Oh, the weather outside is

Gorgeous! Yesterday Brad and I dreamed of today and how we would bundle up in our scarves and boots and sit three deep in the truck to stay warm as we travelled through the snow laden hills to cut down our Christmas tree for the season. We even decided not to take this whole journey yesterday because we were scantily clad in the 60 degree weather and that just didn't feel like Christmas. Well, today friends we are about to go sit on the dock in our red and green bathing suits to take a Christmas photo instead of living out our dream. Nonetheless, the Christmas tunes are on the ipod, the sliding glass doors are open and we are putting up our few Christmas decorations and our Charlie Brown tree! We love this time of year!

This will be our 3rd Christmas as married people. I love taking the decorations out of the two shopping bags (yes, I know, it's sad but I am sure we will start collecting more decor this year with Brooks around) and remembering the last two Christmas seasons together. Our first Christmas we bought some decorations with credit we had received from wedding gifts. We went on a chilly day with some coffee in hand and picked out our first perfect tree. Last year we had Amos the Famous Dog and he got to come along and sniff out the best Frazier fur. Brad and I are both pretty silly over Christmas. I love every single ounce of Christmas time.....cheesy music about buying mom some Christmas shoes, puffy sweaters, candy canes everywhere, silly Target commercials that started extra early this year, and your typical secret Santa game played at most Holiday gatherings. Oh wait, I don't like Alan Jackson. Brad loves Alan Jackson's Christmas album and I don't know why but I just do not like it for some reason. But other than that - I soak it all up! I love to find the perfect gift for my family. Last year my dad got a coffee mug from my brother that had Grumpy the dwarf on it and I don't think he liked it much....I'm not saying my dad is a grump but it just proves - at Christmas time you can give anyone any random gift and it will be received better than any other time of year. So today is a fun day for us. I am putting each of your Christmas cards on our coffee table so we can look back over the past 2 years and remember our first 2 Christmas' in Atlanta. By the way, just because we have moved doesn't mean you can delete me from your Christmas card list. Actually, I will be checking the mail everyday and expect twice the amount of cards this year just because of this post! I LOVE CHRISTMAS CARDS!!!
2008
2007

And on another note. I miss Atlanta. Brad and I both love Christmas in Atlanta in our old condo. It was truly the best season to be living on Peachtree. The mall traffic daily reminded us of all the happy spending that was going on at Phipps and Lenox. The Chihuly wreath in the Bluepointe building is one of my favorites at Christmas time because it seems to sparkle extra well. There is also that house on the corner of Peachtree Dunwoody and Winall Downs that decks their yard with nearly 40 blow up Christmas characters. I drove by this daily even if it wasn't in the way when we lived on Peachtree. I loved the Christmas parties, the ability to hop over to my parents to bake cookies or watch a cheesy Christmas movie, and the real Santa at Phipps plaza (the last two years we walked over there weekly to watch the real families with their real kids as they screamed on Santa's lap......crazy we could be that family this year??) I loved church at Buckhead Church leading up to the big Day! Oh, we loved it all......going to A Christmas Carol downtown, singing carols at the History Center's Yule tide celebration, and the greenery that hung from all of the mailboxes of the houses surrounding the country club. So, I write all of this not for sympathy but as a plea for you lucky Atlantans to do some of our favorite Christmas stuff with us in mind. You will thank us and maybe make some new traditions!

We are excited to spend our first Christmas season on our island. Brad kicked off the season today by reading Brooks The Night Before Christmas this morning. We think this will be a daily activity for the next 4 weeks! More so, there looks to be several festivals and Christmas parades and such down here and we expect to take advantage of all of them but mostly take advantage of our time together - once again with few distractions. I guess I will have no excuse for late Christmas cards this year! "Tis the season and I am so so glad it is!

Oh, and I forgot to mention - we'll be in New York for the lighting of the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree! How Christmasy is that? We are excited to be taking this little mini trip. We have both wanted to do this the last two years and what a better year than when you have a six month old who is attached to his mother and cries when she leaves the room! Seriously, he does that but we aren't worried. He'll be in good hands at Mimi and Pop's house in Marietta. Actually, I think he will be just fine. It will be me that will be texting my mom every hour for an update. Brad thinks he may have to sedate me to get me on the plane. Seriously, how early did you leave your baby overnight? Luckily Brooks is pretty easy so I think his grandparent's will enjoy the few days with him but I truly will be a basket case. Prayers welcomed.



We had a lovely Thanksgiving in Plains. Brooks enjoyed being rocked, held, played with, and sung to all day long. He loved the attention since he never gets any! It was such a relaxing trip and we are so thankful to have two amazing families to see over the Holidays! And we were quite thankful for the colder weather.....it was beginning to look alot like Christmas in Southwest Georgia!