It’s our next to the last full day here in Heber Springs. I had quite a full day yesterday–it started at 6:30 a.m. with a morning flight with my dad! He’s training to be a small-plane private pilot, so he’s flying with an instructor in a small Cessna. We flew from 7:15-8:15 a.m. all around the Greers Ferry Lake area. Everything looked tiny–I never realized how small my town actually is. I wasn’t scared, even when he did his touch-and-gos.

After I got back, I slept until 10, ate a french toast brunch, and left for Searcy to see Justin’s sister. We opened presents, went to Arby’s, J.C. Penney’s, Hasting’s, and the jewelry store to get my wedding ring polished. I also got a ring from my Papa that used to belong to my meme. I found out from the jeweler after he cleaned it that it has actual rubies and diamonds in a white gold setting. It’s a small horseshoe because she loved horses.

After making the rounds in Searcy, we went to Bridget and Jameson’s apartment for some more hanging-outage (we’l see them again New Year’s eve). On the way home, we stopped at Midnight Oil (ah, how I miss thee!).

Justin and I got dressed up for dinner with Mom, Dad, and Aaron at the Getaway Cafe. We all got such dishes as Shrimp Scampi, Grilled Catfish, Grilled Chicken Pasta, Breaded Chicken Parmesan, and a Ribeye. They serve peasant bread with black bean hummus and butter, as well as house salads. We got dessert, too: Coconut Pie, Cheesecake, and Mousse Cake.

After dinner, Justin and I ventured out to our bed and breakfast by the river. We try to go to the Abbe house once a year, and mom and dad treat us to it either for Christmas or for my birthday. Justin and I rented The Aviator, but we didn’t know it was going to be a 3-hour movie! I had a hard time staying awake for it, though it was a well-done movie by Martin Scorsese. We got up for breakfast around 8:30, and ate our usual Southern fare: biscuits, sausage, coffee, OJ, eggs, and hashbrowns. I won’t be hungry for 2 more days…

We’re just hanging out now. I gave my mom a Mary Kay makeover, and Justin and Aaron are about to go to Radio Shack. More later~