New Year Trip...On Our Way to See the Dawgs Play!

After Christmas, there wasn't much time to relax and play with our new Christmas toys.  Nope.  There was just enough time to load our car full of gifts, drive home, unload the car, put the gifts away, throw some laundry in the washing machine, and pack back up!  Why?  We were headed to Jacksonville, Florida to see our Bulldogs play in the Gator Bowl.  After that terrible game against Ole Miss, I can't say that we were geared up with team spirit...but we are always geared up for family fun on the road!  Sadly, Russ had to stay for work.

Since Millie Janalee joined us on this 10+ hour road trip, we decided to break it up.  We left at the crack of dawn, and I woke Millie Janalee up to take a bottle before loading her up for the big trip.  We stopped in Valdosta, Georgia to spend the night on the way.  The next morning, we weren't in a huge rush, because we only had another couple of hours or so until our arrival in Jacksonville.  We ate breakfast at the hotel and headed further south (or east?).  I have no idea which direction we traveled.  I just know we traveled.  I spent nearly every bit of those 10 hours catching up on 7th Heaven DVDs on my dad's DVD player and headphones.  Ha!

We're here!

When we arrived in Jacksonville, we hit The Landing for a fun lunch at one of the sports bars to catch a glimpse of bowl games and a view of the river.  After lunch, we walked around before checking into our hotel.  For dinner, we dined at the neatest little downtown area at a restaurant called Biscottis.  The rest of the evening was filled with fun as we gathered in one of our rooms to play games, laugh, and talk about our upcoming New Year's Eve plans.

New Year's Eve morning, we slept in and visited before heading out for lunch at The Landing on the river.  We found the Gator Bowl gator on our trek to Chicago Pizza.  Of course, Millie Janalee and I stopped him for a picture.  After lunch, we enjoyed a stroll along The Landing, caught part of the Gator Bowl parade, and ran into some friends.  It was pleasantly chilly on this beautiful sunny New Year's Eve!

For those of you who don't know, my mom is super woman when it comes to making reservations and saving seats!  Ha!  You should really take a trip to Disney World with her!  You will never miss a thing and ALWAYS have the best view!  Thoroughly researched.  Anyway, she found a fun New Year's dinner event for the whole family to enjoy.  After the whole family tried to figure out the paperwork via iPad, we finally had the paperwork faxed to the hotel to ensure our table for seven. 

We enjoyed our deliciously fancy dinner for seven at River City Brewing Company.  It was a five course dinner complete with all the New Year's Eve accessories and extras.  Millie Janalee was very excited to celebrate her very first New Year in style!  She brought her fancy New Year's Eve attire, and she was ready to dine, dance, and watch fireworks!

Is she not just the cutest little New Year's baby ever!?  Of course she was the only baby in attendance at this New Year's bash, so everyone was dying to see her and meet her.  The next youngest child I saw was the group for the 15th birthday.  That's okay.  Surely she's mature for her age!  Ha!

We were seated at our table, which was set with our name displayed and our New Year's party favors were properly placed on the table according to gender.  We quickly began to wonder if we even belonged at such a dinner.  Dustin is the one who first voiced it..."We don't belong here.  What are we doing?"  Hahaha!  Our waitress loved that we had no filter, and enjoyed our company I think.  It was her first New Year's to work too, so we learned together.

Table reserved for Smith...party of 7!

Party favors

Millie Janalee's New Year's Eve shoes, our menu, and the New Year's beads

Ready to party!

As the courses were served, Kristin and I agreed we may not be the fancy eatin' type.  Ha!  Our first course consisted of raw meat.  Mine was called Pepper Crusted Prime Beef Carpaccio.  When we saw what was actually on our plates, Dustin and Lee began to Google it.  It was then that we learned carpaccio means raw meat.  Interesting.  Our salads were delicious!  Everyone but me ordered the pear salad thingy while I stuck to what looked the most like a salad with ranch (pronounced rayench).  Everyone agreed that their salad was yummy.

Warm Goat Cheese and Poached Pear Salad

Mixed Baby Lettuces

We laughed, but the food really was so good!  My main dish was Filet Mignon and Grilled Florida Lobster Tail with a side of asparagus and truffle whipped potatoes.  Oh my!  So delicious!  I'm not sure what everyone else ordered, but they had a couple of other choices: Seared Atlantic Halibut and Blue Crab OR Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb.  Our dessert was a yummy Classic Creme Brulee.

Millie Janalee's first balloon...before Uncie Bucket sucked the helium out!

As part of our New Year's Eve package, we got to keep our table for the rest of the night.  We were free to roam, and our table would still be our home base.  There was a band and dancing outside on the deck over the river.  The restaurant was plenty big to wander and admire the view through the wall of windows.  We actually ate and visited at our table until nearly 11 o'clock!  Millie Janalee can sleep nearly anywhere, so she was fine.  Don't forget how social this girl is!

Sweet kisses for my New Year's Baby!

Happy New Year!

Silly songs with Susu!

Auntie Kristin always makes Millie Janalee cackle!

Paw Paw can put Millie Janalee to sleep ANYWHERE ANYTIME!

Millie Janalee and I missed Russ like crazy, but I loved my New Year's date!  Nothing makes you party harder on New Year's than your baby brother, right?!  Really...anytime with Uncie Bucket will leave your sides sore from laughing whether it's dinner and dancing on New Year's or Duck Dynasty in your pajamas.

Dustin and me

Don't ask!

Kristin and Lee

Me, Mama, and Kristin

When we realized it was nearly 11 o'clock, the Smithites left Millie Janalee with the trusted grandparents so we could tear up the dance floor.  I just don't think Millie Janalee could handle the band and dancing quite yet.  Maybe next year?  Ha!  Really, the original plan was for Paw Paw and Susu to take Millie Janalee back to the hotel.  However, we didn't realize we would have family fun until 11:00.  New Year's would only be an hour away, so they might as well stay.  Also, remember that our midnight was our regular 11.  We had a time zone change. 

Whew!  Glad that's out of the way!  Don't judge me.

"How late do you stay up for this?!"

What happened outside on the deck and dance floor was something to behold.  First of all, I'm pretty sure we were in the middle of the Northwestern Alumni Party!  That was our opponent for the Gator Bowl.  Since Dustin was my date, I tried my best not to disappoint this dancing dynasty.  He is known for his moves.  And I...

I am NOT!

I tried my hand at Gangnam Style and did my thing during Cupid Shuffle.  Hopefully, I didn't embarrass my much cooler little brother too bad.  Ha!  I'm sure he was missing Sheila, but we made the most of being single on New Year's.

As the countdown to midnight began, we gathered near the edge of the river to admire the fireworks and yell, "Happy New Year!" together.  Kisses were exchanged, pictures were taken, tweeting commenced, and texts were sent to those we missed.

Happy New Year from us!

New Year's kiss!

Another year of fun!

We stood together and admired the beautiful fireworks over the water as the music played in the background. 

Inside, Millie Janalee watched the fireworks with Susu and Paw Paw.  Yes...she woke up for the fireworks.  Our baby girl enjoyed her first new year under the lights and colors of fireworks on the river.  This is the picture I got while we were on the deck outside...

Paw Paw and Millie Janalee

Millie Janalee loves her grandparents

Once the fireworks ceased, everyone trickled inside to gather their belongings and head home.  I couldn't wait to kiss my sweet girl and tell her "Happy New Year."  What I found was a sleepy baby who parties just enough to wake for fireworks and fall right back to sleep afterward.  Such a trooper!  She doesn't want to miss a thing!

It was a Happy New Year indeed!