Happy Birthday, Benjamin!

Today my younger brother, Ben, is celebrating his 23rd birthday.  Ben lives in Knoxville where he is a proud UT Vol.  He will graduate in May with a degree in logistics.  We're all very proud of him and can't wait to see what's next :)

Ben and Me at the Cabin in Pickwick - one of our favorite places!

Ben and David - after a football game in the yard

Ben and Dad at Christmas a few years ago

Ben and Mom at Ben's High School Graduation

Ben, David, and Me in Seaside, FL

Ben and Anna in Knoxville

Ben and Cousin Molly :)

Ben with David and Cousins, McKenzie and Carter

Ben, you have been a wonderful brother from Day One.  I used to think of you as my "little brother".  Now I think of you as a dear friend that I have so much fun with and trust completely.  I'm still hoping your next home will be in Jackson, Mississippi.  Hope it's been a happy happy day!

A Mississippi Christmas

I hope everyone had a very happy holiday season!  We had a great time celebrating with friends and family.  Here are a few pictures from the past week.

Brooke, Emmylou, and me on the Canton Square - One week before Brooke got engaged at this very spot! Congratulations, John and Brooke!  We can't wait to celebrate a couple we love :)

On Christmas Day, Huck was very excited to dress up in his new sweater and jingle bell collar.

Huck and Bell playing together on Christmas Day.

 We had a wonderful Christmas lunch at the Ellises.

Mamie, Emma Cate, and Josie

Robin and Jack

Elizabeth and Jack

Olive and Me

Josie and Uncle David

David and Olive

Jennifer and Olive

The day after Christmas, we had lunch at our house with the Carrolls.

Ben and Mom

Dad

David and Anna

It was a joyful weekend, and I'm so thankful for all the time we had together. We're looking forward to ringing in 2012 this weekend!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My Mom is celebrating her birthday today!  If you know my Mom, you know she is beautiful on the inside and out.  She's good at so many things, but most of all, she's a fabulous mother.  She has the most generous heart of anyone I've ever known.  When I grow up, I want to be just like her.

Mom, I hope your birthday is the best yet!  Hurry to Jackson so we can celebrate!

New Orleans in December

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  We returned from New Orleans last night, and our trip couldn't have been better!  We stayed at the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel, and I would highly recommend it to anyone planning a trip to New Orleans.  It's located in the Arts District, but is very close to the French Quarter.  The lobby is covered with beautiful modern art and contains a restaurant that serves a delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner - La Cote Brasseie.  For more information, see http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/msydt-renaissance-new-orleans-arts-hotel/

The highlight of our weekend was definitely dinner at Commander's Palace, a legendary New Orleans restaurant located in the Garden District.  http://www.commanderspalace.com/  The food was amazing, and it was a perfect place to celebrate an anniversary.

It was such a special weekend!  We can't wait for another exciting trip to NOLA.  Now we can focus on Christmas decorating!

Have a great week :)

'Tis the Season

It's been a busy week with little time for blogging, so I'm taking my lunch break to catch up on what's going on.  Last weekend, we had a fun weekend in Savannah celebrating not one, but two, holidays I love.  On Thursday, we celebrated Thanksgiving by indulging in a spectacular lunch at my parents' house complete with the traditional Thanksgiving spread.

Fabulous Dressing - a Thanksgiving Favorite

My Mom's work of art - she used my grandmother's sweet potato casserole recipe.  Everyone loved it!

 

A football game followed lunch.  Very impressive, McKenzie...

David and Ben showing off their skills :)

It was such a pretty fall day in Tennessee.

More good food...

Ms. Meda and me

My boys :)

We're having a Mississippi Christmas this year, so we celebrated Christmas with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandmother on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. 

David is wearing the shirt he received in Dirty Santa.  Anna must really love him to take a picture with him in that shirt.

A family basketball game - I must note that Molly beat all the boys in Pig.  I'm not surprised ;)

Here she is with Huck

A good time was had by all :)  We left feeling very thankful for family and the time we share.

When we returned to Jackson, we went to David's parents' house for a fabulous Sunday lunch followed by dessert with the Ellis family.  I was in heaven holding the newest members of our family - Jack, Olive, and our new cousin, Emma.  2011 has definitely been a year of blessings.  David's sister, Elizabeth, was visiting for the first time since her move to Maryland to pursue her doctorate in English.  It was so nice to spend time catching up with her, and we're glad she'll be back very soon for Christmas. 

Last night, Jon David and Brenda invited us to attend 'Twas a Night with Gail Pittman, which benefited the Mississippi Children's Home.  We had so much fun with JD and Brenda and enjoyed learning more about a charitable organization that is so worthy of your time, money, and prayers.  For more information, see their website:  http://www.mchscares.org/

This weekend, David and I are celebrating our one year wedding anniversary in New Orleans, a place we both love. On December 4 of last year, David and I exchanged vows in front of friends and family in the church I grew up in - First United Methodist Church.  Because our friends and family live all over the place, it may be the only time we have the people we love most together in one place.  It was a happy happy day and a weekend I will always cherish.

I couldn't be happier that this is just the beginning, and I know the best is yet to come :)

Hope you enjoy the beautiful December weekend!

A Weekend at Home

David and I had a wonderful weekend in Savannah to celebrate my brother's 30th birthday.  Anna hosted the birthday party and worked so hard to make it special for him!  We had delicious food and wonderful company.  Here are some pictures from the night....


Anna's Dad, Brad, with Anna and David

 

Carter, David, McKenzie, and Ben



The Birthday Boy



Molly and Lacey



Bailey, Bart, David, and Bret

 

David and Me



McKenzie, Bret, David, Carter, and Ben

 

Molly, Uncle Kirk, and Me



The day after the party we had lunch at my parents' house, where my mom made several delicious recipes from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook, including baked spaghetti and a pumpkin roll for dessert.  I spent some time looking through the cookbook, and the recipes are mostly easy and look fabulous.


What a perfect Chritmas gift for your favorite cook!

After lunch, we just relaxed...

First Cousins - Sage and Huck

 And then decided to have a photo shoot with the dogs...

Anna getting attacked by Sage, Huck, and Lucy

Lucy and Ben

We're looking forward to spending more time with family during the holidays!  Hope your weekend was great :)