It's the holiday season.

   Okay, so... maybe it's not the holiday season anymore. BUT that means that I have photos to share from it! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas 2011 have all passed and leave special memories in our hearts, and I look forward to all the festivities that this year has to offer :)
   First, let's take a peek at Halloween! You'll notice that I'm posting more photos with each holiday here... That (unintentionally) reflects my increase in enjoyment of the holidays. Even though Thanksgiving and Christmas rank higher on my holiday favorites list, I had a blast this Halloween! I went home for the weekend and brought my boyfriend Andrew with me. Together with one of my best friends Allison we had quite the busy time! It started with a zombie-themed laser tag all-nighter in Virginia Beach (11pm - 7am, I believe) - Andrew, Allison, and I made ourselves all zombie-fied (Al's a pro at it) and ganged up on people. I don't usually enjoy wishing even pretend harm on anyone, but when it comes to shooting people with lasers in a blacklight-infused jungle gym... everything changes. It should be noted that everyone hated the zombies. A few hours after laser tag, we went to the JMU vs. ODU football game in Norfolk, which we (Dukes) sadly lost. :( But we met up with a couple of my small group girls and it was still fun! To round off the festivities was a Halloween-themed dance party hosted by ODU InterVaristy. Andrew was Mario, Allison was Luigi, and I was Princess Peach. :) The Halloween photos I'm posting here aren't necessarily photography material, but after those descriptions I feel like I need to share our experiences with a few visuals!

(and yes, Andrew shaved his beard into a mustache to make Mario more legitimate... that's dedication.)

   Next up, Thanksgiving! This is higher up on my list of favorite holidays because a) It involves copious amounts of delicious food (my favorite of the holiday is sweet potato casserole) & b) More people take time to sit down and really think about and share what they are thankful for. Last year I journaled about something I was thankful for each day of November leading up to Thanksgiving, and I turned it into a blog! If you're interested, check out "FULLofTHANKS" here. :) Amongst the turkey & stuffing is another another important holiday in our family... my brother's birthday! Ben's birthday falls on Thanksgiving day every few years, including 2011, so it's a fun mixture of festivities. He turned 25 this year, and it's hard to believe!

 

   The setup for Thanksgiving was lovely. :) My step-mom Linda did most of the dinner preparations, spacing it out between the night before and the day of... It's such a complex process! It all pays off in the end, though, and I enjoyed a really nice meal with my dad, step-mom, grandma, brother Ben, step-brother Chris, and Chris's wife Mallory. 

   And finally, Christmas! It's better to give than to receive -- at ALL times of the year. Christmas 2011 happened all too quickly, but it was a joyful time and I got to see several Christmas trees. :) First stop: Altavista, VA! I was blessed to be at Andrew's house with him and his family for the first four days of our Christmas break. The first full day we were there, we had a big Christmas celebration with his mom's side of the family! Lots of food, lots of laughs, lots of love. :) Here is Christmas tree #1, at Nanny & Papa's house! Anxious children waiting by the presents, included. :)

 

   Later that week, Andrew took me to a couple of awesome light displays in Bedford! The first display was at the Elks' National Home (both photos below), and the second was at a park. :) Very elaborate displays!

 

   Beautiful Christmas tree #2 is at Andrew's house! Both Andrew and his sister Erin receive a new ornament on the tree each year, and the ornaments reflect something they did or particularly enjoyed that year! I think this is the first Christmas season that I've heard of families doing that, but I LOVE the idea. :) What's better than a Christmas tree that reflects the life of your family members?

 

Andrew and Erin went on a mission trip to Mozambique, Africa this year, 

so they both got zebra ornaments!

 

I got an ornament on the tree this year too - my very first one! It is fairly well-known that I love elephants, so this ornament was quite appropriate. :)

 

A couple of ornaments from past Christmases: Andrew's trumpet and Erin's ballerina!

 

   I departed from Altavista to head home to Chesapeake on a Tuesday, which happened to be my dad's birthday! Apparently my family has a thing for birthdays close to holidays. Happy birthday, Dad!

 

   This was the first Christmas that I got to see my step-mom's decorations AND they were adorning their new house! I loved looking at all the Santas, angels, and lights about the house, and it only felt natural to capture the beauty! Christmas tree #3: Dad & Linda's :)

   Story time... My grandma was in a rehabilitation facility for a few weeks following a hip replacement. Being the optimistic social butterfly she is, she made the most of it and loved meeting new friends! Even so, very thankfully we were able to bring her home to Dad and Linda's for Christmas day. (Currently she is back home for good and making great progress with her physical therapy!)  

Christmas morning: We always start with our stockings :)

 This is my stocking, which my mom cross-stitched for me when I was a baby/toddler. 

I treasure it so much!

 Christmas day baking :) 

We made these cookies as well as pretzel/Hershey's kiss/M&M treats.

 This year's dinner: standing rib roast with potatoes, green been casserole, & Hawaiian rolls. Yum!

   Last but not least... After dinner Ben and I went to his townhouse to open gifts from our other grandparents! This is Christmas tree #4: The first Christmas tree in Ben's new townhouse. :) Sadly the tree stand leaked water (but it's been so faithful for several years!) so there are towels under the tree instead of presents... but you can see a few presents in the background! :)

 I received many thoughtful and purposeful gifts this year, but my most treasured gift of the year is featured in the following photo. My grandparents gave these bookends to me- made from my mom's first pair of shoes. :) Grandmommy included a note saying that Mom frequently curled her toes under when she started walking, resulting in the puffed-up toes of the shoes!

   And finally, a hint of New Year's Eve. Andrew came to visit two days after Christmas, and we were in Chesapeake through New Year's Day. We spent a pleasant New Year's Eve at Ben's townhouse, accompanied by a "Big Bang Theory" marathon on TV and sparkling grape juice!

   Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you enjoyed viewing the photos and getting a glimpse into my October-December 2011 holidays. :) God bless you all! 

~ Kelly