can it be thanksgiving forever?

still basking in the warmth of our amazing thanksgiving week, and devouring the images we captured.  when i'm in a particularly beautiful place or happy moment, i try and hold onto it tight & store it up... like a squirrel with acorns (did i just compare myself to a squirrel?). whenever work gets monotonous or college station is gray, these mental snapshots & videoclips get me through.  and having actual photographs doesn't hurt either. seriously- how beautiful is northern california? 

my family moved to a gorgeous city named, of all city names, pleasanton.  bless her heart, this cheerful name only fed the cynical fire that was stirring up in my 17 year old sister's soul.  who would want to move for their junior & senior year of high school? understandably, she even briefly changed the title of her blog {gasp} from life in technicolor to life in exile. but honestly, the city really is beautiful.  drastically rolling hills straight out of a dr. seuss book & gorgeous vineyards line every road and neighborhood.  my dad's taken to pointing out all of his 'vistas' and the 'real ducks' in the pond at the entrance to their neighborhood.  {not pretend ducks?}

these past several months, every member of my family jokingly adopted a new motto: no sympathy.  moved to a new city? have to make all new friends? miss your old home? "join the club," we say to one another. "oh, you didn't want to move? guess what: you get zero sympathy from me."  it may sound harsh, but it helps us laugh about the inevitable struggles that come with change & transition. the "zero sympathy" attitude is also a great reminder of how lame self-pity is. 

anyway, i'm happy to report that my family is taking all the challenges in stride. my sister already has a great group of friends. even though she would rather be back in kingwood with her beautiful community, she's in pleasanton for a reason and i think she knows that. hopefully she'll be back in texas as a proud new baylor bear in just a couple of years.  but until then, i hope she knows that i don't feel sorry for her in the least. but i am mega proud of her.

turkey day revisited

our first married thanksgiving was incredible.

we spend 4 days & 5 nights with my family in beautiful san jose.

vibrant yellow & fierce red trees;

my hungry eyes couldn't get enough of them...

or of any part of the whole trip, really.

lots & lots of pictures, memories & joyful moments.

and i'm extra thankful to have had my best friend 

hold me when i cried

due to missing my family already. 

thank you christmas for quickly approaching. 

i love you, thanksgiving. and you too, san jose. 

...is it normal to still be craving stuffing & turkey?

thanksgiving 2009

happy thanksgiving!

right now we are especially grateful to be in california with family.

and freakishly full on mashed potatoes, cranberries, 

& perfectly fried {cajun-injection} turkey.

good thing we ran that 5k turkey trot right? 

hope you had a joyful day

of counting your blessings & going back for seconds.

little slice of heaven

chuval opened up a baking workshop in our kitchen this weekend,

and we were forced to try out all her homemade creations.

tiramisu pie, chocolate nut bars,

mini fruit jello molds,

and an apple pie; all made completely from scratch. 

{the apple pie was especially comforting with vanilla ice cream 

after we teared & sniffled our way through 'my sisters keeper'}

can't wait to try my hand at a few tasty treats 

in the next couple of days!

ross & i are off to california this week

to break bread & give thanks with my family...

and out run my sister in the turkey trot. 

slow & steady; just like last year.

whatever, bu always wins deep down

well, the bears didn't win a silly football game on saturday...

but sometimes you don't need to 'win' to have a rockin' weekend.

{and it doesn't hurt to know a&m is about to get smashed by texas}

we even got to spend a few hours with smiller.

you are the most beautiful girl in the whole world!

from college station to madrid... true friendship knows no boundaries.

and for some reason i couldn't get around 

absurdly cheesy language in this post...

i steal, you steal

“ nothing is original. steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. if you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. and don’t bother concealing your thievery — celebrate it if you feel like it. in any case, always remember what jean luc godard said: “it’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to.

jim jarmusch

{via}

and just in case anyone ever wondered...

married friendsgiving no.1

ross looked like a pro carving our family's 

first official turkey

let the feasting begin!

the whole group minus april & bryan.

please note how proud doug is of his contribution:

canned cream corn

our family loooooves holidays.

and friends.

and big meals.

o yeah, and each other.

note: butcher paper makes for excellent table cloths.

inexpensive, and easily embellished with chalk & crayons. 

when ross & i realized we didn't have enough plates for everyone, 

we knew we'd have to go a different decorating route from china (sorry martha).

even the fancy chinet paper plates looked cute on our brown paper covered tables.

mason jars with fall colored flowers helped too!

our home was filled with familiar holiday aromas,

wonderfully sweet & savory tastes,

and new friends that make up our community here.

of course, it was very different from our college friendsgivings...

can't wait until we do that again.

that will never get replaced- and neither will ya'll.

but, you already know that.  

but most importantly,

now that our home has had our first official thanksgiving,

we are now in full Christmas mode!!!

guess he'll need a haircut

at church on sunday, the pastor asked every man and woman 

who has served our country to stand up so that we could thank them.  

ross later told me that this thought crossed his mind at that moment: 

"wow, i could be one of those people standing up someday."

well, it finally happened.  

neither one of us ever saw the military as being a big part in our lives, 

but after months of thought, investigation and prayer, 

my amazing, talented, hardworking, handsome husband 

joined the United States Air Force

to someday become an Air Force doc.

new adventures, here we come.

we like being here?

something happened this past weekend:

we had a beautiful, busy, and fun

weekend... and we weren't out of town!

we camped indoors with s'mores, 

tasted wine at messina hof, enjoyed dinner with our small group,

checked out a mixer, had an awesome picnic with friends & steaks,

cheered on the tigers, got margs with a fellow barista,

and got started on our christmas cards & movie marathon.

{white christmas, the santa clause 1 & 2}

would i rather be living in the south of france right now?

maybe. but we're really happy here, now.

this upcoming weekend:

baylor vs. aTm

come visit!

thanksgiving season

{via martha stewart}

while he was alive, thanksgiving was my grandpa's favorite holiday

and now this time of year holds an extra special place in my heart.

getting together with family, sharing a large meal, a nap, crisp weather and pie

does make for one of the best days of the year.

i do have one major conflict though:

there just isn't enough time between thanksgiving and christmas.

i was to fully respect turkey day- but waiting until the friday after

to bring out the christmas tree just doesn't allow

enough time for twinkle lights & pretty ornaments.

you know?

all i know is, this year will be my first married christmas,

and as silly as it is, i'm not sure there is anything i've looked forward to more.

i've truly been waiting for this time ever since i was a little girl, 

and we plan on embracing every last piece of it!

sun & light

{weheartit}

"one day the sun admitted, 

i am just a shadow, i wish i could show you 

the infinite incandescence that has cast my brilliant image! 

i wish i could show you, 

when you are lonely or in darkness, 

the astonishing light of your own being." 

-hafiz