beginning.  After a restful afternoon, the Conklin family came over and we continued our annual tradition of getting the families together for snacks and a viewing of Christmas Vacation.  What a day!
   

• A surprise visit to Louanne’s parents in Whiteville, NC was next on our holiday itinerary.  We decided to ride down and show up unannounced for our Christmas visit with them.  They were both surprised and excited to see us.  We stayed a couple of days with them, and we had a very nice time.  Mr. and Mrs. Langston have always treated me like their own son and I have been blessed to have them in my life.  We had a wonderful time visiting with them, and we enjoyed some good food at Pizza Village and Dale’s Seafood.  They have done so much for our family over the years, and we all love to go to Whiteville to Grandmama and Granddaddy’s house.  As usual, they spoiled us with too much, and we left with another haul of Christmas goodies. 

Grandmama and Granddaddy Langston

• We spent Christmas Eve this year in Willow Spring, and had a wonderful family day together.  After a late breakfast, we headed to the mall in Cary to watch all of the last-minute shoppers scurry around to find that special something they needed.  Later that evening, we enjoyed an awesome candlelight dinner of grilled ribeyes and shrimp with all of the trimmings, and watched some Christmas movies before turning in.
   
• Perhaps the biggest news note of this past holiday season was our white Christmas.  Raleigh last saw snow on Christmas in 1947, but the weather folks here called for, and got, a big Christmas snowstorm.  It started snowing at our house just before midnight on Christmas, and we woke up the next morning to 7-8” of snow!  We spent the morning outside playing, walking and taking pictures, then we loaded up and went to visit my parents in Kernersville, NC.  Kernersville had just as much snow on the ground as we did, so the drive from Willow Spring to Kernersville was beautiful.  We visited with Mom and Dad for a couple of days and enjoyed exchanging gifts, cooking and fellowshipping with them before heading back to Willow Spring to finish out the rest of 2010.  We all love going to Kernersville and spending time with Mema and Pepa, and it is always most special during the Christmas season.  

Cam and Hallie in the Snow

A Beautiful Christmas Landscape

That is quite the holiday list, and I just hit the highlights.  It is easy to see from such a great holiday season why the thought of it coming to an end was so unappealing.  But had I figured anything out from my most excellent review?  I think so.  

One of my most favorite Christmas movies of all-time is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  In that movie a quintessential bumbling family man, Clark Griswold, comments throughout the movie that his ultimate goal in gathering his family into his home for the holidays is to provide them a “fun old-fashioned family Christmas”.  However, the poor soul stumbles his way through the whole Christmas season and finds himself responsible for one conundrum after another. He just can’t get it right.   

When I reflect back on our 2010 holiday season, I think that we were the opposite of Clark and his family.  I think that the Millers and Langstons actually got it right, and were able to put together a fun old-fashioned family Christmas.  And we didn’t even have to work at it!  

Everything we did during this past holiday season was fun, and everyone had an enjoyable time throughout the whole season.  Also, much of what we did could be considered old-fashioned.  Some of the Christmas movies we watched were classics made in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s; we made goodies and snacks from recipes that we have enjoyed since Louanne and I were children; we slowed down and visited with family and reminisced about past holiday celebrations; and we continued to pass along family traditions for our children to carry on someday.  Not only did we have a fun Christmas vacation, but we were kind of old-fashioned in some of the things we did.  But fun and old-fashioned was only part of it.  The key to our whole Christmas being enjoyable, and the crux of my impending letdown afterwards, was the family part of it.  

I believe that the importance of family is often overlooked in today’s culture.  I also believe that family is part of God’s perfect design for all of us, and I know for sure that it is my family that defines me.  On my own I do not amount to a whole lot as an individual.  But with my family, I am much more valuable and fulfilled.  It goes without saying that I am much more content with my family than I am alone.  For example, I’ve written about how I love to hit the open road and see different things, eat at different places, etc.  I get to do that a lot when traveling alone through work.  But seeing new things and experiencing those adventures doesn’t mean as much to me until I get back home and share them with my family.  Being able to tell them about what I’ve seen and done is the most important part of my travels.  Only then do my adventures mean anything.  

