We Gobbled Til We Wobbled

We're back from a gloriously gluttonous Thanksgiving in Virginia, full of food, family, fun and football! If you made me pick, I'd have to say these were the highpoints:

Descending upon a table that looked pretty much identical to this one, and enjoying every last homemade bite. Sidneote: my MIL is a to die for cook, and she always pulls it together so effortlessly, while I manage to turn my kitchen into a disaster zone. I honestly don't know how she does it, all I know is it's delicious.

Finding matching Virginia Tech (husband's team) pajama pants for these two cuties, who do love their pajamas, as you can see by this photo taken at the end of our wedding night. They changed but kept dancing! We did Christmas early after our Thanksgiving feast since married life means rotating for the holidays. Sidenote: I am now on Team Early Christmas Shopping - it will change your life!

And speaking of Christmas gifts, I have to share the most adorable Christmas serving pieces my sweet sister-in-law got us. They are from Mud Pie and I am in love with them. Perfect for all the entertaining we'll be doing over the next few weeks...

And finally, because I am of course going to gloss right over the fact that my team gave it away to Auburn by one point in the most heartbreaking Iron Bowl I have ever witnessed, I'll give another shout out to Mr. T's team, who pulled out a sweet victory over UVA and got themselves a spot in the ACC Championship. Go Hokies! Sidenote and Disclaimer: kindly disregard my Dr. Seuss scarf and headband - it was ridiculously FRIGID and I needed as many coverings as I could get. I would have worn a ski mask if I could have found one at the store in the stadium.

So now we're back and setting our sights on Christmas. I've talked Mr. T into a real, live, yummy-smelling Christmas tree this year (my first real one ever!) and I can't wait to get it decorated. Now if only my finished product could look something like this. Sidenote: do not ever go to this site unless you want a good dose of decor envy.

I mean, could this BE any cozier? I can almost smell the apple cider smell coming from the kitchen.

Hope your Thanksgivings were lovely and your Christmas countdowns have begun!

Presenting the Turmans' 2010 Christmas Card!

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For These I Am Thankful

Because today, on this week of thanksgiving, my cup is overflowing.

The biggies:

• My faith - the peace that comes from knowing that I am, above all else, a child of God.


• My husband - the greatest gift I have ever received and the best friend I always wanted. I never knew I was capable of loving someone so much.


• My family, old and new - the ones who instilled traditions and loved unconditionally for 30 years now, no matter what. And my new family of in-laws, who have brought a whole new level of joy and laughter to my life over the past year.


• My friends - the near and dear ones that make life so fun, and the ones miles away that I can catch up with in a nanosecond.


• My health - May I never, ever, ever take it for granted.


• My town - Nashville, you rock. I always knew if I could get here, I would feel right at home. And I do.


• My job - though it has had its ups and downs this year, I'm feeling thankful I get to do what I love each and every day. And most days I even feel pretty good at it.


• My life - Each day I get to wake up and start my day in a warm house, in a cozy bed, with a vanilla-flavored cup of coffee brought to me in bed by my handsome husband. I don't deserve it, but I do try to be grateful for it. Because I know it just doesn't get much better than that.

The little things:

• A small fire on a cold night


• Sunday afternoon naps


• Home-cooked meals, especially when I don't have to do the cooking


• The look on my husband's face when he sees me all dressed up for a date night


• Bananas foster


• A glass of red wine after a long day


• Changing leaves


• Seriously unbelievable sunsets


• Good, hard laughs


• Buying baby clothes for friends


• Buying a cozy new coat and justifying it as my Christmas gift to myself :)


• College football and the sound of ESPN on a Saturday morning


• The smell of my husband's cologne when I walk into the bathroom in the morning


• Picking out our first Christmas tree - and my first real one ever!


• Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - you just can't help but sing along


• The feeling you get just after you book a trip - especially our upcoming one to California.

So what are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Date Night: NeedtoBreathe

So last night Mr. T and I had a little date night downtown. And I must confess, I do love a good date night. As in, I look forward to it all day and start planning my outfit in my head a good 6-8 hours beforehand. And I especially love Date Night when it involves this place (and of course the handsome man in front)...




And a concert by this ah-mazing band (that Mr. T purchased ticketes for months ago, just because he knew I loved them so)...

And believe me when I say that when they came out for their encore and played one of my most favorite songs entirely unplugged to a hushed, jaw-hitting-the-ground audience, I think everyone under the Ryman roof thought that was one of the coolest things to ever see on stage. I know I did.

