turkey, family, friends & lots of photographs

Family Thanksgiving was this past Saturday at my aunt and uncle's house.  It was a lot of fun and it was great to see some people that I haven't seen in a long time.  Getting together with family is always entertaining (in a great way), my grandfather is totally hilarious in his own way.  I was glad we got a snag a few pics with just him and the 7 grandkids:

For dessert I made a Pumpkin-Gingerbread Trifle, it was interesting. I had fun making it-Sharon helped me put it together, of course it never looks exactly like the picture, but it turned out pretty.  I don't think I'll make it again, but it was fun to try.

here are just some more photos from the evening:

Thought this was a very cute candid shot

During pictures Wesley kept is beer in a very convenient place

Awesome Aunt & Hostess

2 of my fav. guys

Apparently eating a giant turkey leg is very exciting stuff

siblings♥

sisters-Aunt Lisa wanted to try a floor pic-it was really funny taking them

The Family

the girl cousins ♥

music of the night

So this evening was very musical.  The TV show 'Glee' was on, which I love, so that gets us in a musical mood.  I recently purchased the new Muse song 'I Belong To You', which is totally AWESOME, along with some other new music.  Dad & Wesley don't really love Muse, but my dad listened and finally agreed that the singer had a good voice and he could see why I enjoyed this music.  So this conversation started us in on comparing different artists and listening to a variety of different artists.  We compared a few Steppenwolf songs to each other, Moody Blues, a little Beatles.  My dad listened to Afroman for the first time ('Because I Got High'-hilariously stupid song) and I found out that Wesley approves one one of my favorite songs on my play list (which is very rare) 'Fireflies' by Owl City.  It is such a happy song, as Wesley put it "It make you happy on the outside."
Later Dad and I were talking about songs and I mentioned 'Behind Blue Eyes', so we listened to the original version (my favorite version) by The Who, and my dad says they weren't as good in concert as the album...so from there he walked me though all the concerts he has been to.  I youtube'd them as he told me, becasue some I had never heard of, Jefferson Airplane for one and a few I can't remember.  Among the ones I do remember, Alice Cooper, CCR, The Carpenters, Santana, and a few more. 
It was just a really fun evening of googling artists and hearing about concerts in the late 60's and 70's.

rain, rain, go away, it's Williamsburg day!

South-east Virginia is being hit with the easterners call a "nor'easter".  It is really just a storm, and it is super cold and really windy.  Despite the cold and the wind, Mom and I rented a car and spent the afternoon and evening in Williamsburg.  We stopped at the Newport News visitor center, mainly because the center was located in a park of the most beautiful trees, but we also learned about how the trees change colors and what colors, it was interesting. 
We got to Williamsburg at 3:30 rushed into town to hit Basset Hall (was once the home of John & Abby Rockefeller) before it closed at 5. Then we went to look at the old hospital, which was one of the first mental hospitals on US soil. The hospital basement is used today as a Folk art museum, in which most of the art was donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, they were also the ones who donated 63 million to restoring Williamsburg to what we know today. After museums we had an amazing dinner at Christiana Campbell's Tavern, it was amazing. I tried pickled watermelon and had my first crab cake, which was more like a pie, I was so happy to have someone to share it with.

@Newport News Visitor center (above & below)

Williamsburg at night in the rain

Christiana's Tavern, so happy to have a hot beverage

waiting for the bus

back in the car, totally soaked and freezing, but in good moods

Happy Veterans Day!

"It is easy to take liberty for granted,
when you have never had it taken from you"

Thank you to everyone who was/is/has a loved one in the armed services

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Veterans Day!

Sunrise drive through Norfolk, Va

Mom and I left the hotel and 6am and jumped into the rental with the intention of showing her some off the fall colors....well we got lost and I ended up driving onto a spit on the bay. We had fun though-driving through Norfolk's residential areas and finding this beach. I love the wooden fences

We were surprised to see a lot of cactus on a Virginia Beach

Loving Virginia's fall foliage

I am in Chesapeake, VA for the week with Mom. I went for a drive up to Richmond and Harrisonburg & totally in love with the scenery-though a lot of the trees were loosing their leaves, there we enough that were still to changing to make the 600 mile day wonderful (well the trees and a 2 hour conversation with my favorite married friend *cough-cough-Kim*)

About half way between Charlottesville and Harrisonburg I ran across the Blue Ridge Parkway, so of course I had to take a little detour and enjoy the mountain! Here are some pictures:

I loved this yellow tree!! It was surrounded by barren trees, which made it's color pop as I came around the corner. I had to stop off to the side and take the picture-all the time praying that no animal made an appearance-I could hear a few animals in the forest behind me. I would go to school here just to watch the colors change for a few weeks each year!


Sharon and I drove along the Parkway in July and it was completely lush and green, such a contrast to these reds, oranges & yellows.

Pat & Crystal's Wedding

October 30, the family and I went out to Indian Wells for the wedding of 2 of Wesley's friends. The weather was perfect and the ceremony beautiful.

megan, sharon & me

 SO MUCH DANCING

waiting for the bouquet toss