Full as a Thanksgiving Turkey!

And I mean that. Whew. We do some serious eating. And lovin. And laughin. And talkin. And "carrying on." And I've never been more thankful for anything or anyone in my whole life.

Like this sweet Mimi of mine. Hers and PawPaw's house is my first stop on Thanksgiving.

And when this sweet face arrived I thought I'd "peer die" as we say in my family. I'm so proud of my sister for going to FSU for her Masters, and how much she will do with Music Therapy, but dadgum, Tallahassee is too far away sometimes!

As soon as the table was set, sweet teas were poured, and we all went around the room sharing what we were thankful for, we dug into this feast! Ham, turkey, dressing, butterbeans, beans, peas, squash, mac-n-cheese casserole, salads and rolls....oh my!

This is my precious (Italian-can you tell?) PawPaw. There are a million things I love about this man. There is one thing I can't stand. He's a Bama fan. Gag. At least he was smart enough to send his kids to Auburn. But there is only so much smack talk I can handle about certain not-so-successful Auburn seasons, and certain lucky Alabama seasons. Grrr. And this 78 year old PawPaw even sends emails to his dear Tiger family too, prior to every game, after every AU loss, and every UA win. So. I took advantage of the photo opp to throw a little WAR EAGLE sign up in the background and a Tiger in his hand and say cheese with my dear ol' clueless PawPaw. God love him.

My sweet grandparents, their favorite grandchild, and Jessie. hehe

And....after so many pictures Mimi had just had enough, she said. She hadn't done her hair, and said she looked like a witch. So as a witch, I felt it only fitting to hand her a broom and ask her to pose! Hmmm....went over like a lead balloon! She came at me! (And thank goodness she doesnt blog--she'd kill me for this, but it was just too funny!!)

Next stop was to Grandmother and Wes's house for dinner. Where there are LOTS of cousins!

And lots more food! Couldn't I just jump straight to the desserts please?!?! Just look at those pies!

But Mama made me eat dinner first. And I'm glad I did (though I shouldn't have eaten the rest of the weekend!). Turkey, dressing, corn, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potato casserole, and a special rice from Uncle Pat, rolls, and on and on!! Holy cow. I'm going to burst just typing it! This is my precious Grandmother and Wes, who I love dearly. Wes is fighting the battle of his life, and is a strong, and amazing man, who you can't help but fall in love with as soon as you meet him. His legs may be weak, but his handshake is strong. He may not speak much, but his eyes say it all. He has a big heart, and has given it to my Grandmother. She is a fantastic woman. She has the strength of a lion, but a gentle touch. She has so much love in her heart. She is there for everyone around, giving support and love, to Wes, her children, grandchildren, and friends. She is a rock. They are reason enough to give thanks.

After dinner, its time to pass out and let our tummies settle, and we fall...well, where we fall....sometimes, that's on each other. And I'm thankful for that, that we're never too old to pile up together and love on each other.

Hope your Thanksgiving was as filling and loving and special as mine!

Shoulda Posted Sooner!

Procrastination gets the best of me sometimes. And I forget about this little blog. And I should've posted sooner. And I would've told you about about Chrissie. She's having her second baby. She's my "lake friend," I call her. I relate everyone to something. I have a Yankee friend, a GA Bulldog friend, a work friend, high school friend, college roommate friends...its how each friend knows each other. So this lake friend, Chrissie (and her hubby Rich, my Ranger friend) had baby Tori and year and a half ago. She's to die for.

So for Chrissie's second baby, a few of our closest friends (my work friend Haley, and another lake friend Jen) went out for a little lunch at a fun restaurant in town, Mark's City Grill a few weeks ago. (Forgot to tell you, see--procrastination). Delish. Fried green beans, sweet potato fries, pimento cheese burgers, man please!

And some precious cupcakes (in blue of course!) for dessert!

And following up dessert, presents!

BUT....because I didnt post about our luncheon when I should have, and I've been counting down the days to her Dec. 1st induction, because Mama is carrying an awfully big baby....I was NOT prepared when Mama Chrissie called me this morning at 1:30am in a panic because her water broke!! So I said bring Tori on over on the way into town(because obviously) there was no grandmother here yet....induction is still a week away, and that's still a week before due date! So after getting snuggled back in bed around 2:30am with sweet baby Tori, kissing Chrissie goodbye in the driveway, I woke up to this sweet face this morning!

But who I am I kidding really...I didnt sleep a wink! I was one paranoid aunt! She, on the other hand, slept, well, like a baby! And was up AT 6AM!! God love you mommys out there!!

And at 6:30am we got the call that Baby brother Christian was born healthy and happy! I'm sure this sister can't wait to meet him! So....when is nap time?!!? :)

Congrats Rich and Chrissie, love you!!!

W stands for....

Well, lots of things the past few days actually.

Friday night it stood for a Wonderful dinner with the Horstmans, who brought precious babies Lilly and Andrew over for me to love on. (Sadly, I didnt take any pictures of their sweet faces).

And Saturday, it stood for another Win in Auburn on Homecoming weekend!

And the fun didn't stop there. Sunday it stood for Wild and chaotic, because that's what its like when my precious parents come down to visit (and you throw in my sister and a few of her friends stopping in too!). Lots of conversations in the same room, in all directions, I just can't get enough! What a fun visit!

Need another "W"? On Monday it stood for Wishin,' because Darriel's wish came true that day! She told Make-A-Wish that if she could have anything in the world it would be a purple laptop, so what did we do.....we made her wish come true of course!

All this Wishing and Winning from a Wild and Wonderful weekend has made me one Worn out puppy! That's for sure!

A Sweet Victory

Finally. A "W." And boy did we need it. The TIGERS are back people. A little shaky, but back. It was cold, it was rainy, but neverless I did what I love most.

Dinner with my girlfriends. Friday night it was with Ginny and Jess.

Then Jess and I headed back to Columbus and stayed up way too late baking treats for Saturday's tailgate and gossiping about just about anything we could think of! (what else is a good friend for, right?)

Then bright and early it was tailgating time with these ladies.

Now as Jess, Haley, and I were all bundled up for warmth and dodging the drizzling rain.....

Others were decked out for Halloween in all their glory!

After a fun game, it was back to the tailgate for more tailgating and great food....and a few more sweet surprises. Like this cutie, Patton Knight, mama Lindsay definitely has her hands full--he's gonna break some hearts! And of course we had to sing to Jess for the 30 YEARS she's been on this earth and cut into this Halloween cake special for her!

Make a wish, Dora!

And to end the day, there's no better way than a perfect Auburn sunset!