357 Oh the Irony

This evening, we cuddled up and drank hot chocolate by the fire.

Sort of.

Thanks to Netflix, we got to watch the crackling yule log for the fire ambiance.

The funny thing is, we actually have a fireplace.

But unfortunately, the only place we could put our tv was right in front of it.

356 Zoo Lights

Tonight we met up with a family from AZ for dinner, and a night at the zoo. The LT went to high school with them, and I knew the husband as well, because we had mutual friends way back in the day. They live a little over an hour from us now so we were excited to meet up with them!

The kids all hit it off well and had a blast running around and checking out the animals.

We are looking forward to spending time with them again!

355 Is it Wrong to Have a Favorite!?

We got what I think is my favorite Christmas card ever today. 

Now, we get a lot cards from dear family and friends whom we love. They are all fabulous and special to me. (Seriously, I LOVE Christmas cards.)

But I love this one because I took the picture. (I love this family too!) Actually, I was beyond thrilled to receive several cards this year with photos I took on them. It was a very special feeling.

But as a wannabe graphic designer/photographer, I love how this one came together. The photo, the font, the paper even. I reminded me of some vintage-y cool magazine. If only this photo did it justice.

I was really proud to be involved in it!

But I really love everyone's cards...just so you know.

Please keep sending them to me. :)

354 Bedtime

Bedtime is something I sincerely look forward to these days. It means that I can actually lie down and stop moving for a few hours!! Tonight I was able to curl up with Bean while she read me a Christmas book. I love these moments and can't wait until this house is unpacked so we can focus more on them!

353 Chilly Night

After a long day of unpacking and rearranging, the LT convinced me to leave the house. We drove out to an outdoor shopping area and walked around for a little bit. It was pretty cold, but we enjoyed the lights and new stores.

On a side note, this photo was taken with my phone and no matter what I did, it always made the lights look like this!!

352 Tree is Up!

We finally got a Christmas tree up today!!

We were nervous about putting up our tree because it is pretty wide and our apartment is pretty tiny. We discussed buying a thinner one, but I really didn't want to spend a ton knowing that after Christmas, they would probably be dirt cheap.

We decided to check them out at Target anyway. Much to our surprise we found this little guy. It was only about sis inches shorter than the tree we had wanted, but was $100 less!! 

We had to buy lights for it, but with the tree being 30% off, we paid a whopping $18 for it!! We didn't feel so bad about having to buy the lights.

We had a great time decorating this evening, and are so excited that it is feeling more like Christmas now!

351 Getting Caught Up

Tonight, I got our Christmas cards addressed and stuffed.

Whew!!

350 Wrong Christmas Party Altogether...

There is a family here that we knew in our last ward and they invited us to their ward's Christmas party. We looked online to find out which ward we would be attending and were excited to see it was the same one!

Tonight we enjoyed a lovely program and met some really nice people.

Towards the end, a man asked us where exactly we live. When we told him, he said that we are actually in a different ward. Apparently, we live on the border of the two wards. Google maps thinks our apartment is on the other side of the road, so that is why we thought we were in the other ward.

So tomorrow we will attend church with the other ward and have to meet people all over again!

At least we had a fun night!!

349 More Exploring

After another long day of unpacking, we decided to take a break and check out Columbia.

First, we drove down to the temple.

GORGEOUS!

We are so excited to have one close to us here!

After that we drove to downtown Columbia and checked out an area called the Congaree Vista. It sits near the Congaree river. 

It was a beautiful downtown strip, all lit up for Christmas.

So far, we really like Columbia!

348 Exploring

We drove down to post today to check things out.

One of the first things we saw after going through the gate was the Finance museum.

We were all pretty shocked that it existed!!

I made the LT turn around so we could check it out.

It was pretty much what we expected... tiny, and a little boring.

It was still cool for the LT to see that his branch has some recognition!

347 Stuff

Our "stuff" was delivered today. 

It was a hectic day of dodging boxes and determining how to fit our things into a smaller place.

These green tags are the ones I pulled off the furniture as it came in. I am sure I missed a bunch, but I learned my lesson from the last move.

If you don't take them off right away, you forget about them. And then the glue gets gross and they never come off!

Now for the hard part...

346 Heading out!

This morning, the girls and I quickly loaded up my car and set off for Columbia, SC. The LT stayed back to finish with the movers. 

We had planned on living on post, and have been on a waiting list for a few months. We were told last week that we would have a house. The next day we called and were told that there wouldn't be anything for a while.

Nice.

So over the weekend, we found an apartment.

Not ideal, but it'll do for the short time we are here.

Life in the Army means being flexible, and we are certainly doing that!

