A little more Christmas

Christmas 2012 seems like a blur. Before I knew it, Thanksgiving had passed and it was time to pick out a Christmas tree. Then in a blink it was time to pack up all the decorations. Matt and I tried to fit in as much time with family and friends as we could - celebrating the season and the birth of our Savior.

We returned to the same elementary school on Peachtree Road to find our tree.
Here's tree #1 from Christmas 2011.

And tree #2 - Christmas 2012

Decorations went up...

Gifts were exchanged...

Parties were hosted...

No marshmallows were toasted....but I did travel to NYC with my family...

Check out the trip to the Big Apple

Then before we knew it, Christmas Eve was here. Matt and I headed up to South Carolina -  a quick trip up I-85 and we were at his parent's house in time for breakfast. We were happy to be able to spend time with Ryan, Anna & Jackson before they left town.

And we got to love on this precious little one.

 After breakfast we celebrated with grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles and then headed to Mt. Pisgah for the Christmas Eve service.

The next morning we opened gifts with Cory & Ashley & Mr. Mike & Mrs. Cindy.

 Santa brought the Reese brothers their favorite gift ... helicopters. Such simple things to make them smile! Matt and Cory had to have a few test flights in the front yard.

Then off to Greenwood! We spent time with my parents and siblings then exchanged gifts with aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents.

Here's Taylor & Tripp on the first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs!

 I wish we had more pictures from the evening, but at that point, I think we were exhausted!

Christmas 2012 was wonderful - with so many blessings from the Lord: a precious little nephew arrived, a long overdue family vacation, and a special time with my sweet sweet husband.  

Christmas in the Big Apple

A few days before Christmas, my family traveled to New York City to visit my sister. Mom, Dad and Reynolds flew up from Atlanta, while Leslie, Kensley, Taylor and Nana traveled out of Charlotte. Yes, that's right - Nana went to New York! Matt held down the fort back in Buckhead and appeared to be so very sad to miss out on quality family time with his in laws ;)

Here's the whole crew after a show



It was a treat to have our very own tour guide show us around the city. It's still hard for me to believe that AB lives in Manhattan and will be graduating from NYU in May. I'm so proud of her.

It was a quick visit in the city - seeing all of the holiday lights...

Tasting lots of holiday treats ... even "chestnuts roasting on an open fire."

Window shopping in Bryant Park, Chelsea Market & Macy's ....

Waking up at 6:00 a.m. to see Santa - the real Santa- at Macys @ Herald Square...

And spending lots of Q/T with the family...

My crazy, crazy family .....

A Shower for Anna & Jackson

My sister-in-law Anna is expecting her first child in a few weeks and Matt and I couldn't be more excited! Some of the family hosted a "Ready to Pop" shower for Anna and baby Jackson and it was great. The decorations were adorable thanks to my incredibly talented sister-in-law Ashley.

Ashley is seriously crafty - check out this adorable diaper cake, and she made the cupcakes too!

Anna was glowing and she got the sweetest gifts. Jackson is going to be one very well dressed little fella. This was Matt's personal favorite - what baby boy doesn't need a bathrobe?

I just know Anna & Ryan are going to be the most wonderful parents - and Jackson is already loved by so many people. Matt and I can't wait to finally be an aunt & uncle and spoil this little angel to pieces!!

End of Summer 2012

The summer has really flown by. I can't complain though - Fall is in the air, football season is here, and it's time for pumpkin everything!! Here's a few highlights from the end of the summer.
 My dear friend Mary Andrews is getting married this October, and we celebrated her upcoming wedding with a brunch. Here's the bride-to-be with a fancy-schmancy bloody mary.

The hostesses & bride: Keri, Ellen, Mary Andrews, me, Caitlyn, Lauren & Meg - we certainly missed Elizabeth too!

And here's Isabelle, Ellen's little cutie.

In August we saw B.B. King at Chastain - he's got to be 80+ and still puts on a great show!

Bryan & Caitlyn joined us, and we are so happy to have them in Atlanta.



Earlier this month, we had a little getaway to Lake Rabun. The weather was perfect and it was a wonderful weekend.

We stayed here...

not here....

Although there are great 'sword & serpent' memories from the majestic Mountain Valley Inn. When I passed by this place, I could not believe that I actually stayed there - more than once - what were we thinking?!

The weekend was perfect - lots of relaxing on the porch, a little hiking, and a nice change of scenery! 

It was also a special treat to visit my friend Bowen (and her now fiance Matt!), who was the captain of our pontoon cruises and also introduced us to "Boat Church," a Lake Rabun tradition.

Boat Church is every Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and a minister from a local church brings his crew - choir, keyboard, and all - out on the water. Everyone brings their boat around to listen to the sermon. It was quite a unique worship experience.

As it was the final sermon of the summer, the preacher man ended with a dip in the lake.

Lots of fun in the past few months - looking forward to the Fall!