christmastime

just a few pictures of the goodness this week has held...

last minute shopping crafting to finish up some gifts

christmas morning afternoon [we had to wait for my sister to get out of work to exchange gifts this christmas! longest. day. ever. (: ]

why yes, we do have matching fleece pants (:

and of course there have been plenty of good eats this week...

there's no place like home for the holidays (:

a hershey holiday

i'm finally ready to share my thanksgiving weekend adventures! [or should i say, prepare for picture overload. (: ] fortunately i was too busy eating on thanksgiving to take any pictures, so i only have the rest of the weekend to show you. i spent thursday with john and his family, and on friday, i drove down to new jersey to visit mine. we woke up super early on saturday and drove to hershey, pa. there were seven of us, in one van. good times, friends, good times.

the trip was special for my family because my parents used to take us to hershey on thanksgiving night when we were younger. we hadn't gone in about 10 years, so it was nostalgic to see it all again. and yes, things really do look bigger when you're younger (:

we started off at chocolate world, where we took a tour of the chocolate making process, did a little shopping, ate some lunch and went on a trolley ride. i think heather, laura and i were most excited about the trolley because it had been one of our favorite parts of the trip. each trolley has a tour guide who tells you about the history of hershey. throughout the ride, multiple stops are made as "characters" (a factory worker, milton hershey's mother...) join you to sing christmas carols. the big finale? the trolley picks up santa claus, who has a list with your name on it and gives you an early christmas present. the first time that happened to us as kids, we were so surprised that santa knew our names! we couldn't wait to see kaylee's face when it happened to her.

another thing we were pleasantly surprised to find out? all of the characters you meet on the ride are clearly played by one person. one thing we were never sure about was how they got all around town to meet up with the trolley at the right time. as luck would have it, this time around another trolley crossed the road in front of us and we were able to see. the person rides on the back of the trolley and does all of his costume changes there! kind of a crazy sight! but woot woot! we finally solved that mystery. (:

after chocolate world we went to hershey park. there were rides to be ridden and kettle corn to be eaten. we waited until it got dark and took a ride on a monorail above the park to see it all lit up with christmas lights.

after a very full day, we my dad drove us home. he's such a road warrior.

the holiday weekend flew by, but i'm so thankful i got to experience hershey with my family this year. and so was kaylee...

on sunday morning during breakfast, she turned to my dad and said, "the chocolate factory was awesome, pop pop!"

i don't think it gets better than that.

give thanks thursday [week three]

this week i am so very thankful for time with my sister. heather is not only my family, but we joke that we are soul mates. we understand each other in that finish the other's sentences, grab the same shirt at target and hold it up for each other to see, and don't have to describe the way we're feeling because the other one just gets it. it was so awesome to have her here for the weekend.

i'm thankful for my strongman stud. (: i lost the key to my storage unit. the storage unit holding all of my christmas decorations! and i've been planning for a few weeks to decorate for christmas this weekend because i will be out of town for thanksgiving weekend. i got a quote from a locksmith for $65(!!!). that evening i received this:

a half hour later john was at my apartment with those very same, huge pliers. i held the lock in place for about .2 seconds before i realized that if and when this thing did break loose, things would be flying. sharp, metal things. so i stepped back and my strongman stud pulled those arms together til, sure enough, SNAP! i'm able to get into my storage unit and am ready to decorate! my man takes care of me! i'm so blessed.

i'm thankful for my mom and her desire to take care of her kids. she sent a huge care package with my sister this last weekend filled with all kinds of things that are amazing when you're living on your own and have a tight budget. (: she even bought all the brands that i usually get. i love the way she remembers those details.

and lastly, i'm thankful for thanksgiving dinners! i have apple crisp finishing up in the oven and then i'm off to a thanksgiving dinner for a church group. let the holidays begin! i hope you are all counting your blessings today, friends.

linking with alex

a little update

it has been a crazy fun week [and then some!]. here's where i've been!

- the thursday before last my parents came into town for the weekend! it had been almost a year since they'd been up to visit and it was great to get some time with them and share a little more of life here. [it's my not-so-secret goal to get them to move to new york. they've visited in both summer and fall, the best times to convince them of this. unfortunately for some reason it's hard to get them to forget about all the snow winter brings. (: ]

- while they were here we explored a 50-mile garage sale from montezuma to homer. [how fun is that to say?!] i made some great finds [more to come on that soon!]

- last week was kingdom bound, the annual summer christian music festival here in western ny. i had the privilege of working there for my job. so. much. fun! we talked with people from all around the country and canada, helped put on youth ministry seminars, and saw a few shows! i saw skillet perform from 7 rows back [as in, close enough to feel the heat off the flames exploding from their stage!]. i finally saw the classic crime. they are one of my favorite bands and they played my two favorite songs. can i get a woot woot?! (: my friends' brothers mcclurg also played at the festival. tuesday was the release day for their super awesome album alive. if you want some new worship music, check them and their new album out here.

- friday night turned into an impromptu date night, which was absolutely lovely after a long week. dinner at moe's + a trip to borders to begin browsing their clearance sales + my stud = a very happy me.

ps moe's new taco stackers? delish!

and now here we are. things are much quieter this week. i like myself a bit of routine, so even though life has been super fun the last two weeks, i'm ok with getting rid of the crazy for a little while. (:

the busy-ness brought on a bit of a blog break, for which i'm also grateful. if i'm honest, i was getting too caught up in keeping up, looking left and right at what others were doing, and measuring myself against it all. i was losing the freedom to fully appreciate and encourage the incredible bloggers i've found in this journey. stepping away and living life outside of the internet brought the space i needed to allow God to breath His perspective on me. the best person i can be is the me He created, and the plan He has for my life is perfect for me. it's not going to look the same as anyone else's and that's a-okay. in fact it's beautiful. i'm blessed to share in His plan for so many other lovely women through their blogs. each journey looks different, but our destination is the same: Jesus Christ. how freeing! it reminds me of a song we sing [and act out] with our kids at sunday school. (:

i am free to run,

i am free to dance,

i am free to live for you,

i am free,

yes i am free!

we are free to be who we are... running, dancing or writing about our lives, encouraging one another, and building each other up. all in the freedom that He Himself paid the price for. thank you, Jesus!