a little gratitude...

Thanksgiving vacation - those 5 glorious days and 4 wondrous nights of pure glutinous goodness - was a week ago, if you can believe it. Now I have pulled out the neon lit tree and ornaments, stockings and garland. It is Christmas time! As lights start coming up in the the yards in my neighborhood, I am trying to hang on to every second of this special time. I am pretty sure no time throughout the 365 days of the year  goes by faster than the next 3 weeks. The calendar fills up with parties and get-togethers, the Shreveport streets are at its most congested with lanes of people in search of the perfect gift...and, hopefully, there is a nip in the air. I have no problem keeping my car radio on the local station that plays nothing but Christmas carols 24-7 or keeping Christmas Vacation in my dvd player.

Before I get too far ahead of myself and end up in the North Pole, let's reminisce on Thanksgiving.

{fried turkey, biatches}

{Tison's potato salad was amazing and included bacon,yes, bacon.}

{This was us prepping for the Thanksgiving meal the night before.}

{Hey Miss Bailey!}

{After gorging ourselves with an amazing display of food at the Tison's house, we went to my parents to catch up with them for some post meal card making. My mother is better than Hallmark, people. She is literally a professional. Any kind of card making tool you are looking for- this woman's got it!}

{Mom bundled up some Thanksgiving leftovers of turkey, stuffing and homemade rolls so I could make my all time favorite Thanksgiving dish- the leftover turkey sandwich!}

{We ended the night with some wine and dominos. I wasn't lying about these glorious nights.}

{Friday was spent recovering from a food coma and watching the LSU game, but Saturday was Friendsgiving!!! Beginning at Superior, then Vintage, and ending at Wine Country.}

I want to say thank you to all of the people that come and visit my little blog about my life with my family and friends. This little corner, my tiny sliver of the enormous piece of the internet pie, is one of my favorite hobbies and it makes me so happy that you visit every once in awhile. :) Happy Holidays!

{see previous thanksgivings here}

the water and the spirit...

Andrew James, my sweet and newest nephew, received the sacrament of Baptism at St. Francis of Pointe Coupee in New Roads, Louisiana on Sunday, November 11, 2012 by his namesake and uncle, Father Andrew. In the Hudson/Tison/Merrick way - we made a day of it.

 {Hudson absolutely loves this little car. When I looked out the window to find Tison pushing Hudson around the yard in it, my heart melted. See that little smirk on the right? That's when I'm telling him we have to get out of the car to go to the church...he is less than thrilled.}

{Does this church look familiar? Lauren is making it a Merrick tradition to have all her children baptized in the same church. I think that's pretty special, sis. See Hudson's baptism here.}

ps- sorry for the recent blog absence! Sometimes I just have no inspiration, you know what I mean?

game face...

Last week's LSU game was quite a disappointment,
but the pregame boat ride rocked (or rather floated...)

Happy birthday Justin and Austin. I hope I'm making s'mores during half time again this weekend. What are your game day plans?

you're nobody till somebody loves you...

What can I say that would describe Saturday’s absolute beauty? As we drove into Taylortown and over the levee toward the setting sun, the orange reflection bounced off the lake and warmed the faces of friends and loved ones gathered in one of my favorite places on earth to celebrate our love.

Even now, my heart is overflowing with emotion as I think of that night. To call the night perfect is to call Manolo Blahnik's shoes alright, Grace Kelly cute, or Will Ferrell kinda funny. It is an understatement. Our engagement soiree exceeded all of my expectations. So many loving hands shaped that night... so much time, so much thought, so much detail. I am still processing it all, trying to remember every enchanting detail before my memory fails me.

As the day turned into night, the oak trees stretched out their arms, dangling dozens of lanterns to illuminate the party and whisper romance. It reminded me of Peter Pan’s Neverland, as if Tinkerbell and her fairy friends were all invited.

Chef John, who started the original Monjuni's and Bella Fresca, handed around delectable hor d'oeuvres. He was so thoughtful, making a point to find me in the crowd with any new delicacy he had on his tray. At the sign-in table there was a framed picture of me playing dress-up in a wedding gown, probably taken around age 6. Mom found it in our old family photo albums. I had totally forgotten I did this.

Friends encircled mini bonfires while they made s’mores, filling the cool air with smoke and laughter. Dad made a playlist that set the tone for the evening, and everyone kept commenting on how great the music was. He also made a toast that made me gulp down tears. Raising my glass, I rambled through my toast, trying to express my gratitude. Tison most eloquently concluded with "I am just the silent celestial body in all of this;"  laughter and applause followed.

No, perfect doesn't quite describe it, but magical certainly does.

Thank you to all the host and hostesses for making this night so special and "pinterest" worthy! You all are AMAZING!

Amanda and Lauren are responsible for these beautiful images. You both know how much I love photos and it means the world to me that you spent your evening capturing precious moments :) love y'all.

 Come on May 18th! We're ready.