Thanksgiving Recap:

Thanksgiving is my all-time favorite holiday!  You have food, family, and fellowship without the pressure of gift giving: perfection!

Seven years ago, our "sister/daughter/friend" came to visit us in Nashville for Thanksgiving and our holiday traditions began!  Kirsten moved to San Francisco and was unable to come to Thanksgiving last year, and we were all committed to making sure she could be here for this years' festivities.

I love to do the cooking, I learned the art of Thanksgiving cooking at the right hand of my older sister.  So, although we don't spend the holiday with my family, we eat roughly the same foods!  In recent years, we have moved to a gluten free diet so this year was the first year without "cheating" I made everything gluten free!

Our menu this year: (and I should mention that this was for 3 adults, you just can't scrimp when it comes to Thanksgiving!)
Butter/herb roasted turkey breast & gravy
Lemon/thyme mashed potatoes
Maple/thyme roasted acorn squash
GF cornbread Italian sausage dressing
Sweet potato spoon bread
Lemon pepper green beans
Cranberry salad
GF rolls
GF pumpkin pie

My favorite thing that we do, besides eat, is watching all of the Thanksgiving "Friends" episodes.  We usually start them out while we are cooking in the morning and then continue watching them after the meal.  Every year, we forget just how hilarious they all are...best show ever.

Everything was so so yummy, and we are so thankful that we got to spend the holiday with one of our most favorite friends.  Especially with the events that were about to occur...

Colorado!

We are home from an incredible week in Colorado visiting family and friends. It is always such a treat to just get to share life with our extended families. If you live near yours, be thankful!

(landing in Denver) 

I didn't take tons of pictures, I was busy enjoying myself, but I did have tons of fun!

(elk in Estes) 

Liam had a great time playing with his cousins and getting loved on by grandparents and aunts and uncles.

(a moose at the visitors center in Estes) 

Ryan and I got to cash in on some grandparent babysitting generosity and spent our first night away from Liam. We stayed in a condo in Estes Park, ate delicious food at the Stanley Hotel and saw, "We Bought a Zoo," (new favorite movie) without rushing to get back to relieve a sitter...divine!

(beautiful drive into the mountains) 

We ate at all of our favorite places: Blue Parrot, Swing Thai, Little Man, Udi's, (new fave) Snooze, and even got to have Barb's meatballs!

(great am cocktails at snooze) 

We even got a little snow while we were there! Liam loved getting hit in the face with snowflakes. We took it one step further and ate ice cream in the snow! So fun, so cold!









Our trips home are always too short, but we are so thankful for our time to visit! Thanks for making time for us, all you Colorado people! We love you very much!

(Grami and Papo love)

Liam's first haircut

Grami got to cut Liam's hair for the first time today! Sadly, Liam was not very excited to see his baby curls go. His tears and wails were quite humorous. Such a silly boy!












Mommy also got "a little off the top."





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Trains!

My sweet husby had a birthday on Friday and as part of his "day of fun" we went to Cheekwood to see the Trains exhibit!



This was our first time to visit Cheekwood, and we loved all of the gardens and the museum inside the old mansion. I definitely recommend it as a fun date place or family outing!



Thomas was even there! Liam is still too small to enjoy trains, but luckily Ryan and I were enamored by this super fun exhibit!

Today...

...we slept in until 7:30

...we skipped church

...we had steel cut oats for breakfast

...i started Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (re-reading entire series)

...i made GF oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, still not sure if i like them or not

...we washed, dried, and folded a lot of clothes
...we listened to our new-to-us Glenn Miller record my grandma gave us and played with the old camera that was my grandpa's

...we spent a lot of money at target and publix (the cupboards were bare)

...i made some fall purchases for Liam from zulily and oldnavy (love online shopping, hate replenishing my child's wardrobe every other month)

...we laughed, played, and enjoyed a lazy day before i go back to work tomorrow.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

We just got home a few hours ago from a wonderful, family-filled vacation. Everyone has bathed, Liam is asleep, and the washing machine is already getting a work out. I'm ready to cuddle up on the couch with my husby and a certain schnauzer I missed like crazy! East, west, home is best!


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Family Photo

I realized recently that we have about six total pictures of the three of us, and that's just plain sad! So I have been trying to take more recently. I know most people take professional family photos, and we will do that too, but I love a simple snapshot in the middle of a peaceful day just as much.

