Thanksgiving

Well, by some miracle I created a Thanksgiving feast that looked great, tasted great, and came out of the oven all at the right time. I am thankful for achieving that goal.

I am also thankful for this man.

Happy Veteran's Day

Eric has slowly revealed to me his experiences serving over in Iraq. We’ll just be driving to the grocery store and suddenly he’ll begin spilling all sorts the details of miserable days he spent in that hell. The heaviness of his stories will fill the car, and remind me of the reasons I am so proud to be married to the man who’s serving in our nations Army.

On the eve of Veteran’s Day, a day that in past years meant little to me, and in the wake of the Ft. Hood catastrophe, I couldn’t be more proud of our troops and the 2 veterans that mean the most to me. Eric: my handsome husband who has proved his strength as a medic in the Army. And Blair: my oldest brother, a humble man who served in the Air Force over 9/11.

Our troops are the great people that protect our great nation.

One great thing about Clarksville, and perhaps also hugely true about this area of the country, is how patriotic this place has proven to be. American flags more common than sidewalks, dozens upon dozens of signs and banners boasting “We Support Our Troops” and “Welcome Home”…they remain up year round. Every other car displays 101st Airborne stickers, yellow ribbons, and words of encouragement. This town is not only full of enlisted men and women, but the families that love them.

After the 9/11 attacks, President Bush said that “[America is] the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world.”. I couldn’t agree more, and God bless our veterans for keeping that fire strong.

Happy Birthday Mr. Holland!

Happy Birthday Dad!

I hope you have a great birthday weekend! I wish so badly we were there to celebrate the big 5-0 with you and everyone! Thanks for being a remarkable father. Sending lots of love your way!

Tennessee Fall

So far, autumn in Clarksville has been gorgeous. It's been an average of 70 during the day, and bright blue, sunny skies too. Perfect weather for walking and exploring this little southern town we live in. So yesterday Eric & I grabbed my camera, jumped in the car, and went off to show off what the landscape here has to offer. It was so fun finding raccoon tracks, getting stuck in the sticky red Tennessee dirt, watching swans, and pretending we were talented photographers.

Here are our favorites...

Halloween!

Eric and I brainstormed a long time about what our costumes should be. We finally got the idea as we were wandering through a craft store and noticed how much Christmas stuff was already out and on sale. So, we bought 2 hats and went from there. It made for a pretty hilarious night.

Bridget's outfit: courtesy of my closet + the kids section at WalMart. My ears are actually "Spock" ears we found when renting some movies.

Eric's outfit: courtesy of the womens section at KMart (embarassingly enough). We bought the white fabric for his beard and I just cut out a good shape then hand-sewed it to his hat.