Giving Thanks

My second final of the semester is tomorrow and so I will make this brief.
Thanksgiving began with my family

and this apple pie.



Korey and his dad fried the turkeys again and in these overalls to boot, so I'll just insert this picture from last year since I was at my moms baking aforementioned apple pie...amongst many...many...many other things.

Lets take a moment to be thankful for overalls and the broad shoulders for which they stand.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

Moving right along.

Here is my dad.



and my mom.



and my sister and brother in law. Aren't they cute?



Note the bandage on not one, but two fingers. Proof that I did not cook alone.

And then of course, the second annual Anderson family photos.





Not quite sure what Granny's doing, but I love it.



And then we decorated everyone else's house for Christmas.







"And now these three remain; faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13

So much to be thankful for. My cup overflows.

This is what I did on Halloween night.



After a busload of trick or treaters came to the door that is. Last year, we could not pay a kid to ring our doorbell for some candy. This Halloween, we gave out all our candy and when that door bell rang one more time, and three precious little smiles sang out "Trick or treat," Korey panicked and gave them each a one dollar bill. And then we left....before word got out that the little yellow house was giving out money.





I suppose it's appropriate that these photos came in this order. Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day.







At Samford, we sang many versions of The Magnificat. They reverberated in my head as I edited these photos.

My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

For he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.

For behold, from this day all generations will call me blessed;

For the mighty one has done great things to me, and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts;

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted the holy;

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent empty away.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his seed forever.

October Flashback

I can't believe it is already mid-November. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Korey's birthday in mid-October. I really wanted to do something special for Korey's 30th birthday, so I planned a surprise party for him....for a couple months....from another city... My eyes have been opened to how little unscheduled time I have and what an infinitesimal amount of that unscheduled time is not spent with Korey. Honestly though, we pulled it off, and I most certainly do mean "we." We = Korey's parents and sister, my parents and sister and the family and friends that came and some that helped set up because they like to be on time and I wasn't done when everyone started showing up, especially to Greg who helped get him to the venue and my dad (ironically also named Greg) who distracted him so that I could go secret shopping with my mom and sister for about half of the things I still needed, and last but not least the wonderful Ten Ring Sporter Range, an outdoor gun range, which turned out to be the perfect site for a surprise bonfire birthday party.

We began our weekend adventure with a family birthday at Korey's parents house. It was fun to have a quiet birthday dinner followed by his favorite Crossroads Deli red velvet cake.



I know it looks lopsided. It's not really lopsided though, it's just weighed down with excellence....ok maybe it is a little lopsided.  it still tasted awesome.



Clover cannot vouch for the taste, but she almost went crosseyed trying to get a look at the heavenly smell coming from the dinner table.



The next day my dad and Korey went and shot at an indoor gun range while my mom and sister and I went shopping for his party and then Korey went ziplining at Lake Lanier Canopy Tours with Greg, and we all headed over to Ten Ring Sporter Range to set up for the party. My dad and Korey's dad worked together to get the bonfire going.



My favorite table was the dessert table. There were s'mores ingredients, caramel in the crockpot for people to make their own caramel apples and a random assortment of other treats.



Korey's sister, Koleigh, made the "cakes" which were cupcakes arranged in the shapes of a mustache and bowtie. They turned out so cute!



Of course there was also plenty of Mexican Coke. Yes, it really does taste different than American Coke. Yes, it is better. :)



Koleigh also brought face paint for the kids and while we waited for Korey to arrive, many mustaches were quickly grown by all the littles, boys and girls alike. Mustaches know no gender.





Before we knew it, the mustache craze caught on and they started appearing on adults and children alike.



The types got pretty creative. Ashley and Korey's aunt Tara were graced with the "frenchman." Ashley also went for the optional mutton chops.





Arlene went for the "barbershop quartet."



Emily went for the "fu manchu" while cousin Brittany went for the ever tough "gangsta stache."



Koleigh got the ever illusive, "non-creepy mustache" and the baby of course, ended up with the "Hitler" due to his inability to sit still and not attempt to eat the paint brush as it came toward his mouth. In his defense, normally he is encouraged to open wide any time something wielded by an adult comes toward his mouth at the end of a utensil.



All the tables were set up in the nick of time and thanks to a little friendly deceit, Korey arrived soon after. Unfortunately, this blurry picture was all I got of his "surprised" face.



There. Much better.









He was surprised to find a group of mustache wearing friends and family ready to celebrate the day he was born!



The mustache epidemic continued to spread and I laughed so hard when I saw how far it had gone when I went to get a picture of Korey with Granny.





Ah. The "Gangsta" with the "Flavor Saver." Mustache win.

It was Korey's parents idea to have people roast their own hotdogs on the fire, and I bought pre-cooked chicken nuggets for the non-hotdog-loving people. At first the bonfire was so hot, that people got very creative with their hotdog roasting techniques.



As the perfect solution, several small cookfires were made away from the big fire so that people could heat their food without singeing their real or newly painted mustaches off.

The darkness made it difficult to take good photos, but the timing was chosen for a good reason.



After the birthday song was sung, and Korey blew out his candles, the main event began.



The lighting of the sky lanterns. 30 to be precise. One for each year of Korey's life. It was so beautiful and special and I want to do this every year for every holiday. It was magical.













I am so thankful for Korey and all that he means to me. Marriage is not always easy and sometimes it can be very good at pointing out all of the things about us that are different. There is definitely a learning curve in how to love each other and allowing ourselves to be loved in return. Marriage is one giant lesson in vulnerability and I can't help but wonder if God took a rib from Adam purposefully as a symbolic sacrifice; Adam giving up protection of his heart to provide for Eve. After first meeting Korey, I did not know that we would fall in love, that he would be my soulmate, at least not in my conscious thoughts. I did turn to my sister as we were leaving and say, "Me and that kid were cut from the same cloth." If poor grammar isn't proof enough that I didn't see how significant that moment would be and how it would be repeated 'til death do us part, I don't know what is. Marriage is tricky. In some ways, it highlights how separate we are, and yet, one constant remains. I love him. He loves me. There may be better ways to write it, but why dress it up. Those 6 words are strong and sturdy and beautiful. They will not be worn away by years of worldly stress. Here's to Korey, the best man I've ever known. My soulmate and the guardian of my heart.

Always.