Thanksgiving 2014

 I guess it's better late than never right, y'all?!  This was actually the first Thanksgiving Jon and I have been physically together.  Two years ago, we had just started dating and last year I flew to Wisconsin  by myself to be with Jon's family because he was in Afghanistan.  So yeah, it was pretty exciting for me because I'm the girl and girls get all excited about first holidays together and stuff.:)  From what we hear, the first years of marriage can be tough when it comes to compromising on whose family to spend which holidays with.  Believe it or not, I think we were ready to seal the deal on spending the rest of our lives together when we discovered we wouldn't really have that issue.  Praise the Lord.  Early in our relationship we discovered that Jon's big family holiday was Thanksgiving, and my big family holiday was Christmas.  Ta-da! Basically, let's get married.  :)  So, the plan is to gather in Wisconsin with Jon's family for Thanksgiving and in Virginia with my family for Christmas.  Obviously, it's never easy to sacrifice any holiday with loved ones, but this seems to be working very well for us.  How about y'all?  Any interesting family holiday arrangements?

We headed out to Wisconsin Wednesday evening to meet one of Jon's brothers, his sister and dad at the airport.  We just had to make a pitstop at the amazing Culver's for cheese curds and custard on the way to Jon's mom's house.  When in Wisconsin...you must stuff your face with as much cheese as possible.  We get to the house, and as tradition goes, we stay up late chatting with loved ones and eating yummy snacks.  Thanksgiving morning, Jon's mom took us out to an amazing big breakfast, we headed over to visit with Jon's dad for a bit, and then over to his grandma's house on the lake to join in on all the fun.  There have to be about 20 people in one room, around one long table.  It is amazing...truly a picturesque Thanksgiving with the sweetest people.  One tradition the guys participate in is a football game...usually in the snow...because Wisconsin is frigid, or at least it is in my Virginia raised mind.  Clearly, I do not enjoy participating in anything that would include a temperature of less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Therefore, my "tradition" is to chat with the ladies inside while eating lots of cookies.:)

 Friday, some of us headed out to Carr Valley Cheese to learn about the art of making cheese and to stock up on tons to share with the family.  Oh my goodness, y'all.  This cheese = amazing.  You can order some.:)  Friday's tradition is to gather at the lake house and enjoy Jon's grandma's incredible homemade pizza.  Sadly, I don't even think I have a picture of it because it's just that good.  I was too busy inhaling it to snap a photo.  Thanks, Grandma!  Saturday, we had lunch with Jon's mom and stepdad at the airport, and headed back home to have a day of rest on Sunday before Jon had to go back to work.  I hope y'all had amazing Thanksgiving celebrations with family, friends and loved ones!

Weekending with Favorites

Happy Monday, Y'all!  I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!  Jon and I spent a lot of time just snuggling up on the couch, which I'm pretty sure is one of my most favorite things to do on our weekends together.  Friday night, we joined sweet friends for dinner and a couple's Bible study.  We had Blue Bell Spiced Pumpkin Pecan ice cream, and it was amazing.  You should definitely try it.  Saturday, we slept in and went to our favorite mom and pop diner for omelets and coffee.  (Okay, so maybe this is our favorite thing.)  We headed out to get Jon a coat to wear with his uniform to work since it is getting frigid here.  Nevertheless, we stopped for Coldstone on the way home, and then I got some things done around the house while Jon caught up with a friend over coffee.  Saturday night, we had a date at Travinia, one of our new favorite places.  We had only ever eaten dessert there, so we were pretty excited to try it.  We got the nachos and a couple of their delicious spicy shrimp pizzas.  Who goes to a fancy Italian restaurant and orders pizzas?  These kids.  Of course, we followed with chocolate cake and apple crumble.  Everything was delicious.  Yesterday morning, we headed to church.  Jon and I are so thankful for the church we have here and the amazing, sincere community it provides.  We headed home, snuggled up on the couch for some football and skype time with family, and finished the day off with another one of our favorites, Domino's.  How was your weekend, friends?

Currently // December 2014

 Hey there, Ladies!  Happy December!  It's the first Wednesday of the month which means it's time for another 'Currrently' link-up with my girls Jenna and Anne.

MAKING--Pumpkin turkey chili.  I know, I haven't shared the recipe.  I seriously hadn't tried it until last night, but it was yummy.  Husband-approved, too.  I had been wanting to try pumpkin in my chili for some time now.  I promise to share soon!

LISTENING--To 'Oceans' by Hillsong.  They sang this in church Sunday, and I can never seem to make it through this one without tears.  I'm also listening to a lot of Christmas music on Pandora, of course.  Who isn't on that bandwagon?

WRAPPING--Coffee mugs with these adorable cozy wraps made by my sweet friend, Hilary!  Check out her shop, Stitch Grace.

WATCHING--So much HGTV.  I can't get away from the stuff.  Yay for a new season of Fixer Upper starting in January! It's my favorite!

ANTICIPATING--The arrival of our Christmas cards I just ordered from Snapfish.  Can't wait to share them with y'all!

I hope your month is off to a wonderful start!  Jump on in here and enjoy the fun with today's link-up!