So now that I’m back into the normal grind and looking back on our great holiday season, I have learned the key to my incessant vacation letdowns.  Those letdowns are fueled by the awesome family that I have, and it is knowing that I won’t be able to spend all of that time with them again until the next vacation that brings stirs that nagging feeling.  What I will remember and reflect on while I’m on that plane or sitting in that cold hotel room won’t necessarily be the events or places we went during this holiday season.  The smiles and contentment I'll have will come when I remember what was said by one of my kids, or a memory of a moment when Louanne and I shared a laugh together, or a memory spent with one of our parents.  Sure, the things we do are fun and I love doing them all, and hope to do them again next year.  But more important to me is my family, and being able to spend as much time with them as possible.  Sharing time with them is where the real joy of any vacation or adventure lies for me.   
  
Louanne was right – this was one of our family’s best Christmases ever.  Why wouldn’t it be?  We had a fun old-fashioned family Christmas. 

The Pik'n Pig

November is a special month in our home, and not just because of the arrival of Thanksgiving.  For our family, November is “birthday month”. 

In our family, we always try to make the birthdays special for everyone.  We don’t try to make the current year’s birthday more special than the birthday celebration of the previous year.  If we used that approach we’d eventually get to the point that the celebrations would become expensive, extravagant and terribly unmanageable.  Instead, we have always tried to make each birthday a little more meaningful and special than the other days around the birthday.
   

Louanne’s birthday is November 21.  Since her birthday this year landed on Sunday, we decided to treat Louanne to her special birthday dinner on Saturday night before her birthday.  The kids were told to not make any plans and we all looked forward to a great Saturday night together celebrating Louanne and trying to spoil her a little.
 

After some serious deliberation Louanne decided to throw her trust into a recommendation that I made.  I suggested we take a short road trip to a neat little BBQ restaurant that I had visited previously - The Pik’n Pig in Carthage, NC.  

I first learned about the Pik’n Pig from a friend of mine at work.  He and I sometimes travel together and when we're on the road we always try to find local places to eat.  We especially like to find local BBQ places to try.  On a recent trip to visit a client in the sandhills area of North Carolina, my friend researched a possible lunch place for us to stop and try on our trip.  After some digging and reading he suggested The Pik’n Pig.

You're always welcome at The Pik'n Pig

The Pik’n Pig is located just outside the small town of Carthage, NC, approximately 15 minutes west of Sanford.  After a trip around the traffic circle in downtown Carthage, and a short drive down Dowd Street, the sign of The Pik’n Pig points those seeking the hideaway in the direction of a little dirt drive.  After a short initial climb up the gravel drive, the visitor discovers that this BBQ gem is located in a most unique setting.  It sits on an air strip.  That’s right.  The Pik’n Pig BBQ restaurant sits on an airstrip in the Moore County countryside.  

After eating there and becoming familiar with The Pik’n Pig menu, food and setting, I knew the restaurant would be a hit with the whole family. So I made the suggestion to Louanne for us to go there for her birthday dinner. She took my suggestion, and we loaded up the family and headed down to Carthage for what we hoped would be a great evening of fun, food and family fellowship. 

We arrived at the restaurant at dusk.  Everyone was really impressed by the setting of a BBQ restaurant on an airstrip out in the country.  We parked and walked to the small wooden building, taking note of the smoke wafting through the parking lot.  The scent of smoking pork and chicken piqued our appetites and created more excitement in everyone than the scene of the restaurant.  

Guardian of the marigolds

We stepped into the lobby and discovered several other people had the same idea we did of a Saturday evening BBQ adventure.  After we claimed our spot on the waiting list, Hallie noticed two men leaving the building, each carrying a big white bag of Pik’n Pig goodies.  They were walking towards a small single-engine plane parked near the entrance to the restaurant, and Hallie wanted to know what they were up to.  We followed them outside and watched them climb into the plane.  During our trip down from Willow Spring we all talked about how fun it would be to see a plane come in or take off while we were there.  We were about to get our wish.  The pilot cranked up the engine, taxied to the far end of the small airstrip, paused for a few moments, then sped down the airstrip past us for a smooth take-off.  The small plane climbed slowly into the darkening sky and disappeared after a couple of minutes.  Instantly, we were all fans of The Pik’n Pig – even before taking the first bite of food. 

