The First Snowfall of the Winter

All things snowflakes - right? I cannot believe we are a week away from Christmas Eve! This past weekend was filled with plenty of Christmas festivities and the first snowfall of the Winter, which was lovely and thankfully didn't cause too much upheaval! Which sadly means that we didn't get a snow day, but that's okay - all in time, right? However, I'm getting a little ahead of myself! 

Friday at my office, the Admin Team had our Winter lunch (we cannot have a Christmas lunch due to religious reasons...) and we all made snowflakes, with varying degrees on skill, ha-ha! No one wanted to keep their snowflake but I asked for them and added them to my office to add some Winter cheer!

Friday was a pretty chill evening - we had pizza and watched the movie Carry On, a new movie on Netflix that was pretty good, if not the most Christmas-y! As you can see, Spook posed for a near perfect picture while we were all watching the movie (the cats didn't really watch - come on now). Saturday morning I somehow woke up before 6 AM and so I ended up watching the sunrise looking out the back doors into our backyard, curled up on the love sear while the cats played on the rug. 

I met my friend Jayne shortly after 9 AM to finish up some Christmas shopping and spend some time together! I managed to get the last few things I needed, and I even ran into Ryan in the Hallmark - talk about great minds think alike! After a little bit of chill time back at the house, I put on my new sequined dress (Belk - Buy One, Get Two Free) and green tights, to head out with Ryan to his office Christmas party at a nearby country club!

ACC usually has some pretty great Christmas parties; at least, the ones I've been to have been great! Last year we went bowling and this year, we had a great dinner and plenty of games that kept everyone cracking up! I missed the Christmas party for year one - they went axe throwing! Ryan and I clean up pretty well - don't you think?

One of the games that was played was the Saran Wrap game - where small prizes are wrapped into a Saran Wrap ball, that must be opened while wearing oven mitts and if the person to your right rolls a double, you have to pass the mitts and the ball along to the next person. Ryan ended up getting $25, a Chick Fil A gift card, small packets of Kleenex, chocolates, Starbursts, bath salts, and more stuff I don't remember! It was pretty hilarious to watch all his co-workers battling the saran wrap ball to get it open! And when the night was over, because of games and door prizes, we headed home $125 richer and Ryan won the centerpiece from our table too!

I had grand plans to sleep in on Sunday - but yet again, I woke up before 7 AM! Since we were both up early, we headed to the early service for church and then made a late breakfast stop at Waffle House before heading home! Shortly after we arrived home, the snow started in earnest and let me tell you - the cats were not sure what to think about the white stuff falling from the sky! Granted - that was when they weren't having a battle royale on my lap! Crazy nuts! 

See what I mean? One minute they were in my lap, throwing down, slapping each other and rustling around... the next minute, they'd hop down and run to the windows to check in on the white stuff falling from the sky! We did learn, once everything was covered and we attempted to open the door and show them the snow - they were terrified! They absolutely panicked when they thought we were going to take them out into the snow!

We got a nice little dusting of snow - when all was said and done we might have had about 2 inches? I'm not sure, but the ground was covered and everything was blanketed in white! It made for a really peaceful evening at home on Sunday evening! We watched football, had some delicious white chicken chili that had been simmering in the crockpot all day and we even walked to the mailboxes just to get out of the house and see some of the white world around us.

It was a great weekend - not too busy and filled with wonderful memories that were made! I cannot believe we are a week and a day away from Christmas and the upcoming weekend is the last weekend before Christmas! Y'all - it's the second to last weekend of the ENTIRE YEAR! Can you believe how quickly this year has gone by? I can't - but then again - I feel like I never can believe how fast time flies! Enjoy the rest of your week and be jolly, ha-ha!

Christmas Card - 2024

Tis' the Season - and since our Christmas cards have been sent out and received by almost everyone on our list at this point, I figured it was time to share the card here! Ryan and I had pictures made with our dear friend and one of the best photographers in the DMV area, Brooke Lull of Brooke Danielle Photography! Brooke has taken my families' pictures and she took our engagement pictures and wedding pictures - which were all stunning! So when I wanted us to get some updated family pictures since we've been married for two years now - she was the person I turned to!

I knew I'd be using the picture on our Christmas cards and in hindsight - maybe I should have a chosen a color other than orange, ha-ha! However - I love the way the cards turned out and I don't guess the orange matters all that much! 

I chose to put some pictures from our year on the back, starting in the top left corner and moving clockwise we have a wintry walk around Lake Frederick, a gorgeous Norwegian valley, a selfie at the Virginia State Arboretum, the two of us at the top of Pulpit Rock, the day we bought our house and when our house was nearly completed! 

It has been a good year - filled with ups and downs - but mostly ups! We have been blessed and we hope you have been too! Here's to celebrating Christmas and the New Year ahead! 

Merry Christmas!

Just A Bit of This & That

Here we are - halfway into the second week of December and the days are just flying by in a blaze of cold days, colder nights and Christmas events happening all over the place. Perhaps all the places to go and things to do in December is what makes the month fly by so fast?

The past weekend wasn't too full - but did still have plenty of Christmas cheer! Friday evening Ryan and I went on a Costco Date (ha-ha) and got in a little Christmas shopping in the process; I love that we can have fun doing everything and nothing together - he is truly my best friend! Saturday was; for the most part, a pretty relaxed day for us - we cleaned the house and then later in the day, I joined my Mom for a performance of the Nutcracker and dinner at Olive Garden! 

Church on Sunday morning was great and I had big plans to get groceries, make brown butter chocolate chip cookies and white chicken chili and just have a busy little Sunday afternoon - but a headache struck and it took me out! Thankfully Ryan jumped in with an assist on getting the cookies finished, I ended up spending time in the bathtub with some peaceful blue light on and we closed out the weekend watching The Grinch. I am so glad I have a husband that takes care of me so well!

Monday night I joined my Mom and some friends from Abundant Life Church for their Lavish Christmas Tea at Fox Meadow Barn - and it was beautiful! Everything was decorated perfectly, the food and teas were delicious and the Christmas tunes from Brad and Rebekah were so delightful! And my jumpsuit was a surprise "gift" from my little sister; she ordered it from a random Australian company and the sizing didn't work out for her, so she sent it to me - and y'all, it fits perfectly! 

It was such a fun (and comfortable) outfit to wear and since it's covered in Christmas balls, it was absolute perfection for the season! I got so many compliments on the jumpsuit and also on my awesome heels, which you can't really see here - but they were a birthday gift from my husband - they are gold and sparkly and fabulous! The food at the tea was divine but goodness, there was so much of it that I had a completely full box to take home and bring as my lunch on Tuesday! The gift that keeps on giving!

The kittens are growing like weeds - I suppose I can keep calling them kittens until they are at least a year old, right? Spook was born in late April and Maverick was born in early August... so they aren't too old yet! They have become the best of friends; Spook is always looking out for Maverick and they spend most of the time they are awake (they love a good five hour nap) chasing each other and pouncing on one another all around the house!

Our bitter cold snap passed with some rain on Monday night - leaving us waking up to a world of fog on Tuesday. However, the rain has returned today and I fear when it passes later tonight, the cold will be back in full force! I'm so glad it's already Wednesday and that the upcoming weekend has some more delightful Christmas fun planned - I know I don't need to rush the days though, Christmas and the New Year will be here all too soon!