sweet reunion

Last night we had the JOY of hanging out with our dear friend, Ginny Harr. As I drove her home, I got all sappy and sentimental thinking about the progression of our friendship. We met working at Camp Vesper Point in the summer of 2005. I had already buddied up with Laura Batchelor (now Lonergan), and together we were scoping out potential friends (I just realized you've probably never heard this, Gin!). She immediately filled me in on a really cool girl she had been in boat driver training with- Ginny. From then on out, it was decided, we would be friends. Well, it didn't take long. That summer was the best of my life, hands down. Reflecting back on it, it is hard to believe that I spent a mere 6 weeks in Soddy Daisy, TN that summer, and yet it changed my life in such a profound way.

I learned how to share my testimony and more importantly- how to share Christ with kids. In fact, by the grace of God I led campers to Christ (sitting in the gravel under a lamp post, none-the-less). I ran around and played my heart out. I wore garbage back shorts, a tshirt and a one-piece bathing suit every day. I showered infrequently. I had a camper "brake" both of her feet. I swam the buoys. I laughed until I cried. I had consistent quiet times. I was challenged. I met my husband. I made amazing, life-long friends.

Amazing, life-long friends are something hard to come by. As Ginny and I sat teary-eyed in my car last night, I remembered what an amazing blessing that summer was. Never again will I live communally with great friends for the sole purpose of loving on kids and sharing Christ with them. I can hardly believe that 3 years later, these friends (pictured below) are still people I treasure, and though our email chain has broken and phone calls are all to infrequent, my time with Ginny last night was proof that we can pick up where we left off.

Ginny lives in New York City (but her parents are in Chattanooga, hence the holiday visit), and I hope she comes back soon because our time together was way too short!

August, 2005

The gang. The 6 of us were best buds that summer. I still love, love these girls and miss you guys. Reunion soon?

Fast forward to last night- Me & Gin present day

PS- Before Ginny came over, Sarah and Jason came over for dinner! I don't want to down play how fabulous it was to hang out with them, and especially to hang out with Sarah after the boys left. We LOVE them!

Christmas recap

Here are the few Christmas pictures we took:

After the Christmas Eve service

Christmas PJ's

fat doggies

Fantasy in Lights

The deep fried Snickers bar we ate at Fantasy in Lights... we had to try it!


Ok, this video is terrible, I'm even a little embarrassed that I'm posting it (though it's a great reminder of how horrible my camera is). BUT- this is my favorite scene at Fantasy in Lights and towards the end you can really see how spectacular all of the lights are. If you've never been, it's a great holiday treat!


And, this was post-Christmas, but...Cate was in town and came to visit! It was so good to see her!

back in Chatt

Woo hoo!

Late Merry Christmas to everyone! We arrived back in Chattanooga last night and we're so glad to be home. We spent Christmas in Columbus- playing Catan, watching movies, shopping for next year Christmas decor early Friday morning, going to Fantasy in Lights (one of David's presents), and just hanging out. It was good.

Oh, and we got lots of presents. We're working on unpacking and putting away all of our goods now (ok really David is and I'm blogging). A quick run down: lots of ornaments & dvds, books, games, an awesome Cutco knife, clothes, D- electric razor, OSU helmet. Oh- and I got several of my childhood things re-wrapped up so I would take them home with us :). It worked.

Pictures to come.

love her

Goodness, I'm so blessed with amazing friends!

Check this out.

baby it's cold outside

Seriously, it got COLD.

It's so cool not having to go to work on Mondays! I feel like my weekend hasn't ended, so this can't really be my Monday "catch up" post. I guess it technically is though. We had a packed weekend, and it was awesome. We have been able to spend time with so many great friends, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Friday, our good friend Jordan Saas came into town from the good ole Richmond, KY. We're trying to convince Jordan to move to Chattanooga- and I think we did a pretty good job. That night we ate at Big River (of course), drove around town and ventured up to Rock City. The weather was awesome- it was super warm- and we had free tickets. It couldn't have been better! (And I have an awesome husband. Quick aside- The 2 passes David got from work were for 2 adults and 2 kids, so clearly we didn't need all those tickets. Rather than just getting the 3 adult tickets we needed, he thought to get all 8 of them and give them away to people waiting in line to buy tickets. He really made 2 families' nights and it was SO fun to watch! I was so proud of him.)