345 Packed Up

The moving company came today and boy were they fast packers!!!

They had told us over the phone that they would need Monday and Tuesday to pack, then they would load the truck Wednesday. We planned on leaving for SC Thursday.

They were so fast, they will load the truck tomorrow and deliver on Wednesday. 

The girls and I will head out tomorrow for our new home!

344 Thanks Georgia,

but it's time for us to "leave".

Today was our last Sunday in the Flat Rock Ward. It has been a lot of hard work, but we have loved our time here. The girls and I all had new dresses on so I wanted to take a family photo. I was looking for a place and the LT suggested lots of leaves in the background because we are so ready to "leave" Georgia.

I sure wish he would've thought of that two weeks ago when I was trying to come up with a cute Christmas card theme!!

343 Beautiful Girl!

I took family photos for a fabulously talented photographer friend back in July, and we agreed on a services swap. I just had to get the girls in to her studio. I had been trying and things kept falling through. Finally today we were able to stop in. She has such a great space! I was absolutely jealous! 

I can't wait to see how they turn out!!! 

I had to sneak though, and take a quick one of the DQ with my camera.

342 White Christmas

I don't think I ever want a white Christmas. I'm much happier in shorts. I am sad to not be able to decorate for Christmas right now, hopefully I can get some decorations up once we move.

I wanted some sort of Christmas cheer though, so the girls and I whipped some of these little jars up today. I saw the idea on pinterest. They were really fun and easy to make!

And, they may be the only Christmas trees we have this year!

341 Looking Good!

We finally made it to the doctor for the DQ's six month post-op x-ray. The doc said her back looks great! We were pretty sure that is what we would hear, but it is fabulous to get confirmation of that.

What a blessing!

340 So Glad This Wasn't Me

This is where the LT spent pretty much all of his day. As part of is his out-processing, he had to take a class online to learn basic communication in Pashto, a language spoken in Afghanistan.

He can now say things like, "This is a grenade," "That is not potable water," and "Do you speak English?" if he is ever sent to "The 'Stan" as he calls it.

339 Honored

Today the LT was given the Army Achievement Award for his efforts as an aide to Major General Commander H.R. McMaster and as Congressional Liaison of Fort Benning. General McMaster himself presented the award along with his coin. 

It was a really neat experience and the LT was honored to know that he had made good use of his time while awaiting his next assignment in the Army.

I am so proud of him and his hard work!!

338 Leaves!!

I really don't like leaves. I think I may have mentioned that before...

Anyway, this is what we came home to. The entire neighborhood was blanketed in leaves. It is really quite a sight!

337 Goodbye Sky Harbor

(sorry LT, not the best photo)

Today we made the long haul back to Ft Benning. We will be there about a week and a half and then we are on to bigger and better things! 

I just want to fast forward through the next two weeks though... anyone know how to do that?

336 Grandma's House

Last day in AZ!

We are certainly not happy to be leaving, but we are excited to go home and prepare for our new adventure...moving to South Carolina!

We spent the day with my mom, and had dinner with her and the LT's mom and step-dad. 

This picture in at my mom's house. There are a ton of pictures of my sister and I in front of this fireplace. You can even see some hanging up on the walls too! The girls had their toys out all over the place, and Zena photobombed it, but this is my home and there are so many happy memories there. I am glad to have a picture of my girls here too!!

335 Pool Shark

The straightest shot west of the Mississippi.

334 Temple Lights

We took a trip out to the Mesa Temple to check out the lights with Grammalicia tonight. It was a was a gorgeous evening and we enjoyed the lights as well as the company so much!

333 More Catch Up

Another day, another dear friend!

332 Catching Up

Today I stopped by to visit an old friend. We had a great time visiting, it's so easy to pick up right where we leave off, no matter how much time as passed. I also got to meet her new sweet baby boy. He's waving his little foot "hello!"

331 Photo Shoot

I shot pictures for a friend's family tonight. I had a blast because they are such a fun family! We hit up Old Town Scottsdale and tried some fun shots under the moon and Christmas lights. I LOVE how they all turned out!

330 Mommy Day

My mom taught the lesson in Relief Society in her ward today, so I ventured up to sit in on it. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch at Jalapeno's and just enjoyed a nice afternoon together.

I miss her so much and am so thankful for the time we get to spend together!

329 All Together Now

Well, I tried to get a photo of all of the kids together.

This was as close as I got.

Little miss just doesn't like having her picture taken.

But hey, they're all in it, and you can see their faces for the most part. 

Twenty years from now, it will be such a treasure!!

328 Twinners! (sort of)

Today we enjoyed Thanksgiving #3 with the LT's mom's family. The food was delish as always!! The DQ and her grandma were thinking alike when they got dressed today!

