A Pennsylvania Thanksgiving

This year we spent our Thanksgiving holiday in Pennsylvania with many of Ben's relatives who either still live in the area or came back home for the occassion. We stayed with his grandparents (Luke's Pop Pop and Gigi) and were lucky to have lots of family come by to visit with us there. Ben's sister Lauren and her boyfriend Matt even made it over since they were in PA for Thanksgiving with his family. We were also fortunate to see Ben's aunt Holly and uncle David up from DC, cousin Peter who lives in PA now, and their daughter Brin who flew in from LA. There were 17 for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, with aunts, uncles and cousins a-plenty. Luke had a great time with everyone and appreciated our hosts Tina and Alan and their children opening their home to a few more guests this year.

My parents also made it up over the holiday weekend, not for turkey and dressing, but to help pick up a tractor that has been in Ben's family since the 1940's. After an extensive restoration, she's all shined up and ready to go down south to stay in the family another 50 years and then some. It made the trip very well and is now resting safely in a garage for the winter.  It is a special memento of the family farm and all who have lived and worked there. 

All told, Luke saw 23 different relatives during our four day visit! It was certainly a whirlwind trip up on Wednesday and back Saturday night, but it was great to see everyone we could and to be there to help decorate for Christmas with Pop Pop and Doris. Our next treat was to see the lighting of the tree in nearby Skippack with Ben's aunt Nancy and uncle Pete. My parents stayed overnight with them when they got into town, so we had a great night out seeing Santa, listening to carolers and eating some delicious Italian food---we started the holiday feasting early with year! Luke had some big laughs with Uncle Pete as you will see in the photos---he knows how to get him going!

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving whereever and however you may have celebrated. I know times are very challenging for so many families right now, but that seems to be all the more reason to simply acknowledge the gifts we have been given, to celebrate our families and friends with grateful hearts as we enter the holiday season. This Christmas is the perfect time to find comfort and joy in what we already have and not what may or may not be under the Christmas tree. 

Admiring a Parade of Trees - Oak Ridge, TN - The Oak Ridger

Admiring a Parade of Trees - Oak Ridge, TN - The Oak Ridger

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My friend Laura and I made the front page of the Oak Ridger today!  Ben called from work to tease me.  We had a great time at the Parade of Trees gala on Saturday night.  The event benefited Girls, Inc. of Oak Ridge.  Ben's company was a key donor for the evening, so we were asked to attend on behalf of the company along with Laura and her husband Duke, and four other coworkers.  The food was excellent, the band was great, and everyone had fun bidding in the auction or shopping in the Chrismas market.  We'll try to post more photos when we get copies from others at the party.

To learn more about Girls, Inc. and the work they support, visit http://www.girlsinc.org/.  You can read about their educational initatives, community activities, donate online or find a local chapter to volunteer your time.  For example, the Oak Ridge chapter offers programs such as workshops in financial fitness and encouraging girls to pursue academic coursework and careers in the sciences.

The Big 30

We celebrated Ben’s 30th birthday yesterday, remembering the experiences three decades afforded and welcoming all the new ones to come. Unfortunately, he had to work, but we tried to make it festive all the same. Luke stayed home from school to help me make him a red velvet cake and to meet Ben for lunch during work. Luke spilled the beans that we got balloons and flowers for the occasion, but I think Ben liked them all the same. In the evening, we went out to a concert at the Tennessee Theater by the Youth Symphony Orchestra and then came home to a late dinner and of course, the cake. Luke was eager to help his Daddy blow out his big 3-0 candles… and to sample the sweets. And so to Ben, I hope you had a great 30th birthday. Here’s to 30 more and then some! Luke and I can’t wait to see what those years will hold.

Wedding in the Mountains

Last weekend we were happy to be in Western NC for a beautiful fall wedding for my cousin Robert and his lovely new bride, Crystal. The wedding was held at Lake Junaluska Assembly Chapel. I've driven by the little lake community for years but never had occasion to stop and visit. The chapel sits right on the lake, facing high mountains all around the valley. The setting was serene and quaint, reminiscent of a quiet New England village. Everyone looked their best for the big day and had a great time at all the events from rehearsal and dinner on Friday through the ceremony and reception Saturday night.  A few of the photos we took are shown here and in the slideshow to the left, but to you can see the gorgeous professional photographs by Jon Bowman by visiting www.pictage.com/619436 or http://www.jondbowman.net/ .

Most of our family all stayed together for the wedding weekend at Smoky Shadows Lodge in Maggie Valley, courtesy of Uncle Harmon and Aunt Beverly, the parents of the groom. We had the whole place to ourselves after the rehearsal dinner there Friday night. It was nice to have the time to visit and relax together, all in one place. We hadn't really gotten to spend much time with Harmon, Beverly and Rob since coming back to the States, so it was treat all around.