Saturday morning Sarah, Jason & Chris Scott came over for breakfast. We talked and ate for a few hours and had a great time.

I love Sarah!

After some mid-day naps (it was a gloomy, rainy day... they were a must), Becca & Matt came over! They were in town from their respective South Carolina schools, and it's always so fun to reconnect with them in Chatty. We love that we live in the place that we have the most friends! We hung out at home and ate at David's favorite restaurant in town- Crust.

I love Becca!

Jordan, Becca & David all went to Talawanda High School together- now look at them all grown up :)

Sunday... was fabulous. We went to Calvary Chapel (our first time in the new building), which was awesome of course, and ran some errands before heading home. The rest of our day was a total VEG day. We watched 3, yes 3, entire movies (Erin Brockovich, Catch and Release and The Money Pit, just in case you were wondering) and played Rummy to 1,000 points. David won as usual. I had a headache most of the day and it was still raining, so it was perfect to just lay around in our pj's with a fire going in the fireplace ALL day. We're easing our way into the break :)

It was so fabulous not to have to work today. More than anything I loved not having to dress up! I got lots of miscellaneous things done around the house and then got to hang out with one of my favorite people! Anna! We spent nearly 4 hours together, and it was awesome. The Lord has really blessed me with her friendship. We instantly became friends during a brief visit at camp last summer and it's be so fun spending time with her!


And... just so you know what's going on right now. David and Raynolds are downstairs playing with Raynold's iPhone. And this is how Raynolds feels about it...

Only 2 more days until Christmas Eve and Columbus!! We could not be more excited!

PS- Mom, I am excited about seeing you guys too!

looking ahead

Well, Friday is finally here. I'm off work all of next week, and I've been looking forward with so much excitement to my time off. David has to work Monday, Tuesday and half of Wednesday and then we'll drive to Columbus to spend Christmas with my family. I have big plans for the weekend and the time off... kind of. Our friend Jordan Saas is heading down this afternoon from Richmond to spend the night and hang out with us! We haven't spent time with him in a while so we're really excited to catch up. Other exciting things I have to look forward to between now and Wednesday:

• Going to Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights- with Jordan, for free.
• Breakfast with super cool out-of-town friends. (Becca. She's awesome.)
• Spending time with Ginny Harr. (oh man, I can't wait to blog about how cool she is)
• Spending time with Anna Cleland. (ditto on that one)
• Spending time with Mary Shelton. (I've already told you how cool she is, but I'm sure I'll tell you again)
• The Jenkins girls. (love you too, Mark, but you have to work) (more cool girls, wow!)
• Ironing. Lots and lots of overdue ironing.
• Documentaries that David doesn't care to watch that I've DVR-ed.
• Sleeping in a little? maybe?

Ok, so much to look forward to doing and blogging about, but now on a more serious note... My friend Melissa has been very faithful to write thought-inspiring blog posts every day as an Advent reflection. It's been awesome to follow along and learn from her and Thomas as they lead up to the real meaning of this [selfish/consumer-driven] holiday. Her post from yesterday was really poignant and relevant for me. (PS- aren't they the most beautiful family? geesh!) She talked about the change from "home" being her home in south GA and her husband's home in Marietta to their home in Birmingham. David and I have been really intentional with our words to change that meaning too. Our home is Chattanooga. Together.