After a few more minutes of waiting in the lobby, we were seated at a table in the main dining room and sipping on sweet iced tea.  The dining room is decorated with in a "country/aviation" theme.  There are small model planes hanging from the ceiling, old signage and lights.  There is also a mock old post office decorating one wall.  The restaurant has a nice laid back atmosphere that is accentuated by a very accommodating wait staff.  Everyone at The Pik’n Pig makes you feel welcome.

Shortly after our drinks came we all ordered and didn’t have to wait long for our food.  Louanne, the birthday girl, ordered the pulled pork.  Reese and Hallie had the same while Cameron and I decided to try the ribs.  I also added a piece of chicken to my order.  All of The Pik’n Pig meats are smoked and are full of flavor.  The pulled pork and chicken are both very tender and juicy, and the seasoning used on the meats adds so much great flavor and spice to the meat.  The ribs were cooked perfectly and were “pull off the bone” quality – not too tender and perfectly flavored.  Each dinner entrée comes with two vegetables, and on this occasion our choices ranged from mashed potatoes with gravy to green beans to fries.  Hushpuppies or cornbread finish off the plates, and those are complemented with homemade jalapeno butter.  Everything we had for dinner was fantastic and everyone was pleased with their selections.  

Reese, Hallie and Cameron find the perfect seat

As good as the food is at The Pik’n Pig, their homemade desserts are what many folks brag about.  So even though we were all full after an awesome dinner, we decided to try a couple of the homemade desserts.  After careful consideration we decided to split one piece of Coca-Cola cake and another chocolate cake selection.  By far, the Coca-Cola cake was everyone’s favorite.  It is a simple sheet chocolate cake with one layer of chocolate frosting, but the cake is served warm and it is very moist and rich.  That cake was very delicious and the perfect complement to a great BBQ dinner.  

Me and my Birthday Beauty

On the drive home everyone agreed that The Pik’n Pig is worth a road trip, and we all had a great time.  We should have a great time together – we were out to celebrate an awesome lady who gives all she has to each of us.  Louanne is a wonderful bride, mother and beauty who gives selflessly to everyone, every minute of every day.  She showers her family with grace and care, and we are blessed by her love for us.  I tell her often that she is the living example for me of God’s grace, mercy and presence in my life.  It is only by God’s grace and mercy that I am able to spend my life with such an amazing lady. 

This evening we all had fun trying to give back a little to someone who has given us so much.  Even though the kids and I didn’t give Louanne the full measure of honor that she so richly deserves, we had an awesome beginning to yet another great birthday celebration.  At a BBQ place.  On the edge of an airstrip.  In small town North Carolina. 

An IKEA Idea

With Hallie away at her first “away from home camp”, Cameron sleeping over with one of her buddies, and Reese having plans for most of the day, Louanne and I found ourselves with a very rare free Saturday a couple of weeks ago.  Not wanting to waste this rare opportunity, I asked her what she would like to do on our free day. 

“Let’s go to IKEA and look around” was the reply I received.

Her answer didn’t surprise me since she had wanted to go there for a while.  So we decided to get up earlier than normal for a Saturday, and hit the road for Charlotte, NC to tour the giant Swedish furniture and decorator’s paradise. 

We were both excited as we hit the road for a day all to ourselves.  I was excited to be alone with my Lucy (didn't matter where we were going), and Louanne was excited that she was finally going to visit IKEA.  Our commute was almost a paradise of its own.  There was no noise.  There were no kids asking for a CD to be played or a DVD to be put in.  No one asking for something to eat or when we're going to get back home.  Nor was there any arguing or tough parenting to be done while we had some teenager trapped in a moving vehicle.  It was almost like we were back in 1989 all over again – newly married and with no responsibilities other than keeping the van on the road.     

We left home a little after 8:00 and after a couple of stops along the way, we made it to downtown Charlotte just before lunchtime.  We decided to eat lunch before tackling the furniture behemoth - that decision was easy.  Our next decision, however, was much more important - where to eat.  We were on our own and we could eat anywhere we wanted, and with no regard as to whether 5 people would all like the place or not.  Plus, we were out to relax and enjoy the day.  Making a bad food decision was not an option. 

After some deliberation we decided on a place that I have been going to ever since I was a boy – a really little boy - the Bar-B-Q King Drive-In on 2900 Wilkinson Boulevard.  You may recognize the name of the place or recognize the picture from the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  They have done a feature on this old drive-in.

