Happy Thanksgiving!

So thankful this year for our new marriage, having the whole family together again (more pics of the Davis family to come!), new friends in a new home, old friends who we've been able to see this fall and will see over the holiday season, and good health. And excited about the holiday season that's here!

coming into GSP- our favorite airport

Thanksgiving in Roebuck

all the "cousins" on Richard's side

SC visitors

Last weekend, we had the privilege of hosting our littlest houseguest yet to date and her mom and dad, two of our very dear friends. Sweet Darcy's dad had business in Richmond, so the O'Sullivan's decided to come a little further north to visit us. And we're so glad they did! While we might not be quite ready for a child of our own, Darcy showed us how much fun and life a 2 year old can bring to a house. We shopped, made homemade pizzas and tailgate food, cheered on the Tigers, and showed our friends around the Capital City and our new little town. We already miss them and hope they come back very soon!

Amanda, Ann (Amanda's good friend from high school who lives in the area), and Darcy with yummy Georgetown cupcakes that Ann brought over

Ryan, Richard and Darcy at Urban BBQ

with Amanda and Darcy outside of the Burger Joint in Dupont- we did some good eating!

about to cheer on the Tigers against FSU

My husband doesn't really have a mustache in the picture below. Apparently we are never too old for theme parties, as our ortho friends had a "'staches and sports coats" party the Sat night the O'Sullivans visited. We drew a mustache on him, and he slipped out for a bit. And then kept it on once he came home- random, I know.

self-timer picture on the couch

I am working part-time at a little boutique in Bethesda, and I sadly had to miss Darcy's first visit to the national mall. But how adorable is this little family?

caught red-pawed!

Just a few days after we got our pumpkins pre-Halloween and placed them on our porch, we began to notice scratches on their rind. Then small holes....that became bigger. And soon pumpkin seeds all over the steps. We feared the pumpkin molestation was the result of a raccoon- or something bigger- but alas, we've caught the culprit! We salvaged one of the pumpkins to add the cute turkey hardware for Thanksgiving, but it clearly needs to be replaced. Silly squirrels!

the reunion tailgate that wasn't

Thanks to a visit from dear friends and their adorable two-year old this past week and weekend, I am a bit behind on blogging! I'll post on all of our adventures, but I wanted to update on our trip to South Carolina the weekend before last.

While it was supposed to be a time of reunion with some of my favorite Clemson girls, I totally missed out on the tailgating fun. The girls all came by before the game, which was at noon, and between traffic going into the stadium and having to rescue Julie and Chris after an unfortunate flat tire, we didn't make it to the parking space until almost kick-off. Most of the girls have little ones, so coming back after the game would have been difficult. I was glad to get to see Julie and Lisa though and see pictures on Baylis's blog.

Though I hated not seeing all my friends and their sweet children, it was great to see a Tiger win (since they seem to be few and far between this season!) and relive our engagement a year later by going back to the dock where it all happened. Someone will just have to have a baby shower soon so we can all get together again!

rare "hair-down" picture, post keratin treatment- thankful to have my parents' seats for a game!

me, Lisa, adorable baby Avery, and Julie

on the dock where we got engaged a year later

who knew you could check a flagpole?!

first night apart

Tonight is the first night of our short married life that Richard and I are spending apart. There will be many more to come with call and military obligations, but this first one seemed a bit of a milestone. I traveled to the Upstate early this morning (the flight was cheaper!), and he's not coming in until tomorrow morning. Yes it's our second weekend in a row to South Carolina, but tomorrow is our annual Clemson reunion tailgate. And the one-year anniversary of our engagement. We're back for the tailgate and game, not so much the engagement anniversary.

But being without him tonight just confirms how thankful for the decision we made a year ago. I had a lovely dinner with my parents and Meghanne and Caleb that was reminiscent of so many Friday nights pre-marriage, but I much prefer this wedded state. Since getting married, I miss Richard during the day when we are apart and love seeing him when he gets home. I so enjoy being close to him daily after having to wait weeks or even months at a time to see him before. Marriage has definitely been challenging at times, but it has also been an even bigger blessing than I ever imagined it could be. On this engagement anniversary eve, I am so, so thankful that he asked and I said yes!

Wofford Homecoming

When I was in college and law school, I thought of Carolina Cup as the best day of Spring. All those friends in one place, tailgating, Lilly, beautiful weather and horse racing...didn't get much better than that! While I love Clemson and my Tiger team, I've started to think of Wofford Homecoming as one of the best weekends of fall. I made incredible friends at Clemson who I love seeing and catching up with, but unfortunately they don't all come back for Clemson football games. And when/if they do, it's usually not all for the same game.

Though Richard is the one who actually went to Wofford, some of my very best friends went to Wofford or married Wofford grads, or are Richard's friends who I have grown to know and love. And a good percentage of them come back for Wofford Homecoming! With a Street Party Friday night, tailgating and football Saturday, and the Terrier Ball Saturday night, there is plenty of time to catch up and spend quality time together! Definitely a most favorite fall weekend! It only would have have been better if Can and MM had made it. Missed you girls!

dinner at the Wild Wing on Friday night- Richard was real excited about a Buffarella!

Wild Wing Halloween decoration

with Jaime at the Street Party

loved seeing Jenna and Rebecca- we missed you, Ashley!

our tailgate crew- incredible friends...and food!

made it in the game for about 10 minutes- it was a blow-out. Go Terriers!

the new scoreboard

more tailgating

loved hanging out with Miss Callie! She's absolutely precious, and the daughter of one of my elementary school classmates

Terrier Ball with Suzanne and Jenna

enjoying the Masquerade theme