However, since David and I are from two different states even (David- Oxford, OH, me- Columbus, GA just in case you didn't know :)), our "homes" are all over the place. We hate that our families are so far away (most of the time :)), which is part of the reason for this blog. Fortunately though, we all are committed to being a part of each others lives- even if it means many hours on the road (thanks I-75). As Brianna grows up and Greg performs his little heart out, it makes us especially mindful of the distance. Yet, Melissa reminds us that our eternal home is far sweeter than any comprehension of a south Georgia city or a quaint Ohio town with loved ones. Jesus came, in a manger none-the-less, to prepare a home for us that we can hardly even fathom. Let's remember during the craziness of plans and travels of the next few weeks, to keep our focus on the goodness of God's grace that makes heaven a reality.

she's the bomb

One of the joys of this holiday season has been getting Christmas cards in the mail. No joke, I look forward to getting home everyday to see what cute kiddos or friend dressed like Jesus have graced our mailbox. Unfortunately, in my excitement about receiving cards, I failed to consider what we would do to display these reminders of friends and loved ones in our home. So, last night (since we're nearing the end of our Christmas-decor display) David and I decided on a cheap and easy way to show them off. We'll revise the plan for next year, but it works for now:

Have I mentioned that I have an awesome boss? Well, it's true. And today we exchanged Christmas gifts. I gave her a picture frame with bells on it (she likes bells) and a set of cards my mom made. She gave me awesomeness. Check it out:

She is crafty and a sewing whiz, so I've enjoyed talking to her about my newest creative venture (though they've been few). Since she's awesome, she gave me a bag that she made(paisley, none-the-less)- they are kind of her trademark- full of the makings of several more fun bags! She even already pressed the seams and wrote out directions for me. Holy cow. She's so awesome.

Oh, and you all should expect to see many more of these in my sewing future.

great meals

This week has been full of great meals. I mean, I've eaten some good food, but better yet I've had great company.

Monday I had lunch with Shelby! I hate that even though we live in the same town, we see each other so infrequently. Her whole family is awesome, but Shelby has become such a wonderful friend over the years and I am so grateful for her.

Monday night we had a special dinner! The Bryant kids came over (Mary Shelton, Patrick, John and Hayden) and we cooked for them. We (well, mostly David, let's be honest) made a turkey, mashed potatoes, spoon bread (corn casserole, Beth :)), stuffing and gravy. Yep, it was a total Thanksgiving meal. MS just got home for her Christmas break and we haven't spent much time with any of the kids in the past few weeks. It was so good to be together!

David and HayHay. They have a special bond. They love each other so much!

Nasty picture of me, but I love this girl. Tuesday we had lunch (for nearly 2 hours... oops) and it was so good to catch up. She's matured so much- just after being off at college for one semester! I'm SO so proud of her.

Yeah! One big family :)

Tuesday night we had a special dinner too! The fabulous Power family included us in their family dinner. We played Telephone Pictionary again (love that game) and had a blast. They are so good to us and we're so thankful!

We have so many great friends and so much to be thankful for!

follow my blog

We had a super fun night last night, but since I forgot my camera at home and need to collect pictures from MS, I'll wait to post about that. For now... I want to figure out who all "follows" (reads semi-regularly) my blog. I'm on a new "goal" kick, so I'm setting a goal for blog followers (official ones). I have 10 so far, and I know there are a slew of y'all out there (or at least I hope so), so my goal is to double. 20 followers. I think it's doable, folks.

**People who claim to read my blog and should complete the following**

• David Geyer (duh)
• Mark/Shelby Jenkins (though if you do it separately, it will help me get 20 faster)
• Mom
• Dad
• Cathy
• Grandma (I love saying that!)
• Anna Cleland (come on, now!)
• Aileen
• Kara
• Jamie
• Em Rozell
• Blair

*Ok, that's more than 10... so let's exceed the goal!