 

Bar-B-Q King has been serving good food since 1959

 

We got there not long after 11:00, so it was easy to find a spot to park and order.  We pulled up, pondered the choices on the menu, pushed the speaker button and gave the crackling voice on the other end our order.  I ordered the same thing I have always ordered there – a chili cheeseburger, onion rings and a cherry lemon Sun-Drop.  Louanne ordered their specialty – the Bar-B-Q chicken plate, which comes with fries and cole slaw.  Not long after we ordered, a curb hop brought out our tray, and the fun began. 

 

Chili cheeseburger, Bar-B-Q chicken, onion rings and Cherry Lemon Sun-Drop



The food was really good.  Louanne commented, “These onion rings are the best I have ever had out.”  I thoroughly enjoyed the burger and rings, and Louanne ate all of her chicken.  Well, I did manage to score the wing that came on Lucy's plate.  Delicious! 

They have a broad menu with several different items, but the burgers, dogs and chicken are all very good.  We both highly recommend you visit the Bar-B-Q King. 

 

Sandwiches, chicken and seafood highlight the Bar-B-Q King menu



After lunch we rode for a while around downtown Charlotte, then headed to IKEA.  When we got there the parking lot was full and the store was bustling and crowded with people.  It is a very clean and neat store, and full of furniture and every home accessory you can imagine.  We walked through the whole store looking, touching and deciding on what we should buy, what we needed and didn’t need.  After walking through each department (following the arrows on the floor that guide you through), we exited the furniture paradise tour at a sea of cash registers.  You would have thought it was Christmas Eve in there.  It seemed like there were 6,000 people waiting to pay for their loads of stuff.  For Louanne and me, judgment time had come.  It was now time to settle up and pay for the 75-minute stroll we had just taken. 

I couldn’t take the suspense of wondering how much we owed this huge Swedish conglomerate, so I walked to the restroom and left Louanne on her own to wrestle with paying for all of our stuff.  After my short leave, I returned to find out how much trouble we were in.  We came on this in-state adventure to visit the wonderful world of IKEA, and we had partaken mightily.  We had represented our family well.  What was our damage?  Grand total…$6.66.  We had spent more on lunch than we did at IKEA!  I laughed and turned cartwheels all the way back to the van. 

After leaving IKEA, we spent the rest of our afternoon shopping around the Concord Mills Mall.  We walked around the entire mall.  We bought a thing or two for the kids at Old Navy, but spent most of our time browsing and talking.    Louanne even went into Bass Pro Shops with me to look around.  Concord Mills is a lot of fun. 

With the sun beginning to set, we slipped onto I-85 and headed for home.  We decided to stop in Greensboro for pizza, and upon the recommendation of a friend we decided to try Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza on Westover Avenue.  Louanne and I both enjoyed a fresh, thin-crust pizza, and shared a Mediterranean salad.   Louanne had the Margherita pizza with Roma tomatoes and fresh basil, and I had the Rustica, which comes with prosciutto, mushrooms, kalamata olives and roasted garlic.   All of the food was very good, and we totally enjoyed ourselves.

We then left there and rode over to downtown Greensboro to Cheesecakes by Alex.  We decided to allow Reese and Cameron (Hallie away at camp) to share in some of the fun we were having, so we brought home some sweets to share.  We got Reese a chocolate cupcake stuffed with Bavarian cream and covered with devil’s food icing, Cameron a piece of chocolate chip mint cheesecake, Louanne a piece of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, and I had a piece of simply chocolate cheesecake.  I don’t need to go too far into how delicious those all were.  They tasted as good and rich as their names.  Let me just say that I cannot encourage you enough to go by Cheesecake’s by Alex anytime you’re within 300 miles of downtown Greensboro, NC.  They’re at 315 S. Elm Street.

We finally pulled back into the driveway around 10:00.  Our journey was over and we were both tired.  But we were very happy that we had spent the day together doing all that we did.  Louanne and I love our children more than we ever thought possible, but we were "Nate and Lucy" before we were a family of five, and 24 years after that first date we still love spending time dating.  Even so, we have already planned to take the kids with us next time - this time for a family adventure.   

