Thanksgiving.

Yes....I know Thanksgiving was a good two weeks ago, but I haven't been able to find time to write..so here it is.

Joshua and I were able to make the trip home for Thanksgiving this year and it was SO good to be home. We did Thanksgiving with his parents, since we'll be going to Michigan for Christmas. Jannelle (mom-in-law) ordered a few things so we didn't have to do a TON of cooking...but we made sure we kept the traditional sides for us! I made Sweet Potato Casserole and Barbeque Green Beans and Jannelle made Ming Salad and Deviled Eggs (a Vincent must have!!). Our lunch turned out perfect and it was fun to have the meal with just the 4 of us.

After a little football watching/napping, Joshua and I made our way over to my parent's house for dessert and coffee. Mom had made pumpkin, apple, AND pecan pie....which meant we had to sample all of them, of course! We went to a moview with my family: Joshua made the choice of Old Dogs...which he later regretted, as it was a typical Disney flick.

Friday we went with both our families for lunch at the Mellow Mushroom! Must get in the local food (though Mellow Mushroom isn't just a Nashville thing...we don't have it in Dallas). Eating was followed by shopping for the women and cigar smoking for Joshua and his dad. I went with Jannelle, Olivia, and my mom through all the stores in downtown Franklin. They have done a great job of bringing in some really cool stores. Friday evening I met up with Kallie and Megan for dinner and had a BLAST catching up and just spending some quality time with them. I miss them terribly and wish all 6 of us could have been together...but there's always Christmas for that!!!

Saturday Joshua took me for a ride on his dad's bike. I was expecting for it to be a miserable ride, as it was FREEZING...but I wore appropriate clothing so it wasn't too bad. Like all rides/drives in Middle Tennessee, the scenery was fantastic! All the leaves had pretty much fallen, but the rural farms are still absolutely gorgeous...especially those big old barns. I'm a big sucker for the landscape! I met up with Olivia during the afternoon to do some shopping for our parents and then met up with Josh and his parents again for dinner with Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunt Lane, Uncle Keith, Suzannah, and Caroline. It's always nice to see and catch up with all of them! I love their family and feel so blessed to be a part of it now! After dinner we went bowling with Jason and Deidre, which is always a good time. They are a great couple and a lot of fun to be around.

Sunday was quite the beast of a drive back to Dallas. It rained the ENTIRE way back. We stopped in Memphis for delicious barbeque. Texarkana had quite the surprise for us on it's side roads. We got off to use the bathroom...and to detour the stand-still traffic due to construction...and found ourselves driving through severely flooded streets. Let's just say we found our way back to the interstate rather quickly.

Now we are enjoying the holidays...just got our Christmas tree last night! Somewhat smaller than last years but absolutely perfect!