we had a whirlwind trip to the coast for christmas that was poorly planned but oh so fun!
the girls stayed behind to visit longer so i've been using this time apart to reflect on the passing year and i've never been more excited to see a year come to an end than 2011. it was a long year full of high emotions and hard choices and it has prepared me for the next chapter so i'm anxious to welcome the new year with all the cliches of a fresh start.

on the road

have a beautiful solstice!

i am having such a hard time blocking out the noisy chatter that comes with the holidays. i keep feeling the urge to buy every want, make every craft, and eat every recipe. i seem to have this issue every year but this year the pull is much stronger. the girls are older and have their own opinions and wants and the consumer world has made its way into their world much more than i had hoped it would and i am feeling the tug to get it/give it to them. i know that they will be just fine without it and better, stronger and wiser for learning moderation, value and individualism. but it is hard to say no now for the sake of tomorrow. but as we get closer to the 25th all of the "stuff" is fading as we anticipate seeing our family and friends again on the coast, and for that i am grateful.

it may only be the first weekend of december but

the holidays have settled right in.
we watched the tree lighting at the park,

shopped the stores of downtown during the north pole stroll,

and went downtown again for the annual christmas parade.
the park and the small downtown district have quickly
become our favorite places here. 

and during our little outings i realized how different
these experiences are when the area and people
are unfamiliar.  it was fresh and more animated
and i found myself embracing this anonymous life we currently have.

it has me feeling very peaceful.  there are no expectations and 

i am free to create an entirely new holiday

experience for my family.  the possibilities seem endless and so
exciting.

it's been a roller coaster of emotions leading up to thanksgiving

and at times i was unsure how i would handle things but

i am happy to say that i made it to the other side and for that 

i am grateful.  i am also thankful for my beautiful life full of family

and friends. happy thanksgiving.

~now bring on christmas... i'm ready.

it's hard to believe we have been in our new city for over a month. 

a month that started as unsettling as any time i've known combined

with excitement for what was to come,

quietly and quickly passed.

everyday i become more and more confident that this is where

we are meant to be for now and feel comfort calling this home.

bits of the weekend

lovely piles of treasures waiting to be packed.

a quiet conversation before the chaos of dinner with 9 adults and 9 kids

waiting on dad to get home to cheer in the first game of the year

this weekend was full of stuff to do yet had the perfect amount of quiet.

we finished packing, made several shopping trips, visited with family and friends,
and enjoyed an overload of football.  but it's always the moments in between
that are the best to me and that seem to stay in my memory as well as the ones
i tend to capture with my camera.

on friday evening between a shoe shopping trip and waiting for the high school football
game to start we picked up a pizza and had a picnic in the car. we listened to the girls talk about what
their version of a successful friday night was and their expectations for the evening. it is always so
touching to hear their take on the world.

watching the happy anticipation of an 8yr old building while waiting to cheer in front of the crowd
at a pee wee football game reminded me to channel the same happy outlook while anticipating this move.

a late night dinner with david followed by a peaceful trip to the grocery store and a very late night pot of coffee to get us through the rest of the boxes while blaring our favorite tunes was just what we needed to finish packing.

sunday was a rush of shopping, errands, a high school reunion meeting, and dinner with family at a favorite mexican restaurant, but it was the conversations in the car that followed that stick out in my memory.

a perfect weekend.

in just a few weeks
we will call this place home.
a small town in the hills of north mississippi.
we are excited to begin a new adventure
and are anxious to go exploring and
learn about the rich history of our new city.

my closet is in need of some serious updating

and although our current budget has no room for 

anything new at the moment it hasn't stopped me from 

filling up my shopping cart in spite of having to delete it all.

these are a few of my recent favorites from etsy.

Luuki

i need a new coat and i have my eye on this one.

iLE AiYe

i really like the open knitting and color of this sweater.

Adeleshop

the perfect weekend bag for all the road trips i'm dreaming of.

celapiu

i have always been attracted to chunky knits.

we started our long weekend early by taking a short road trip to visit a small
mississippi town on thursday,
on saturday, we drove home and straight into tropical storm lee,
but we didn't let it stop us from venturing out for moms birthday dinner and back home
for carrot cake cupcakes and crazy candles.
we ended our weekend by celebrating a very stormy labor day with board games and a big pot of homemade chili which seemed perfect as the weather pleasantly turned cooler by the days end.
it was the perfect break from school and work with days of quite family moments and mellow celebrations.

eleven.
i remember it as though it were yesterday and yet it seems so long ago
that you blessed our lives. you were such a sweet and happy baby with
a fuzzy head and a super shy disposition.  it has been such a treat to watch
you slowly emerge from your shell and gently step into the girl you've become.
i am constantly amazed by you and hope that as you explore and uncover your dreams
you will continue to grow with such grace.
i love you more than anything my sweet "belle".
xoxo,
mom