I love Thanksgiving. It has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. It is great because family and friends get together and spend time with each other and there is normally less stress than we all add to ourselves during Christmas season.
This year was completely different than any other Thanksgiving Josh or I have ever had. Growing up our families celebrated with local family or friends. This year we joined the Niceville Williams (Josh's parents and 2 youngest siblings- Jeremiah and Jamiie) for a 24+ hour car ride (which means it was closer to a 30+ car ride for Josh, Landon and me) to Connecticut. Why would we drive all the way up there? Well, Jon's, Josh's oldest younger brother's, fiance lives there and they were getting married the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So we joined the LaCombe's in there Thanksgiving celebration. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed meeting Jon's new family. It was really nice getting to know Merry and her family a little better. Josh's family, including Josh and me are all about family and have been a disappointed that we don't know Merry as well as we would like. We have been so excited for them and looking forward to having a new family member but really wanted to know her better. Traveling up and meeting all of her family helped a lot. We were able to meet some of Merry's friends and all of her family. It is great that now we feel like part of her family because in our minds she is a wonderful blessed addition to our family.
Friday afternoon/evening was spent decorating for the wedding and reception, at the rehearsal and with Merry's family and friends at the rehearsal dinner. This was also a great time to get to know Merry and her friends and family. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. Merry's family treated us just like we were a part of the family and it was obvious to us that family is very important to them. To us, family is only second to our relationship with Jesus Christ. It was warming to see a group of people who would soon be apart of our family to think so much of family. The reception was held at the church that the wedding was to take place in. The girls, Jessica, Jamiie Jo, Sally and I helped with the decorating. Everything was beautiful. That evening after running home to change we all meet up at the church for a quick rehearsal. Everything went well so we packed up and headed to Merry's dad's house for a casual rehearsal dinner of pizza and salad.
Saturday we woke up early to get ready and get to the church. The wedding was at 10 am. The church was about 20 minutes away from our hotel. Almost all the wholes family was in the wedding- Josh, Jessica, Jeremiah, Jamiie Jo, and Landon so we had to make sure to be there early. The wedding went off without any hitch, that I could tell. Landon did amazing and was so handsome. He was very excited to be the ring boy and in his Mommy's opinion was the best little ring boy ever! Josh was so handsome in his tux. Wedding always remind me of our wedding day and reminds me of the commitment I made to the man of my dreams that God blessed me with. I felt very special having two handsome guys to call mine. Merry was gorgeous. They had a breakfast buffet for the reception which was very yummy! Everything was great and we had a wonderful time. We also were able to see our college roommates. Jon invited the Hurst and since they only live 4-5 hours away from where the wedding was they were able to come and sat with us at the reception. After the reception was over Ryan and Landon played in the nursery of the church while the grown-ups chatted and changed for our car drives home.
After saying our good-byes and sending Jessica and Sally off with the LaCombe's to the airport we set out on our very long drive back home. Traveling on the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving was not the best. We were stuck in stop and go traffic for about 1-2 hours on Saturday and on Sunday it was vloser to 3-4 hours. Sunday trafffic was a lot more stopped traffic than anything, which meant our 10 hour day turned into a 13-14 hour day and driving much later than anyone wanted to be in the car.
Landon did really great on the drive up there and back. He played, read books, talked to everyone, looked out the window and napped during the drive. The only time he fussed about being in the car was on the way back once it became dark and past 6-7pm. Really by then no one was happy about being in the car. We had him wear a diaper just in case. Also the stomach flu issues was a little worrisome with a toddler. He had a clean dry diaper both ways the whole time! We actually never had to stop just for him. He just happened to go when everyone else needed to go.
On the way up to CT. Charlotte, NC was one of our stops. Our good friends, the Whitlock's live there so after checking in the hotel and helping everyone get their luggage inside, Josh Landon and I headed over to their house for a yummy dinner and some time with our friends. Landon and Issac had fun playing together. They are both quiet calm boys so I think they really enjoyed each others company. Josh and I had a great time catching up with Jimmy and Katie. It is great to see friends who live so far away and just pick up where we left off. We all loved meeting their news addition, Jovie. Josh and I really miss the Whitlock's and loved spending a few hours with them.
Katie- I think we brought you the stomach flu. Sorry for getting you and Issac sick, especially over Thanksgiving. Sorry!
The only downside to this whole Thanksgiving trip/season was Josh, Landon and I ended up with a stomach flu. Landon and I started with the flu on our second day of traveling. Josh didn't until the middle of our trip. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as the stomach flu we had earlier this year. Let me tell you know, being pregnant and having the stomach flu after already spending 22 weeks with morning sickness, is NO FUN! Landon and I could eat but only a few bites of food during meal time and nothing to flavorful. I kept getting dizzy and nauseated from not being able to eat enough but would have to run to the bathroom if I eat to much and be nauseous for a couple hours afterward, so it was a loose loose situation. Josh, Landon, and I spent the first day there resting in the hotel room while everyone else went out. Our last day in CT, the day of the wedding, both Landon and I had most of our appetite back. Josh's flu although but more mild lasted a day or two after we returned home.
**Click on any of the colleges to enlarge them**
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| Traveling and in the hotel |
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| Whitlock Visit |
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Thanksgiving
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| Brothers' Night out |
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| The Rehearsal and Dinner |
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Wedding and Photo Sessions Favorites
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Before and after the wedding favorites
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When Traveling with the Williams this is a stop we always make if near by. They have yummy free treats and the best ice cream shakes!!! This time we made it during when they were showing how they made all the yummy candies.
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A quick hello to the Gormans before heading back to Gainesville
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