Answering the Call

I have come to the belief that I almost cannot help it.  I am now at a place in my life that I know I have not gotten to on my own.  I am merely carrying on a family heritage of travel and adventure.  This began somewhere higher up in my family tree and has been passed on to me over time by family.  I simply cannot help myself.  I have to go and see what experiences I can find and enjoy.  I have this incessant desire to get away.  Whether it is a short jaunt or an ambitious trek to someplace far away, I have a desire to go see, taste and experience what’s out there.   

I work the typical 40-hour week, Monday through Friday.  I am blessed to have my weekends free, and as I inch closer to the end of every work week, I begin hearing this unrelenting call to get away.  But where to?  Perhaps someplace I have never been to before - a small town, a state park, an eating place that I've read about.  Or perhaps a familiar destination that I have come to love and long to escape to when times are hectic.  Sometimes it matters where I head off to and sometimes it doesn't.  That unrelenting call isn't prejudiced in its nature.  It's just there and it waits for me to answer. 

There was a time in recent years that I wondered where this call came from, and why I have such a drive to submit to it.  But with age comes enlightenment, and it hit me that this call has been passed down from generation to generation.  This call could be embedded with my great-grandpa.  I'm not sure if he ever had any desire to travel much - I never spoke with him.  But my mom and dad recently gave me a receipt that belonged to my Great Grandpa Miller.  It is a receipt that he had from the sale of one bale of cotton that he grew on his farm.  To sell that bale, my great-grandfather traveled by horse and buggy 8-10 miles one-way to the gin on the other side of the county.  That doesn’t seem like much, but that trip was likely an overnight trip.  And I’ll grant you that trip was made for his livelihood, but I'm sure he enjoyed the sights and the outdoors along the way.

There was no mistaking, however, that my Grandpa Miller loved to hit the road.  As a boy I would listen to the stories my grandpa told of his travels with my grandma.  When they were a young married couple they traveled with friends to places like Washington, DC or Coney Island, New York.  As time marched on and my dad and aunt came along, the travels continued.  My grandparents found the same excitement and enjoyment in taking family trips with the kids. They went everywhere.  By the time my dad left home and went out on his own he had visited over 40 states, and most of that travel was done in the back of a sedan towing a camper.  Getting away to my grandpa seemed effortless.  He would take his family on 2 or 3-hour drives on weekends just to enjoy a family picnic and a ride through the country.  That wasn’t easy for a church-going man who worked every day but Sunday.  By the time Grandpa passed away, he and Grandma had visited every state except Delaware, and had been to Canada, the UK, France and Italy.  They had a trip planned for the Holy Land when he had a stroke, and plans were being made for a trip to Asia after that. 

It was easy to see that those trips meant so much to Grandpa.  Years later he would reminisce over one of those early trips, and he could recall the price of a breakfast he had along the way, the name of the restaurant, and what he had to eat.  There were pictures all over their home of their travels.  His love of getting away was palpable.

My grandpa's desire to hit the open road and get away was passed down to my father and our family.  Dad  and Mom love to travel and have taken many trips.  At age 69, my dad has visited 45 states, 5 Canadian provinces and Mexico.  He is also the one who taught me the "art" of traveling to a destination one way, and coming back another.  Never know...might be something to see on the other route.  As a boy growing up, Dad and Mom took my brother and me on many vacations and trips.  We went to the beaches and mountains of North and South Carolina almost every year, and we enjoyed the occasional bigger trips to places like Florida and California. 

So this call for adventure and exploration is something that I almost cannot shake.  It's a part of my family and who we are.  It seems like a responsibility that I have to carry on the family tradition.  Having grown up and remained in beautiful North and South Carolina, there are likely more places to explore and experience in my own backyard than I will ever visit.  But I try hard to see all that I can, and expose my family to our beautiful surroundings.  I am also fortunate in that I get to travel some with my work.  I have taken domestic and international trips because of work, and I have seen some awesome sights.  So opportunity for adventure is great for me, and I am thankful. 

In my travels for work and for play, I try to find those special places that can make the same kind of memories that my grandparents and parents made.  I try to find good places to eat, neat places to visit and high places to explore, and I enjoy sharing my experience of those adventures with others just like my grandpa did.  

While I am starting this blog a couple years later than I should, it’s always better late than never.  Hopefully I will be able to write about some of the adventures I have already had.  Hopefully there are many to come. 

It is also a desire of mine that I will inspire my children to search for adventure and instill in them this call to get away and see what they can find.  I shouldn't have to work too hard.  After all, it's in their blood.