327 Giving Thanks

Today we were able to sit down and enjoy a meal with both my side of the family, and the LT's. It was great being at my mom's and visiting with cousins. It was a small gathering, but I love my family and have much to be thankful for.

326 Cousins

The LT's cousins came in from Colorado for Thanksgiving. Bean has sure enjoyed playing with the girls. It has been super for her to have kids closer to her age to play with!

325 Surprise!!

Tomorrow is a big birthday for the LT's step-mom. Tonight we surprised her with a huge party! She had no idea it was coming. It was a fun time. The LT's dad, sister, and step-sister really went all out for a phenomenal bash!

(and I'm so glad it's over and now I don't have to be careful about what we talk about!)

324 Scottsdale

We haven't had a car to use everyday like we did last year, so we are getting around any way we can. Today, the LT and I walked to the mall a mile away. I love that mall and miss it so much! I never even bought that much there, but it is just a fun place and as a family we hung out there a lot.

We got a close up look at this new condo development going in as we walked home. There was an old Spanish-style apartment complex that sat vacant for years here before. They recently tore it down and put this up.

It is a wild looking building, but I really love it! And it is a definite improvement over what was there before! I sure love this town.

323 Evening Walk

The LT and I took a walk tonight after eating waaay too much again. We passed by the school that I taught at for two years before resigning to move to Georgia. 

Over the past year and a half, it has been scraped and rebuilt. This is a shot of the playground from the street. My classroom used to sit right in the middle of this field. 

322 Night of the Living Dead

Ok, so not really. I am alive.

It was close for a little bit though.

(not really)

We spent the day at the LT's mom's visiting with family. I spent a lot of time on the couch, but am feeling better now.

I certainly enjoyed the sunset this evening!

321 SVDD

(same view, different day)

Still sick.

Tonight, it's Twilight.

I'm so over this.

320 Ugh

This is my view tonight:

I am flat in bed. 

Sick.

I'm the third person in this household to get this stomach bug and not happy about it.

So I am in bed watching Harry Potter praying no one else is subjected to this!!

319 Rainbow Cloud

Spotted one of these in the sky again. 

Love it!!

318 Yuuuu-um!

We hit up our favorite Mexican place tonight... It may not be the best ever, but we've been eating here for twenty years! (That makes me sound really old!)

We love their salsa and home made chips, especially their flour tortilla chips! The LT was smart enough to ask for a basket of just the flour ones.

SO delish!!!

317 Sud Run

Auntie E signed the kiddos up for a Sud Run that her friend's husband had organized. They had an obstacle course that involved a large pit full of suds. They had a great time. Bean especially loved the bubbles. She was soaked from head to toe! (This is outfit #2)

We are so loving being here!!

316 Birthday Celebration

My little niece Soph turns 3 this week! After family dinner tonight we sang to her and ate some cake. These four are SO happy to be together again!!

315 We're Heeeeere!!

In AZ! And we couldn't be happier!!

314 More Good Friends

I took some family pictures for our good friends today, and the girls came along. We wanted to get a photo of all of the kids since they like to play together. Also, that little blonde guys is in love with the DQ, so we had to get one of them together. We will miss this sweet family so much!!

313 Girls' Night!

As much as I have complained about living in Columbus, I can't complain about the great friends I have met here. I know all of these dolls from church, and they are all army wives as well. I feel like I've known them forever!! Two of us are moving on soon, so we had one last get together. We had a lot of fun chatting and being silly. I will certainly miss them, but I know I will see them all again!!

312 Busy Bee

Man, I have been busy with photos!! It's been great, but my bottom is sure sore for sitting at the computer for hours!! Today I got them all done and delivered. Whew!

311 VOTE!

The girls are getting all caught up in the election madness. They even tried to make me choose between the two of them!!!

310 Love

The leaves seem to have changed overnight. 

They are really quite breathtaking. 

I prefer them on the trees however... they are not as magical to me when they are blowing all over the ground.

309 Bittersweet

Today I was released from my calling as the Relief Society president in my ward. I have loved serving the sisters and have learned so much about myself, service, and how much the Lord loves each and every one of his children. I had to pass my key on to the new president as well. I am certainly glad not to have that responsibility on my shoulders as we are preparing to move and return home for Thanksgiving, but I will treasure the memories of this past year.

308 Temple Trip

Now that the DQ is 12, she is able to do work in the LDS Temple. 

Today was a youth temple trip and so the LT volunteered to drive up to Atlanta and help out.

It was a great day for them to spend some time together, and a beautiful and spiritual experience for the DQ!