Now, here are the directions to become a "follower" (don't worry, it's not a derogatory thing):
1. If you are reading this, then you are on my blog and you have completed step one.
2. Scroll down below the "Blog Archive" and find "Blog Friends".
3. Click on "Follow this Blog".
4. If you have a Google account, go ahead and log in. However, I'm going to guess that several of y'all don't... here's how to do that.
5. See the "New to Blogger? Sign up for your free blogger account." ? Click on "Sign up".
6. Fill in all of the boxes. Click the orange arrow.

...Ok, now I'm going to have to abandon you a little (don't worry Mark- you can do it!)... I've tried all of mine and David's email addresses, but apparently they are all connected to this account. I do have confidence that the rest is pretty self-explanatory, but please email me emilylgeyer@gmail.com if you have questions...

Yeah! Now you can add a picture, see yourself on my blog and comment away with ease!

Monday, December 15

Monday post time!


Our weekend kicked off with a bang Friday night at our Christmas party. We had SO much fun hanging out, eating tons of great food and playing games. We played Balderdash and Telephone Pictionary- both games I would highly recommend in a group! I forgot how much I love to play games, but I've been reminded several times here lately. Christmas break will be full of games, needless to say.

Anna and Kristin even stopped by- even clad in all their tacky sweater glory.



Of course, David wore his classic Christmas outfit- cousin Eddie.

Tacky Christmas outfits galore!



I'm obsessed.

So, we had a great time with great friends. We'll do it again- and not even wait for a holiday. Saturday morning we got up and headed south. We went to Columbus to see Greg as a pirate in Peter Pan at the Springer. And... here's the only picture from the play I took that you can see anything in. Need.... new.... camera.....

Greg was rocking a sweet mullet, and he was hilarious. Overall, it was such a good play! There were tons of kids there and it was a huge success.

It was really great to be with my family and we tried to take advantage of it. We spent most of the 24 hours we were there in conversation, and it was great. I'm blessed by a family that is totally honest with each other- sometimes (ok, oftentimes) to a fault :). But we get things taken care of by talking them out- even if it takes hours and hours. That's the great thing about family though- in the end, you always still love each other. Always.

All in all, you can chalk it up to another great weekend :).

Now, the countdown begins... only 4 more days (after today) of work until Christmas break! I have tons planned to do (ok, not tons, but lots of fun people to spend time with).

not much to report

Sorry my blog has been pretty inactive this week. Here are a few highlights:

• "Bible study" (time that me, Becca, Sarah and sometimes Alex set aside to spend with each other). We picked a book to start reading together- Feminine Appeal.
• Date night with the Rochas at Big River- and watching Richie Rich afterwards (yes, Richie Rich... it was awesome)
• Rain like I haven't seen in a long time. Torrential downpours. I definitley should have been at home, in my pjs in front of the fire place with a book (instead of at work).
• Amazing package. The Rocha's (Keith's parents) sent us 4 authentic Chicago pizzas!! It was SO sweet of them and we are so thankful!
• Wrapping, packing and baking.
• Anticipation of our tacky sweater Christmas party (tonight) and going to Columbus to see Peter Pan (tomorrow).

Happy Friday!!

good times

First of all, look at this baby. It doesn't get much cuter than this! We keep telling her to enjoy that double chin while everyone thinks its cute because later in life it won't be nearly as much fun.

Oh, and Emily and David love Kate. Hopefully she'll know that before she even learns how to read.

Speaking of cute...

Love all of these boys! Seriously, David is blessed with some great friends (and they let me hang out sometimes too :)).

PS- John Bryant, you are still in my pocket :)

I hate leaves.

So, another great weekend has come and gone. I don't think we've had a sub-par weekend yet. That's pretty incredible. I know I say this a lot (though probably not often enough), but marriage is the most amazing gift EVER. I hope I always feel that way and I don't get bogged down by what I'm sure will be a crazy life one day (with kids and all). David and I just have SO much fun hanging out together. Friday night we turned down an opportunity to go to yet another dress up function with good food (for free) because we had plans. Our plans consisted of: making dinner, making food for the weekend, wrapping presents and watching Braveheart on DVR. I'm so glad we stuck to our plan! It was awesome.

