There has been a lot going on these past few days... a birthday, Thanksgiving, a wedding - oh my! Despite being sick (why this week?) and traveling five days in a row, it has been downright special...and a celebratory stretch that will make returning to reality tomorrow mighty difficult. I especially loved spending time with my family and sharing those moments with Patrick...staying up late with my sister, breakfast on the farm, hunting stories & deer meat (mah country roots), watching The Family Stone (one of my favorites) with my parents, sitting by the fire, welcoming a new face to our crew, extra long hugs, a fatherly talk over lunch, and discussing all the many things for which our family is thankful.
Here are a few moments these past few days I wanted to share ::
I was greeted at work the day before my birthday by the most thoughtful arrangement...
a homemade card, homemade "healthy" cake pops, homemade hair ties,
metallic calligraphy ink, and pumpkin spice tea.
I mean, really. Does it get any sweeter?
"Macks" by essie
(makes for a great holiday color!)
I got a little excited when it was just the 'G' hanging in our neighborhood,
but Google had to go ahead and ruin my excitement.
So I said goodbye to NYC for a few days...
...and flew through some pretty thick fog.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you can breathe now." - the flight attendant after we landed
some birthday pamper! gotta love it when your parents' loft is above a cute hair salon.
they even have massage chairs for when they wash your hair!
ya know, just in case getting up at 3:15AM didn't make you sleepy enough :)
Patrick's train pulling in!
birthday dinner.
just so you know...if you peeked inside my heart,
these two would take up a rather large space.
coincidentally, they both share the nickname "Mac"
...so basically? they're my Big Macs.
coincidentally, they both share the nickname "Mac"
...so basically? they're my Big Macs.
Patrick in his happy place.
our view on Thanksgiving.
most of the gang.
since i can't cook worth a lick, i made 23 place cards as my contribution to the meal.
yup.
a few post wedding snapshots!
(take a second look)
wait.
it's hard to keep up with all my adorable nieces & nephews,
but one of these is not like the other.
one last stop in Virginia before we boarded our train.
...
On Thanksgiving, our family passed around a blessings jar.
We jotted down notes of things for which we are thankful and put them inside.
This was a quote my mom dropped in ::
I was a total sob-fest as my stepdad read the cards out loud, by the way. I just can't help it. Looking back on this year...looking around the room that night...I don't know how I deserve what I have, but I feel endlessly and overwhelmingly blessed. It's a good thing one of my nephews wrote "God and football" on his card as I quickly giggled those tears away! :)
Cheers to the beginning of this magical holiday season.
I'm so glad it's here.
until next time,
g
i didn't tear up reading this or anything.. miss you guys already! xoxo
ReplyDelete:) miss you already, too!! can't wait for Christmas!
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