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Chuy's Charmer

(Liam enjoyed mum mum's and avocado)

Yesterday after church, we went to Chuy's for a delicious Tex-Mex feast and Liam was the life of the party. Seriously, this baby could make Tom Riddle smile. It started with the waitresses and servers. One waitress was so distracted by his cuteness that she delivered queso to our table that we had not ordered. And I was foolish enough to call her attention to it, dang. Then, Mr. Smileypants started making friends with the other patrons. Liam had the couple at the table next to us falling all over him making funny faces and talking baby talk, it was so funny. At one point the man turned away, to eat his food, and Liam protested loudly until he got more attention from his new friend. They warned us that he was going to have quite the personality, but I think he already does! It's so fun to see Liam interact with other people and to look around a busy restaurant and see everyone watching your baby and smiling! I'm sure we will soon have people watching him in distaste as he throws a temper tantrum, but I will enjoy these sweet days while they last!

(my other sweet boy)

Whirlwind Vacation

We got home late last night from a super quick, super fun vacation!




(best hometown in all the land)
We left Friday afternoon to head to NW Arkansas for a dear friend's wedding that was on Saturday. Ryan's old band, Jackson Waters, played at the reception which made the whole event even more fun for us! It was such a fun reunion of both friends and music. I danced and sang myself silly, and loved every minute!



(love these folks, a lot)
Sunday morning we started the long trek to Dauphin Island, Alabama, where we met up with my older sister's family and some of their friends. We had a blast crashing the beach with them for a few days. Liam got to dip his little toes in the sand and ocean for the first time (pictures to come!) and he loved it!




We got home late last night and have been resting and working on laundry all day.



(sweet baby during a driving break)
The numbers...
Days gone: 5
States visited/driven through: 6
Hours in the car: 28
Jackson Waters memories relived: hundreds
Meltdowns Liam had in the car: 0
Pairs of sunglasses sacrificed to the waves: 1
Snow cone stops: 2
Loads of laundry done today: 5



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blessed be your name.

November 22, 1929--May 23, 2011

One of my favorite people in the whole wide world went home to be with Jesus today, my peepaw. I was incredibly blessed to be his granddaughter for 26 years, and I already miss him terribly.

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

V-day Recap.

Work, snuggly baby, jammies, risotto, criminal minds, new scarf, candy, homemade cupcakes, husby snuggles. Just an everyday kind of love story.


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SMARTer in 2011.

I have some goals for this year. I'm not going to call them resolutions because I feel like that just sets me up for failure, but goals seems much more friendly. At work, I am frequently asked to set "SMART" goals for my business. This means that they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. For example, if I were to say that I wanted to lose weight, that is not specific. If I wanted to lose 50 pounds, that's not attainable. If I wanted to lose 20 pounds by February, that's not realistic. You get the picture.

In 2011 (I keep typing 2001, why?!)...

I will print and frame one picture for my home each month. Currently, the only framed photos in our home are either bridal or engagement shots. We have been married for 4.25 years, it's beyond ridiculous that those are the only hard copy pictures on my shelves and walls.

I will make sure that we call our grandparents (all 7 of them) at least once a month. I am a self professed phone hater. I just really don't like talking on the phone. Since we live so far away from both of our families we rarely see our grandparents and I would really like to do a better job of keeping in touch with them.

I will mail handwritten birthday cards to our parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews. I used to never miss a birthday, but in recent years I have slacked off a lot. I don't think I mailed a single card last year! Sorry, family!

I will make sure we have one date night every month. Ryan and I are notorious for dates. I think the fact that we didn't really date before we were married has made us love dating each other so much. Now that Liam bird is in our lives this has the potential to fall to the wayside. I know we have had at least 12 people volunteer to babysit our little bird, so I intend to take them up on their offers!

That's all I am going to focus on goal wise. Of course, I am going to strive to be an amazing wife, mother, and friend, but that's not something I can really turn into a SMART goal. Hopefully, I will be able to blog about most of these things, too. Be on the look out! I'm excited!

Vacation Recap, Parts 4, 5, and 6

(the Hawk family on Grandpa's 80th birthday)

The remainder of our vacation was a lot of fun, but I am getting worn out trying to remember everything we did.  So, I'm going bullet point style!

1. Fish Hatchery
1. cheap, kid friendly, educational
2. slightly horrifying to the girl who hates/is terrified of fish
2. Hike/Bird Watching
1. nice easy hike that Gus got to enjoy with us
3. Nintendo Wii
1. oh those Mario Bros.
4. Stonehill Winery
1. I will never turn down a wine tasting.  However, the majority of these wines were on the kool-aid side so we only found a few that we liked.  
5. Apples to Apples
1. BEST GAME EVER!  Brought Grandpa out of his shell for sure

1. Fantastic Caverns
1. This was one of my favorite things that we did.  These caves were used as a speakeasy back in the day, as well as a concert venue in the summertime.  Such a fun legacy!
2. Lambert's Cafe
1. Home of the throwed roll.  Yum!
3. Old Time Photos
1. This was hysterically funny!  I highly recommend taking old time photos if you have never done it before.