The day of the wedding Ben, Luke, Rob, and I went out for lunch and a little trip to Cataloochee Ranch to see the horses. At nearly 5,000 feet, Cataloochee Mountain opens up to meadows on the very top. There is a horse ranch on one side and the ski lodge and lift on the other. We only visited the horse ranch, walking around and letting Luke briefly ride a horse around the paddock. We thought they might have pony rides, but a few minutes on a big horse is plenty when you’re two. He was excited to tell everyone back at the lodge he rode a big horse!

During rehearsal on Friday night, Luke broke free from me to join Ben, a groomsman, up front. We joked he’d probably try it the next day, hoping we were wrong….but we weren’t. All was going so well at first; Luke was sitting very quietly with his cousin Delaney who came over with Grandma Allen, Aunt Lydia, and her parents Lindsey and Mac from Murphy. After the bride arrived, Luke thought it was a good time to rejoin Ben. I had to take him out into the adjoining vestibule for the remainder of the wedding, but I could hear it and was able to be there all the same. You never know what will happen when a two-year old is in the mix!

Luke also had a big time at the reception...on the dance floor all night, literally. We sat at a table directly beside it, and he started out there during dinner and kept going until it was time to send the newlyweds off through an arcade of sparklers. It was a wonderful wedding weekend and a great time to visit with family. We were grateful to be a part of it and wish Rob and Crystal all the best in the coming years. Auspiciously, the couple was blessed with perfect weather for their wedding. It was fairly warm and completely clear in the day, starry and crisp at night. It reminded me of a poem about October, but I think one could say all the same of early November in the North Carolina mountains.

October’s Bright Blue Weather

by Helen Hunt Jackson

O suns and skies and clouds of June,

And flowers of June together,

Ye cannot rival for one hour

October's bright blue weather;

When loud the bumblebee makes haste,

Belated, thriftless vagrant,

And goldenrod is dying fast,

And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When gentians roll their fingers tight

To save them for the morning,

And chestnuts fall from satin burrs

Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie

In piles like jewels shining,

And redder still on old stone walls

Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things

Their white-winged seeds are sowing,

And in the fields still green and fair,

Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks,

In idle golden freighting,

Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush

Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,

By twos and twos together,

And count like misers, hour by hour,

October's bright blue weather.

O sun and skies and flowers of June,

Count all your boasts together,

Love loveth best of all the year

October's bright blue weather.

Remember the Veterans

Happy Veteran's Day to all those who serve or served in our military and to the families who serve along with them. The service and sacrifice of all our veterans is a precious gift for which we should give thanks on more occassions than just this day, but I hope all of you will at least use this holiday to thank a veteran and pray for all those who still serve and/or carry the scars of war with them each day.

We always appreciated all the well-wishing and support on this day when we were on active duty, but we need to remember the veterans at all stages of life. No matter what our positions are on the wars we fight and the missions our military carries out, our service men and women deserve our gratitude for their willingness to defend and protect. So thank you, today and always.

Autumn Splendor

Autumn has officially come to East Tennessee, and the maple in our backyard is strutting her stuff, flashing blazes of red, yellow, and orange. The leaf color is reason enough to celebrate the tree, but as the leaves fall to the ground, they hold new potential. On Sunday, All Saints Day, Ben and Luke raked the first big pile of leaves. Luke just stood and looked at the mound for a moment, and then that little sly smile spread slowly across his lips. 1-2-3- Go......and jump! He reveled in rolling in the pile and even started saying, "Time to get out of the pool" when he crawled out, only to ask for a rerake and jump in all over again.

The days are certainly shorter, but that's not all together bad. This makes more time to sit by a warm fire at night or enjoy the rise of the Hunter's moon. With bright foliage, crisp weather, and happy boys in sweet-smelling piles of leaves, it is easy to see why fall is our favorite time of year.

Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year, spending the evening at a Halloween party hosted by a friend of Ben's from work and his wife. It was a great party with lots of delicious, spooky foods...think pimento cheese roll "eyeballs," Bloody Mary sauce for rare steak, spider eggs (deviled eggs decorated with Black widows make of olives), mummy dogs, etc.

There were four children at the party including Luke, so he had a wonderful time just playing with new friends. After some pumpkin carving and filling up on the scary snacks for dinnner, we all trouped out to do some trick-or-treating with an elephant, the Little Mermaid, Jack Sparrow, and one more sweet little pirate. Lots of candy was had by all, as you would expect. Many of the houses seemed to be rewarding coming out in the cool drizzle of the evening with extra candy. We finally headed back in once the rain really started peppering down, but no one's spirit was dampened. The kids were thrilled with their candy and since they were younger, honestly seemed to enjoyed receiving the older trick-or-treaters at home as much as going around on their own. Hope you all had a very Happy Halloween, too. Enjoy the photos!