Home for Christmas

Steve and I had a great time being home over Christmas. Unfortunately I have very few family pictures to share, though we did have lots of family time! I got my long-craved pizza sub from Pizza Oven on Friday for lunch (yay!) and then we had various Christmas celebrations all weekend with Steve's family and mine. One highlight of the weekend was playing Four on the Couch and Mafia with Steve's mom's family--including Granny, who was a hoot! We were blessed with a carful of gifts from our incredibly generous families and consumed much (okay, TOO much) yummy food. Then Monday was spent connecting with friends.

A few photos from our time at home:

My cousins Kali and Bekah--fun to see them after not having been together since May. Kali's now a doctor out in Colorado Springs, and Bekah is the proud mom of adorable little Matthew.


Of course I have to post a photo of our favorite nephew :) Steve had some manly-man time with Kaleb on Monday morning, then Denise, Dawson and I joined them. He is the happiest baby and I couldn't resist a picture with these adorable antlers!

After spending some time with Kaleb and Denise, I went to a new coffeehouse in town for lunch with some girls I went to high school with. A couple of them still live in the area and the rest of us try to get together at least once or twice a year. Interesting to see what we're all doing and how we've spread out. Left to right: Nicki (teaching in Texas), Jodi (substitute teaching at home), Michelle (year two of pharmacy school), Brooke (teaching in Savannah), Joy (teaching at home), and me. Michelle and I are the oddballs for not being educators, I guess!

Then on Monday night, I met Jill and Julie for dinner and some girl time. These two were my best friends in high school and despite many life changes and being separated by distance, we've remained best friends. Two hours of talking with them was just what I needed! Beautiful, godly women--I could not ask for better friends.

Finally, I can't help myself--another picture of Dawson, only because he's wearing the outfit we got him for Christmas. Kaleb brought him over on Tuesday morning to show us. How cute is he?!

Hope you all had a merry Christmas as well! Besides the blessings of loving family and friends, I'm grateful for the incomparable gift of the Word made flesh. "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9). Praise Him for stooping to our level and becoming one of us, that we might know Him and live forever reconciled to Him!

It was great to be home in Ohio, and yet it's also nice to be back home in Tennessee. And after my little posting-hiatus for the last couple of weeks, I've got many more posts coming, so stay tuned :)