The Holidays!

I feel this is a particularly special holiday season for Bret and I this year as it is our first as a married couple! Very exciting stuff - We have been married for almost seven months now and I am very thankful to have such a fantastic best friend like I do in Bret. So far the holidays have already started off busy. This time of the year always runs together to me - From Thanksgiving to Christmas and New Years, anyone hardly has time to breathe but, I manage to always find a moment to remember how blessed I have to have family and friends that love me despite my shortcomings.

Bret and I had Thanksgiving this year in Longview then we headed to Springtown for the remainder of the weekend. Lots of driving - Round trip, after getting stuck on I35 for three hours, we were in the car total for thirteen. Gracious.

Longview was great because for the first time since I graduated High School, all my siblings were in town at the same time. It was fun having everyone around and getting to see my nephew, Benjamin, and my niece, Julia. Julia was gracious enough to show off her Hannah Montana singing skills complete with hair toss for the entire family. I played a part in Thanksgiving dinner this year - I made a Pumpkin Cheesecake and it did not turn out completely terrible! For anyone that knows me, this is a Thanksgiving miracle in itself since I do NOT cook. We got some turkey in our stomachs, some pictures of the family, a game of Mexican Train in and then we were on our way to Springtown!

The Camp Family posing for our Christmas card

Springtown was equally as fun for the weekend - It was full of Pictionary (which I rock at), Scattegories (again, which I rock at) Mexican Train, Cooking and shopping! Saturday I got my first tour around downtown Fort Worth courtesy of my in-laws and I even got to visit the Stockyards. I even got to get a new ornament for our Christmas tree to document my first trip. It was a blast! It's funny to me all the places in Texas that I have yet to see although I have lived her since I was a baby.

Bret and I at Risky's BBQ in Fort Worth

After our Thanksgiving adventure, Bret and I were ready to get back to College Station to relax. So, relaxing is what I have been doing but, as for Bret, he has been in Columbus, Ohio all week on business. Not too much fun for either one of us but, I have had a Christmas tree to look at all week! Before we left on our Thanksgiving travels we went ahead and put our tree up since I did not want to go the first week in December without it and I was not going to put it up without my husband!

Our Christmas Tree complete with GIFTS!

"Our First Christmas" Ornament

It took me, I feel like, FOREVER to find the perfect "Our First Christmas" ornament. Ornaments are kind of a big deal to me. I think I get that from my Mom :) They are almost their own form of a scrapbook in my eyes. If you collect them like my family does, you have all these memories of places you have been, things you have seen and done and it is just fun to be reminded of those year after year. So, after much looking for mine and Bret's ornament, I decided to have one made. I was very pleased with the outcome!

The Bench Ornament

This is one of my absolute favorite ornaments - Although I do not have it on our tree, I leave it out on display. Bret proposed to me on "our bench" in Central Park here in College Station so last year, Bret found this Hallmark ornament with the year 2007 on the bottom and he sent it to me before Christmas as a surprise while he was away on a business trip. I think it is such a perfect ornament to remember that very exciting day!

Entry Hall Decorations

This is just to show part of the other Christmas decorations I put up this past week while Bret was in Columbus. I really enjoy decorating for Christmas and I fell in love with these candle holders I found this year!

I am very much looking forward to Christmas time and all the family events it will bring. Bret and I will be in Springtown this year for Christmas day and then we will travel to Longview for our time after Christmas. New Years will quickly follow with us heading to San Antonio to be with Diane and Craig! I cannot wait to see Mrs. Diane, it has been way to long and my heart yearns to see her!