Happy Thanksgiving!

I promise I'm going to try to not be a holiday blogger, ya kno, only post on holidays.  Things have been a bit crazy the last month.  My photography has really picked up and I've been averaging a shoot a week on top of all of my other work, but I'm loving every minute I'm able to capture someone's special moment.    Check out my work, here.

This year for Thanksgiving, Alex and I, took off Tuesday evening and headed east towards Chocowinity, NC, my parents new homeland.  We arrived at my parent's house around 11:30 at night, boy was that a long drive.  It was so nice to be able to sit with my parents again.  I hadn't seen them since the 23rd of October, and won't see them again until Christmas, but it was such a sweet time.  Wednesday, Alex and I did some shopping around Greenville.  We didn't get much, but we had fun looking.  I was also able to fix my Buffalo Wild Wings craving.  It was amazing.  That afternoon, I met at the Godley's house and did a shoot for their family.  So many of their images were filled with smiles and laughter.   We had dinner with my mom, dad, and brother Wednesday evening and watched television together.  It was nice to be able to sit on the couch with my family again.

Thursday morning I woke up and helped get everything ready for my mom's side of the family coming to the house.  It was absolutely wonderful seeing the familiar faces of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, all whom I hadn't seen since the wedding.  Around noon, Alex and I loaded the car and headed to Grifton to see my dad's side of the family.  We ate lunch at my Grandma's and it was so nice to sit and reminisce.  It was great seeing Alex interact with my brother and cousins as if he had always been a part of the picture.

I am so thankful for an amazing family.  I love my parents dearly and it is always difficult leaving them.  Even after 4 years in college, I never thought it would be so heart wrenching to leave them after a few short days.  My brother and I have so much in common, it's always a treasure spending time with him.  Curtis and Alex truly interact as brothers, they have so much in common.  I am also blessed to be married to such a wonderful man.  You see, this was Alex's first Thanksgiving (that he can remember) not hunting with his dad and pawpaw.  It meant so much to me that Alex got to be apart of my family's crazy Thanksgiving traditions.

I am also thankful for the Ruffner's.  Matt and Bethany have become very dear friends of mine since moving to Lexington.  Alex and I love spending time with them.  Friday morning, Bethany and I headed off to the crazy world of Target for Black Friday shopping.  It was my first experience with Black Friday, and we both got some pretty good deals.  After naps, I cooked dinner and the four of us had dinner and played Apples to Apples, one of my favorite games.  I am so blessed to have great friends both here, at home, and in all parts of the world. :)

Mostly, I'm thankful for Christ.  It's so easy to breeze through the holiday season without remembering why we truly celebrate Christmas.  The birth of Christ.  This is the time we remember that Christ was born.  It's one of the few times we think of Christ as a child, but even as a child he knew what he was placed on earth for.  To die for our sins.  It sits heavy when you think of a child dying for you.  This holiday season, remember why we celebrate.  Think of Christ.

Monday, Alex and I are putting up our Christmas tree and I couldn't be more excited.  We are getting a real tree and starting our own traditions.  I wonder what those traditions will include.  What are some of your family holiday traditions!  Please leave a comment!   Merry Christmas!!