Saturday we ventured out into the busy world of Christmas consumerism to tackle some gift buying. Like I've mentioned before- I really do enjoy buying gifts for people. Plus, since I love lists so much, Christmas gift buying is super fun for me. However, Christmas gift buying (or shopping of any sort) is not nearly as fun when you bring (against your will) your husband along. I love the kid to death and like I mentioned before, we have so much fun together, but man it was work. He finally found someone to text with and that kept him content for a while, but I think he's learned his lesson that when I say "I'll just go by myself"- it's probably for the best.

After nearly 4 hours of running errands, we cleaned the house and had people over! David had invited some guys over to watch the FL/AL game, so Becca and I made plans of our own. I'm teaching Becca how to sew and she had the perfect project. We made the Rochas the cutest tree skirt! I can't wait to see it in action (and I'll take some pictures of it). It was fun having craft time (I worked on some home-made gifts while she worked on the tree skirt) while the boys watched football. Later that night Becca took me with her to her Bunco group. It was really fun to play and I even won $6! I just love Becca- we had so much fun and we laughed our heads off about something no one else thought was funny. It's so fun to have best friends!

Church was ah-maze-ing. Calvary Chapel is the bomb dot com. Yesterday was the last Sunday that the church will meet in Memorial Auditorium (where they've met for 4 years) because their new building is finished and church will be there next week! The service lasted for 2 hours, but no one could have cared less. The whole service was dedicated to the telling of the churches "God story" and it was so cool to see how God has truly blessed this fellowship into an incredible ministry in Chattanooga. David and I are just itching to get in there and be involved.

And now to the point of my title... I hate leaves. Sunday afternoon meant yard work. We had several feet of leaves piled up all around our house (ok, that might be an exaggeration, but it was a lot) and it was time to get rid of them. I don't know why I volunteered to help. First of all, it was freezing cold outside. David couldn't stop laughing at me because I was SO bundled up I could hardly move. Secondly, I hate raking leaves and moving them. Kind of like David volunteering to help with the shopping... I learned my lesson. We each have our own unique skills and abilities and apparently mine have nothing to do with manual labor.

rainy day

It's a rainy, rainy day and I'm ok with that. I'm really enjoying that most of the people in my office are not here and it's really quiet. Yesterday was our United Way Auction and it was mayhem. Total chaos. The event was completely disorganized and boy did it stress me out. I'm glad today is providing some down time.

Speaking of down time, since I have some, I figured I'd fill out this little Christmas quiz about myself. Enjoy!

