The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

The morning after Thanksgiving I awoke with stars in my eyes. I had been waiting for that particular day a long time. Adam and I moved into our house in January so this was the first time that I have been able to decorate the house for Christmas. Adam and I agreed not to put up the tree until the day after Thanksgiving. We were just way too excited to wait so when we got home the night before we put on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and got started. If you know me at all, you know that I do not like to wait to the last minute to do things and I find comfort in planning ahead. I had actually started bringing Christmas boxes down the Monday before just so that once that starting flag waived we would get right down to business.

(I purchased the penguin cookie jar a few weeks prior and just loved the fat little guy. I took a paint pen and painted on it in case you were wondering.)

I just LOVE how it glows at night. I am sure I am going to have one big electric bill this month because if I am home the first thing I do is turn on the Christmas tree (then I go take Lily out...I guess you can see where my priorities are).

The true reason for the season...

New dining room table with a Christmas centerpiece. The table seats 10 so come on over!

One of my favorite Santas...

I am already thinking about next year's Christmas and the things I need to buy at the after Christmas sales. It is amazing to me how you buy something one week and then the next week it is marked 80% off. I rarely buy decorations in November and December for this very reason (although, the penguin was a must have :)

Crushed Hopes with Great Company

The night after Thanksgiving my old roomate, Melissa Jones, and her boyfriend Todd (who is the Head Baseball coach at Wofford College) came to visit and spend the night. They were coming in town for the Clemson vs. Carolina football game so I asked them if they would like to stay over the night before. I made a big dinner of tilapia, crab cakes, sauteed veggies, risotto, cornbread, and dessert. We had such a nice time being together. After dinner we played two long games of Spades (couple vs. couple). Each team won once and then we headed off to bed. The next morning we all woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready for the big game and go our separate ways. It was so great to spend time with them. I hope it will not be another 3 years before I see her!

Adam and I then headed downtown for the always anticipated Clemson vs. Carolina State Championship football game. It was a 12 o'clock game so we woke up early to have time to tailgate. Ed and Cyndi were gracious enough to give us tickets to the game. It took about an hour and forty-five minutes to go about 25 miles. When we got there we had just enough time to set up the tailgate and then head into the game.

Clemson scored within the first few minutes of the start of the game. I honestly thought that we were going to slaughter the gamecocks. It did not take long for me to realize that I had been mistaken. The only upside to the game was that Adam wore a Clemson shirt!

Two Tigers and Two Gamecocks...

After the game, we headed back to Stadium Place to tailgate some more. The band that played at Taylor's wedding and the LPA Christmas parties, Second Nature, was there. Here is a bunch of people dancing the 'cupid shuffle.'

Adam and I were so tired when we got home at 6 o'clock that we tried to take a 'power nap' before going back out for the night but actually slept through the night. We accidentally missed Sunday School and slept for 16 hours! Apparently we really needed the rest.

Sunday evening Stefanie Harder and her boyfriend, Tyler, came over to catch up. Stefanie now lives in Myrtle Beach so I never see her anymore. We grew up going to the same church and played on the same basketball team for 7 years! She was in town for Thanksgiving weekend and we had made plans a few weeks prior to get together. They stayed over til' midnight and then we hit the sack for another busy week.

So very much to be thankful for...

Who doesn't absolutely LOVE Thanksgiving? I mean, an entire holiday devoted to stuffing your face...definately for me! Adam and I drove up to Aberdeen, NC thursday morning. Adam's aunt Linda, Uncle Bill, Cousin Dede, Michael, Jack and Mac all live up there. It is a Parrish tradition that Thanksgiving takes place there and we usually have about 25 to 30 people.

As we all get older, more and more babies are joining the clan. Below is Renn and Adam's baby Will (apparently in deep concentration). We have not seen him since this summer and he sure did grow up fast. His sister, Marilyn Grace was not particularly cooperative with the camera this year. Hopefully, I will get some good pictures of her on Christmas.

My niece, Grace

Will and Grace :)

Mac

Jack

At about 1 o'clock, we all sit down to a huge spread of food. Apparently, Will really enjoyed his lunch.

Cyndi's brother, Donald, and his wife, Dwan, in their matching outfits!

Here is Adam assisting Marilyn Grace and Jack with a tough puzzle.

"What up Dawg"

We all have about an hour break after stuffing our bellies and then we head out to a nearby field for some good ol' fashioned football. It is always quite the highlight of the day but seems to be increasingly difficult each year due to the aging joints of each of the players.

Below is Grace in her first sport's photo. Kelly insisted this would not be the last.

Gearing up for the big game...

My sweet niece cheering for everyone on the sidelines. Don't let this chair fool you. this was pretty much the only time she was sitting down during the entire game. She is quite an active little girl that doesn't ever slow down.

Twins Jack and Mac posing for camera.

At the end of each game there is a traditional Winners Photo and a Losers Photo. (They have over twenty years of these pictures). Of course, I was on the winning team! In fact, I had three our of four of our teams touchdowns and was voted MVP. But I can tell you I am definately paying for it now. It has been a week since Thanksgiving and I am still using a heating pad on my back. I must really be getting old but it was definately worth it.

Below is the Losing Team. Please notice how many more players they had on their team compared to the above Winning Team (the winners team was missing one player in the above picture). I am just pointing out the obvious!

Below is Adam and I after the game. (It is also symbolic of the whooping that Clemson put on NC State this year!)

