Stringing Lights....and Thankfuls!

876.  Perfect weather for our annual trip to the Highlands Christmas Parade and over to Cashiers to chop down our tree!

877.  A Starbucks Vanilla Latte for the drive up... courtesy of Mrs. Marie Wright:)

878.  A parade that starts by celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

879.  Watching my girls love and serve and enjoy and appreciate all that the day holds.

880.  How Caleb joined  the parade when the high school marching band came by and how his daddy let him march with them until they turned the corner.

  

881.    How all the children just stood in the middle of the street hoping for candy to be tossed from each float....

882.  ....and how they scrambled and raced to grab it with no fear of a float rolling over their fingers.

883.  And how moms and dads were all there to protect.... and take pictures!

884.  How Rebecca  held Emi the whole time, even while grabbing candy off the ground for her, and enjoyed every minute of it. 

 

885.  The arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus

886.  A sleigh full of happy children

887.  A smiling camel 

888.  A pic-nic lunch in  Cashiers and Andy's sweet comment at how a pic nic lunch was "a good idea".

889.   Big Ridge Road and the long trek up year after year to Chris Burrell's Tree Farm

890.  Finding a tree just her size....

... and his size!

 ... and her size!

 ... and her size!

891.  How Andy drives slow through the mountains so he can soak it up and take in the whole experience and how (because God gave me a husband like him) I am learning to "be still" and soak it all up too.

892.   Tradition and the 12+ years of pictures we have standing in front of our tree at the Christmas Tree Farm.

893.  Friends to make memories with... who unexpectedly coordinate their outfits for the happy occasion.

894.   Christmas Tree prices that haven't changed in 12+ years.

 895.  How my husband strapped the Christmas Tree to the top of the car because he knows that I love the whole "picture" of us driving down the mountain with our tree on top.... even though he hates the sap it leaves behind.   True Love.

896.  Stopping at Buck's for a Spiced Chai Tea Latte on the drive home... two fancy hot drinks in one day!

897.  Singing our favorite Christmas song, Old Toy Trains.

898.  How daddy did not delay to get the tree in the stand (makes mommy soooo happy)  and how the girls just started sweeping up the needles on their own accord.

 

 899.  Stringing lights and our laughter over it all.  

900.  #900....that is about how many lights we strung on that tree:)

901.  Tradition.... a new ornament....first one on the tree!

902.  How we went to bed with the tree incomplete because we were tired and cranky.

903.  Discovering that finishing the decorating the next day is not such a bad idea even if it is not "how we've always done it".

904.  Letting go of tradition and embracing the moment as God intended it.