1.Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I try to stock up on all things Christmas post-season when they are really cheap, and wrapping paper is one of those things. Though this year I did spring for a roll of Sally Foster since Hayden was selling it.
2. Real tree or Artificial? artificial. Beth's hand-me-down which we are thankful for. It's a little threadbare, but it works for now :)
3. When do you put up the tree? We don't have a "usual" yet, but the plan is to do it as soon after Thanksgiving as we possibly can.
4. When do you take the tree down? probably New Year's Day since we're both off work.
5. Do you like eggnog? Nope.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I'll second Em Rozell's answer and say my Molly American Girl doll
7. Hardest person to buy for? David! If anyone has any ideas- I'm all ears!
8. Easiest person to buy for? my Dad- when he provides a list of books he wants :)
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep- you already saw it!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail! They are almost ready to go and I'm so excited! I LOVE Christmas cards, and I hope people send us theirs :) (hint, hint)
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? One year my dad went out on a limb and bought clothes for me and Ashley for Christmas... it was a bad idea. Best gift (I added that part)- my pearl ring that was my Aunt Louise's
12. Favorite Christmas Movies? Easy. Christmas Vacation.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? whenever I see something good. One day I'd love to really have an idea of what people want early so I can get it done, but I really enjoy buying for others so it's not stressful.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I honestly don't think so... I try to be pretty sensitive to that because I think it's so rude and tacky. We were the recipients of several re-gifted wedding presents...
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? cider (drink, but still)
16. Lights on the tree? Of course! white ones! Oh, and we'll never not have a pre-lit tree. What an brilliant invention.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night. Mostly because it automatically makes me picture Pierce Chapel, lights off, the whole chapel full of people holding their lit candles in the air as we end the Christmas Eve service
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel. We mostly traveled to Round Hill when I was growing up and now David and I will either be traveling to Georgia or Ohio every year (GA this year)- until we have kids. Once we have kids, Christmas can come to us :).
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? I thought so, but I tried and was way off.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star. 50% off at Hobby Lobby!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. Although we do open our Christmas pajamas Christmas eve. Yep, grown adults, but still getting Christmas pjs.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? people who decorate their houses with a ridiculous amount of stuff and the notion that you need to say "Happy Holidays" to be pc
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Since David and I are just starting our decor collection, it's looking like it will be the red/gold thing. My favorite ornament has always (since I was little) been this gold angel thing with my name and birth date/time/weight. I think I liked it when I was little because of the way it lit up when the lights reflected off it.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? the usual. Though my family does eat at Waffle House on Christmas Eve :)
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? nothing fancy... we have already gotten SO much this year that there's nothing left that we need!

Christmas decor

Last night was Christmas decorating time! I have been looking forward to this since... well since last Christmas I'm sure! We rushed home from work and immediately started at it. We don't have much nice Christmas stuff, mostly hand-me-downs (which is awesome), but we refuse to buy anything new when the day after Christmas everyone will be practically giving everything away in the stores. We'll buy new stuff then :)

This is my favorite element of our Christmas decorations: our Willow Tree nativity scene. My awesome brother has been buying me pieces of this set for several years now, and I LOVE it. In fact, when I started putting it out last night, I realized there was a box I hadn't opened yet. I totally forgot that he gave me new pieces last Christmas! I love the camel and all of the other new animals. Thanks, GG!

Tree pre-ornaments. I forgot to take a picture post-ornaments... oops.

So, I have to make a confession. Last year after Christmas, I found this tree skirt (which looks pink, but is actually maroonish... have I mentioned how terrible my camera is?) and matching stockings for like $2 at Wal-Mart, so I couldn't resist. I also couldn't resist getting them all embroidered- even though we weren't even engaged yet. So yes, I've had these fun Christmas decorations all this time, just waiting to be used!

Here's another new favorite. I don't think it's technically an ornament (it's kind of big), but that's what we're using it for. Again, Wal-Mart (sorry, Denise) special right here. I ordered it off-line and it has little pictures and the names of our wedding party! I love it too!

I just love Christmas ornaments! David and I don't have a ton, but we're working on our collection. My mom gave me a lot of the ones that were mine as a kid, so that's helped out (Cathy- we meant to ask you for some of those too :)). Also, we have been trying to document these fun new times in our lives with ornaments because it's such a neat tradition to put them up every year and think about all of the memories past. So, here is "Our First Christmas Together" ornament (compliments of James and JaNell Frisby!) and "Our New Home" ornament :). We want to get a Samford ornament and an EKU one (hint, hint...).

I can't help but smile every time I walk through the living room and see it all lit up.

Oh- and Todd came over to help share the Christmas cheer (or something like that :)!

Thanksgiving recap

What a wonderful long weekend! I'll have to say once again... I think every weekend should be a long one. Not only did we have a break from work for 4 straight days, but we had time to make the trek to Oxford, Ohio to visit all of the Geyer family. It was so, so good.

So now, as per usual, it is time for my Monday morning update (and it's going to be a long one, I'm afraid).