We love love love our Colorado family and it is always such a blessing to just be in the same room with them.  I am horrible at keeping up on the phone (I hate talking on the phone), so the face time is always much appreciated by me!

Vacation Recap, Part 3

On Monday, we woke with no agenda and set out for breakfast in the old town part of Branson.  We had a nice meal and then went to a really cool little shop called Dick's 5 and 10.  We shopped for quite a while and found a lot of really great steals!

(this was one of many things that I had to have)

After Dick's, we went to Starbucks (can't stay away) and had a lovely time visiting, in a great store I might add.  Then we walked around an outdoor mall and did a lot of window shopping.  Marisa and I cooked dinner at the condo for the family and then the kids finally got to go swimming!  :)

Tuesday morning we drove into Arkansas and went to Eureka Springs.  Eureka is one of our favorite little towns to visit.  It's very eclectic and there are lots of cool shops.  Unfortunately, most of the cool shops were closed due to the off season.  From there we went to Prairie Grove to see Grandpa Doug on his 80th birthday!  This was the true reason for our trip.  We had a great time hanging out with Grandpa and we ate at his favorite Mexican restaurant.  

(a very blurry iphone picture of grandpa blowing out his candle with the help of colden and reagan)

Vacation Recap Part 2

(delicious chicken spring rolls)

On Sunday we went to my sister's church and then to the delicious Green Papaya restaurant.  I always love going home and having all of the great food that I miss when I am away.  I'm sure there is a restaurant in Nashville that makes chicken spring rolls and garlic chicken and vietnamese iced coffee, but I'm also sure that I wouldn't like it as much...  However, if you know of a place I should try please don't hesitate to recommend!

We spent the afternoon hanging out with my mom and sister's family then departed for Branson, MO to congregate with the Hawks.  There was a brief stop-over in Fayetteville for Tim's Pizza.  Somehow Ryan had lived in North West Arkansas for 5 years without having the greatness that is Tim's, so it was imperative that we stop!  I love love love their canadian bacon, they use a ground ham instead of sliced and it is wonderful!  

(They also apparently can't swing for real sweet & low, but I try not to judge...)

We rolled into Branson around 9 just as the rest of the Hawk clan was arriving.  We were able to visit for a little bit and then went to bed to get our beauty sleep!

Vacation Recap Part 1

Disclaimer:  This post was supposed to be published last Sunday.  I was under the impression that I could post via email.  Apparently I need more practice since only the photo was posted.  We wound up not having wireless at our condo, hence not posting last week.  

(this is my almost ten year old nephew Austin)

We rolled into Ft. Smith at 5am Saturday morning (I was not exaggerating about those turtles one bit).  We closed our eyes for a few minutes and then went to my nephews championship boys & girls club bball game. The won!  And got to cut down the net which I thought was pretty cool.

After the game, we hung out at my sister's for a while.  Then I helped my niece do her hair and makeup for a birthday party. We had fun primping and being girly. Tori thinks I am so fashionable and asked me what was new in fashion in Nashville. :)  So nice to be thought a fashion guru.

While Tori was at her party, I had planned to cook a lovely risotto dinner for Ryan, my mom, and my sister. However, this seemed more easily said than done after we scoured the shelves for abrorio rice at one wal-mart only to find nothing but plain white rice (in no less than 16 varieties) on the shelves. I called two different local grocery stores to ask if they carried abrorio rice. Neither store had any idea what I was talking about. One store told me they didn't have it before they looked and the other store spent 10 minutes looking and then told me they didn't have that kind of Zataran's. Oh boy.

We finally found some at a larger wal-mart and the risotto was delicious. However, if I ever move back to Arkansas it will be to open a specialty grocery store. I think they need one

staycationing...

this summer is the summer of the staycation. we are imploring all friends and relatives to come to nashville and stay at the
...bird's nest b & b...
however, it's a little more bed and booze than bed and breakfast, be forewarned. what can i say, i'd rather go out for brunch at fido or the pancake pantry than make it myself...

over memorial day weekend we hosted ryan's lovely parents and i actually managed to take two days off in a row. we had a blast playing mexican train every night, picnicing at arrington vineyards, taking a drive on the natchez trace parkway, playing with gus, and cooking risotto.







then two of my bffs from my awesome summers working at shepherd's fold came to visit! we also had a blast picnicing at arrington vineyards, watching a sounds baseball game, shopping, laughing, talking, cooking, and consuming wine and popsicles. i love these girls!