And because we have to capture these date nights with photographic evidence, I present to you the best of about 50 takes of our mini photo session after the show:

Reason #4,207 why my husband rocks. And why Date Nights remind you all over again why you fell in love in the first place.

Hallowed Ground

It just so happened that on my 24 hour trip to New York City, my hotel was about 1/2 a mile from Ground Zero. I've been to New York several times since 9/11, but had never visited the site. I had a couple of hours of free time between landing and my evening event, so I decided to walk the perimeter of the space. Nothing - and I mean nothing - could have prepared me for that vision of nothingness where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. And to be there the day before Veteran's Day - well, you can only imagine how poignant that was. I was acutely aware that I was standing on hallowed ground, and overwhelmingly grateful for the sacrifices that were made that day by the ordinary heroes of the New York Fire Department.

Nine years later...

"The City's Bravest" - this was a makeshift memorial right beside the NYFD fire station.

"Thank you" doesn't seem enough...

The door to the station - literally across the street from Ground Zero.

"Dedicated To Those Who Fell And To Those Who Carry On"

"May We Never Forget..."

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of...

That's right, folks. This little lady is bound for the Big Apple. Granted, I'll be there for about 24 hours total, but still, it counts. Occasionally I do love my job.

And I know we have officially entered the Christmas shopping season, but I don't know about you, but I'm having a VERY hard time thinking about the "others" in my life when there are so many coats, handbags, and fabulous boots taunting me everywhere I turn. And now with California on the brain, I'm thinking I need a new pair of shades too. Why do the ones I love cost a minimum of $200? Bah humbug. Tom Ford, you are SUCH a tease.

Bon voyage!

Thought Processes and Anniversaries

So as I busted out my wool coat this morning (seriously Old Navy - mad props on the cobalt blue coat with ruffle collar) and walked out into the brisk, okay, frigid temps, my throught process went something like this:

"Whoa, I haven't felt these kind of temps in a while, I think I shall use my seat warmer."

Which led to...

"Does it always feel like this in early November in Nashville? Whoa, November. Which means December is next month. Hmmm, wonder if I should give Christmas Village a try this year."

Which led to...

"Christmas! Let me look at my handy-dandy 'Days Until' App and see how many shopping days there are. 50!!! Holy smokes. Maybe I'll do all my shopping on Etsy this year. That would be a fun blog post. But then any family members who read my blog would know what they're getting. Oooh, I need to get that wedding album done for my mom. I gave our photographer the photo list months ago. What is taking him so long?"

Which led to...

"Photographer. Wedding. First Wedding Anniversary. Fast approaching first wedding anniversary. What is the traditional first year gift - paper? How boring. What I'd really love is to go somewhere fun. Somewhere a bit warmer. Somewhere preferably in the states. Somewhere like..."



CALIFORNIA!

Okay, that may not have been exactly how it went, seeing as we booked the trip a few weeks ago and it has been all I can think about ever since, but oh my goodness, oh my gosh, I am SO stinkin' excited. And besides, that was a way better and more dramatic lead-in, don't you think? We literally found the place in a matter of days and had it booked in a nanosecond. I would love to tell you all about the fabulous accommodations we found right on the coast where we're staying but I'm afraid of sketchy blog stalkers out there so you'll just have to wait for the recap on that.

First anniversary, west coast style. Fist. Pump. No wonder "California Love" has been on replay in my head for days now...

Where did you go, October?

I'm back from a crazy, chaotic, but fun few weeks that constituted my blogcation. Though I do love keeping up this blog and posting about the random things that keep me entertained, my little thing called a job has demanded every bit of my attention the last few weeks, so I decided to take a little time away from Blogger. But I'm back and better than ever, and hoping to do much better on my posts in November and December.

So a quick recap is in order for October, don't you think? Let's see, I decorated our crib a little with some Halloween decor (once I waited for it to go on sale 50% off, mind you). Bargain shopper, party of one.

And in a brief "I'm channeling Martha Stewart" moment, I set up a fun little fall scape outside as well. The pumpkins were later carved with an Alabama "A" and a Virginia Tech "VT" naturally. Die hard football fans, party of two.

And once things finally slowed down a bit, I even managed to take advantage of the neighborhood in all it's leaf-changing, perfect fall weather glory with nice little stroll on a Sunday afternoon.



I've decided Sunday walks are good for the soul - especially if you can time them right at sunset. There's something about seeing the sun go down on a perfect weekend that makes you take a moment to be still, breathe it all in and enjoy it. Because there really is so much to be thankful for. And I hope I never get too busy to forget that.

To a slower-paced, thanks-filled November for all of us!