November Happenings

Well, hello there...

I'm still here although it's been a little over a month since my last post.  There has been a lot of change over the past few weeks, and for some reason the blog has been the easiest to move to the back burner.  I have a few things I'd like to document and a few pictures to add to our memories here on the blog...  

First off, we are officially residents of Martin, Tennessee.  Last Friday consisted of new drivers license, and address changes, which made us official here at 38237.  It has been a whirlwind of a move, to say the least, but we are happy to be here and are slowly adjusting. 

As to the whirlwind of a move... I had to check the date of the following pictures to remember when we actually moved as I just can't keep up with the dates any more.  Staying at home will do that to you, but during all of this, it seems as though we've literally flown by the seats of our pants. {I can't believe it is December 9!}

So, we departed from our Columbia home on the evening of November 10.  It was a long day of tying up loose ends, and loading last minute things.  We will be forever grateful for our realtor, Paul, and our neighbor, Trae.  We couldn't have made it without them.  They were truly blessings in our move.

 

In an effort to save money and not have to stay in a hotel, we stayed the last night in our house, and the boys slept in our room as their beds were already packed.  We left our bed as one of the final things to pack... they were so sweet, and slept like babies.

The next day consisted of Paul, Trae, and Russ loading the final pieces of furniture amongst other things and us cleaning for the new family that would move into our house.  They are from India, and it is a part of their culture to have a relationship with the ones in which they are doing business, so we got to know them really well. :)  Thankfully, they were extremely nice people.

And here we are ready to pull out... the boys thought the moving truck was very cool!

:)

We were only in Columbia for a short time, {12 months and 1 day to be exact}, however I've decided that it is never easy leaving your safe-haven-of-home no matter the location or situation.  Pulling out of the drive way with a few honks of the horn, as if to say farewell, caused a mixture of emotions which surprised me.  We headed East and spent the night in St. Louis before finishing the move the next morning.  In case you're wondering, the boys and I followed Russ in our van.

I believe that sums up our move to Martin, and overall things are going well.  We closed on our new house here last Thursday, December 1, and are continuing to live with Russ' parents as our "new 1957" house needs quite a bit of updating.  I will post the "before" pictures soon. :) 

***

On to Thanksgiving...

It was nice to celebrate Thanksgiving without having to travel, although it was a stressful day for me for some reason.  We had three locations to visit during the day and it was just a little much.  Or a lot much, to be honest.  We began the morning with the Macy's Day Parade which Lawson enjoyed more this year, then headed to my Grandmother and Granddaddy's for lunch at 11:00, my Mama B and Daddy Denton's for lunch at 12:30, followed by lunch here with Russ' family around 3:30.  It was a busy day, but hopefully next year will be different.  My main struggle with holiday marathons like that are the lack of quality time spent with family on such a special day... it feels like we eat and run to the next place.  I have some hopeful ideas for next year to remedy that... we'll see! 

Here are Russ and the boys watching the parade.

And a cousin shot at Mama B's... 

Maddie, Lawson, McKenzie, and sweet baby Jenna Kate with an unhappy Emmitt.

It was truly a lot for Emmitt who slept through eating with the Bragg family.

I did, however, love watching Maddie and Lawson play together.

Don't they look happy?!

Although Thanksgiving was slightly overwhelming for me this year, we truly have SO much to be thankful for.  I don't want the overwhelming emotions to overshadow our gratefulness.  God has blessed us with more than we deserve and we praise Him for each and every day we spend enjoying our life here on Earth. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

I hope you and yours enjoyed a blessed Thanksgiving.