We were so thankful that both of our bosses let us leave work early on Wednesday so we could hit the road! We avoided most traffic and made great time getting into Oxford. After visiting with David's parents for a while, we all hit the hay. Though it's virtually impossible to sleep in past sunrise at the Geyer's (there are no blinds on any windows), just being there is such a retreat for us. Since Cathy had to work on Thanksgiving day, we planned to celebrate on Friday. That meant David and I had plenty of time to relax on Thursday! We even ate Thanksgiving lunch at the hospital with Cathy! We also went ahead and gave Brianna her Christmas present, so we could be there to enjoy it. And boy were we glad we did! We gave her a Snow White costume, and she barely took it off all weekend. She LOVED it.

Also on Thursday we got to hang out with one of David's best friends- Mike- and his family. It's always so fun seeing and catching up with good friends, and Mike, Ellen and Rick are definitely those friends!

Friday was SO much fun. We started early with by getting out the four-wheeler out and going for a ride. We were hoping to be able to take Brianna with us, and to our surprise she was all for it! David went really slowly and carefully, but that wasn't enough fun for Bri- she kept telling him to go faster! So, we even took her across the creek and all through the woods! She's a pretty fearless 3 year old, which made it so fun for us!

All bundled up... all pink!

Man, David loves that little girl! She loves him a lot too :)

Taking a break for a self-portrait. See the elation on that little face?! (Good thing I asked for those ear muffs for Christmas 2 years ago!)

Grandma stopped us to take a picture of us all squished on there. We had a Brianna sandwich going on to keep her safe and warm.

And while we were out, I took a picture of the ever-growing wood pile... check that mound out. It literally is as large as the footprint of our house!

So after we took a break from riding the four-wheeler, we got ready and all of the family showed up! There were 21 family members there- even a few I hadn't met yet! We ate and ate and then sat around and talked for hours.


David's cousin Tonhy (not a typo- that's how he spells his name) is living in Ohio for a little while in between life plans, so he spent some time with us! I was so glad to meet him and Brianna loved playing with "Aunt Tonhy"!

Andy even stopped by!

Brianna LOVES Andy!

Do we look full and tired or what?! This is me (obviously), Brianna, Cathy, Beth, Grandma (who might actually be asleep) and Lynn (behind the couch). I'm so thankful for family that are great friends too!

Check out these cuties! I hadn't seen Matthias in a long time, and he's grown up SO much! He and Brianna are 5 months apart, and they had so much fun playing together.

And... a picture of model Brianna. This was after she literally blow dried my hair and played in my makeup bag while I got ready. She's such a girlie girl :)

Even after most of the family had left on Friday, Tonhy stayed and we played Sequence until we all were ready to crash (ok, I was ready to quit because I had lost so many games). It was SUCH a fun day full of fun people, good food and great conversations.

Saturday was just as fun! We intended to relax, eat leftovers, play games, and relax some more. We did all of that! We even surprised Tonhy by going to eat lunch at Texas Roadhouse where he's working. The cousins:

Saturday night, David and I taught Cathy, Beth, Jayme and Grandma to play Settlers of Catan. I wish I had taken pictures of that experience! We laughed SO much and mostly had a great time (I say mostly because half of the group playing hated the game and didn't want to play about half way in).

So, we went to church Sunday morning and enjoyed Cobblestone's new building for the first time. Immediately after church, we got on the road. And we stayed on the road for 2 hours longer than we should have. It literally rained the entire drive back. We got stuck in at least 4 wrecks and other bumper-to-bumper traffic kept us going slowly pretty much the whole way. David was super stressed out and we were both ready to just BE home! So, when we finally did, we nixed our plans to decorate for Christmas and just relaxed, did the laundry and went to bed early to prepare ourselves for another week of work.

And... here's the only picture of me and David from the weekend...

I couldn't be more thankful to have him as my husband. He's the best. Ever.

So, mark another fabulous Thanksgiving with the Geyers off the to do list. We have so much to be thankful for, let's try to not let that slip our minds as the seasons passes.