After relaxing a bit after the game and having "round two" of the lunch leftovers, we headed back to Columbia with our our bellies and hearts full!

Happy Birthday Mason, Kelly, and Stephanie...Happy Birthday to you!

Mason, Kelly, and I all have birthday's near each other. With the increasing amount of Parrish family members it has become easy to lump a few together in order to celebrate. We all headed over to Ed and Cyndi's for a nice dinner. Of course, we cooked the infamous steak and salmon (a Parrish specialty) with the appropriate sides! We have been so busy this year that it was actually so nice for all 10 and a half of us to be together. We try to plan to all be at the Isle of Palms at the same time but we have had so many conflicts with the excessive amounts of weddings we have attended this year. The last time I was able to go to the Isle of Palms was in May which seems like forever ago. Cyndi made the beautiful cake and we had an entire night of celebrating. It was wonderful!

Clemson vs. NC State

Adam and I headed up to Raleigh with his parents for the last time this football season. They were playing the Clemson Tigers so I was very excited. This is the one time each season that I don't cheer for the wolfpack. Of course, we met up with all of Adam's sigma chi friends at the tailgate.

The family portrait with only one in orange...

My roommate my sophmore year at Clemson called to see if Adam and I were in Raleigh for the game. She was able to meet up with us at the tailgate. I have not seen her since our wedding so it was great to catch up. We had such a good time that we made plans for her and her boyfriend, Todd, to stay with us the night before the Clemson vs. USC game.

During the game... (I am smiling due to the glorious plays that the Tigers were making. Adam was smiling because I told him to but he was not smiling on the inside :)

After getting back to the hotel and resting up a bit, we headed to Sullivan's for dinner. I have posted about this great restaurant before but it never disappoints. We had a great dinner with Adam's parents and his uncle Donald and wife Dwan.

I had a fantastic weekend. I am sure that Adam and his family would change the outcome of the game but other than that they had a great time too.

Wedding bells keep ringing and ringing...

Last weekend, Adam and I headed down to Edisto Island, SC for a wedding. Taylor's friend, Jane, got married. She is a sweet easy-going girl and we were honored to be invited to share in her special day. Adam's parent's rented a beautiful house on the beach. It was a perfect setting for a weekend getaway. Apparently George Clooney stayed at this house in the past. There was a picture with a note from him thanking the owners for letting him stay there.

Friday was Ed and Cyndi's 38th wedding anniversary so we headed to a great dinner at a restaurant called the Old Post Office. Taylor and Steve headed to the rehearsal dinner that night but Tripp, Hope, Adam, and myself were able to tag along.

Adam and I at the reception.

So while we were sitting on our pews during the ceremony, Hope glanced over and noticed the below dog purse that was being worn by someone over the age of 7 actually she was more like 57.

Here is Adam and I with the beautiful Bride, Jane.

Ed and Cyndi

Hope and Tripp

This was in the background while the bride and groom were getting married. It was a beautiful backdrop.

Jane and Charlie's first dance as man and wife...(Her dress was absolutely stunning. If you have been keeping up with the blog you would know that Adam and I frequently attend weddings and this was one of my absolute favorites. It fit her perfectly.)

Jessica Mattison and I grew up going to the same church. It was great to catch up with her and her boyfriend Emerson. They are both in Dental School in Charleston.

Below was the wedding reception at night.

Taylor's best friend, Angela, flew in for the wedding from California. She is such a great person and has definately blessed all of the Parrish's lives. We all wish she lived closer.

"Oh Boy, Oh Boy"

On July 21 we were at dinner celebrating Adam's 27th birthday with his family. After eating dinner, opening gifts, and eating cake a small bag was found behind Adam that he had forgot to open. It was discovered and as he began to pull out the tissue paper a small ziploc bag was pulled out revealing a pregnancy test! I immediately screamed out in excitement. Now, I knew that it was not mine but Adam didn't and apparently his heart stopped for a few seconds. He looked in shock to me screaming. His response was "Ohhh, myyyy Goddddd!" Finally, Hope yells out "I'm pregnant!" and Adam was able to exhale. I did not realize that he thought it was mine but he did not expect to have Hope reveal the news on his birthday so he was so confused. It was such a great surprise. Hope and Tripp had told Taylor right before the dinner so Taylor actually videotaped the reactions on her digital camera. The lighting is very bad so you may have to watch it more than once to figure it all out.



Hope had her ultrasound on Thursday and it was discovered that she is having a baby boy! I am so excited for her and can not wait for another baby in the family. Hope is due in March 2010 and will be introducing Mr. Charles Presley Whitesides IV. We also found out a few weeks ago that Mason's wife, Kelly, is also pregnant! She is due in May 2010. Grace will now be a big sister. I can't wait to find out the sex of the next addition in December. What a wonderful year 2010 has shaped up to be...

My buzzing bumblebee..

My sweet niece, Grace, buzzed over to see her aunt and uncle on Halloween. She was so cute in her outfit. She was full of energy and lots of sugar! I am sure she slept great on Halloween night! I could just eat her up...

Adam and I were really excited to hand out candy to the kids in the neighborhood. Since we moved in January the neighbors have told us how busy Halloween can get. But we were not prepared for what was in store. We decided we would actually have a piece of paper by the door and would write down how many kids we had after each doorbell ring. We actually had 137! That is unbelievable. Luckily, we had stocked up on candy just in case.