So Very Thankful

Yes, I realize this post is a few days late for the actual Thanksgiving holiday, but I didn't plan ahead to post before we left to visit family and I didn't bring my computer along on the trip. I have so much to be thankful for, but I'll narrow it down to my top ten (in no specific order):

• a wonderful husband who makes me laugh so hard, and does everything in his power to coax me out of a bad mood
• my family, sometimes I can't believe how amazing they all are.  and that we're related.
• my nanny baby and how she cuddles
• Riesling, kale chips & Walking Dead evenings with mah Boo
• that my car is still running and gets us from A to B (please don't ever stop)
• walking to our wonderful church on crisp Sunday mornings
• wearing tights
• dreaming of our first house (and the gajillion Zillow posts we email to each other) and the puppy that we will adopt before even the first box is unpacked
• Miles giving his best effort to finish the Hunger Games series for me
• Boo finally conceding that it is now the Christmas season and we can finally decorate/pick out a tree/listen to music/watch christmas movies non-stop

There are big things that I am thankful for, as well as the million tiny things that fill my minutes, hours, days. My life is so wonderful. Miles and I have been so blessed. We both agreed not to let the spirit of thankfulness pass as we move into a new season. I hope to really be contemplative and reflective on a more daily basis. Every third Thursday of each month methinks is the new mini-thanksgiving for Miles and I and our little family. 

Once again, I failed completely at taking pictures this weekend. Just too busy having fun and stuffing my face with delicious foods. But I did make sure that Miles took a picture of the three siblings before they flew back to Chicago last night. Miles and I are SO EXCITED about our trip up to Chicago in February to hang out with these cool kidz.

So happy Caleb was here this year. Y'all, I have the best, coolest, most beautiful siblings. 

Happy late Thanksgiving!!

Birthday!

My birthday was so wonderful! We celebrated all weekend and let me say, I got used to being spoiled. Miles planned a surprise dinner on my birthday with some of my most loved friends and family in Nashville. He had been acting weird most of the week before my birthday (making me decide on a restaurant 3 days early, making reservations, snatching my phone away from me and deleting text messages from friends who didn't realize they had been invited to a surprise dinner). But I was going to totally act surprised for him, until he told me about the surprise two minutes before we left the apartment. Silly boy. Silly boy! I'm sure I've mentioned before that I don't do well with last minute plan changes..so that was his reasoning behind telling me. But even if I hadn't suspected his plans, birthday surprises don't count as last minute plan changes. Just for clarification (and future reference, boo). But dinner was so wonderful, we all had our fill of delicious mexican food and margaritas and I felt so loved by all who came. Of course we all forgot to take any pictures...

So we just finished birthday celebrations this weekend, and tomorrow I get to pick up my brother and sister at the airport for thanksgiving festivities! Honestly, I am more excited about the rest of this week than I ever could be about my birthday. I can't wait to be with my siblings, my aunt and uncle and cousins, and have Miles off work for four whole days! SO EXCITED!

Also, I loved that my birthday started off with this StoryCorps story. It was a follow up of one of my favorite of the animated shorts from previous StoryCorps stories found here.

Honestly, I love all StoryCorps stories.

Last Day

Today is my last day as a 22 year old. My last day! How has a whole year passed by? I feel like I remember everything too well for some of those things to be a whole year away. This year was huge. This year I had my last Christmas at home without having a husband with me, I graduated, had an engagement shoot, had a bridal shower, went to Texas, went to my great-grandmother's 100th birthday party, watched Boo play live for the first time, read/fell into obsession with The Hunger Games, my fatty fish died after 3 years :(, Miles took me to see Les Miz, my sister came and lived with me for a spell, I planned my wedding like mad and then actually carried out all those plans.  I married Miles, we went to the Dominican Republic to honeymoon it up. I married Miles. Who am I kidding--that is definitely the biggest, most important, most memorable, most amazing part of my year.  Miles and I became a little family and put together a little home and began our life together. I started a nanny job and fell in love with a chubby legged baby girl. Some days she makes me want my own, and other days she makes me thankful that I get to hand her back to momma at 5:00. Today she is cuddly and sweet and taking good naps and laughing at everything--guess which type of day this is for me? My whole family (except Miles) met up in Chicago for hang times. Miles and I ate so many burgers and went on so many dates and watched so many movies and tv shows and found our own rhythm to live within. I don't want to forget anything about this year. So here is something to help me remember. Remember, Bethany! Remember who you are (/were as a 22 year old)..

So here is to an amazing year that has come to an end, and to a new one about to begin. I'm excited and ready! (I think) (definitely excited, hopefully ready)

Cuddle Baby

I loved being off all last week and getting so much cleaned and organized, and having lunch with friends and mother-in-laws, and being able to take my time making dinner for Miles. But I also equally love being back with the nanny baby. I feel like she's already changed so, so much and that I missed out big time. And I ain't even her momma. Laws, I need to cool it.

Handsome Boy

Miles was off this whole weekend, which hasn't happened since the wedding (we think/can't remember otherwise..) So I meant to take a million pictures to celebrate having two whole days together, but surprise, surprise, I failed. Looking through the [few] pictures yesterday I realized that I really only took pictures of Miles, with very few exceptions. He's just so cute. Good thing I married him.

Making sure we pick out the coolest/best matchbox cars for the Operation Christmas Child box we were putting together. It took a while. And we were totally lost/overwhelmed in the toy section of Target.

Being adorably patient while I got ready to go out Saturday night.

Being my hot date.

I wish I could say that I didn't eat my entire pizza after I snapped this picture. But that would be a lie.

This alley makes me happy and we would've eaten out here if it weren't so windy all weekend (and if they had their tables set up...)

And home time. With my million apple cinnamon candles and with my boo.