The Greshams...: Fall

Well, I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving! We had a great one with family, friends, a decent amount of food and lots of Christmas decorating. On our way to lunch with Justin's family on Thanksgiving day, we talked about how we felt more in the "holiday" spirit than ever this year. I think it is because it was 40 something degrees outside, I was holding a pumpkin pie, we had a big 'ole pot of green beans seatbelted in the backseat, Christmas music was on the radio and every building we passed along the way had Christmas decorations up already. We just felt so dang jolly. Hope you felt some of that, too.

Pumpkin Pie. Handmade sign....not so much handmade pie.:)

This was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple and I just really could not be more thankful for Justin and our wonderfully supportive families. Thanksgiving will always be a special holiday for us as two years ago, Justin asked me to be his girlfriend AT his parents house. On Thanksgiving day....in front of most of his family. (So, we had just started dating and as soon as I arrived at his house, he greeted me at the front door asking if he could introduce me as his girlfriend rather than "Courtni, his special friend." I said yes :) and the rest is history). This year, he had no pressure - we are legit :) We enjoyed a great meal at The Greshams, watched some Cowboys football and helped our cute nieces make a gingerbread village.

After lunch, we headed over to my parents house for more Thanksgiving festivities! After dinner, more pumpkin pie and watching the Ags bring home the big W in Austin (whoop!) at my parents house, I began to suffer from some MAJOR Black Friday shopping decision-making anxiety. After scattering out all the newspaper ads and looking at all of the once-in-a-lifetime "door-buster, early bird" specials that were going to be happening at freakish hours of the morning (night?!), I really started to freak out about where I should go and what I was going to get. This was weird, not because I had trouble making a decision (I'm fairly awful at being decisive), but odd because only hours before I vowed to never shop on Black Friday, that those "doorbuster" people were nutso and told myself there was really nothing that I had my eyes set on to purchase. BUT because of Facebook and it's incredible way of making you aware of what every person you know is doing and a fear that I might miss out on getting all of my Christmas shopping done for $100...I felt I just had to go. I begged Justin to go, but he hates shopping with a burning passion so pair that with losing sleep and that's just not a person I'd probably like to be around. After trying to convince several other family members to go with me, I decided that sleep is a pretty good thing and I would skip out on the madness...this year. I did wake up to be at Hobby Lobby (my first and true shopping love) at 8:00, though, and bought a bunch of stuff NOT on sale. I was probably the only person that day that bought things full-price. Hey...when ya need paint....ya just do what ya gotta do :)

All in all, it was a wonderful day and I am just so grateful for the amazing people in my life and how truly blessed we are. I am reading a book now called "Lord, Change my Attitude" (it is really good, fyi) and the day before Thanksgiving I read this quote in it that I really loved. I'll end my Thanksgiving blog re-cap with it - enjoy!

‎"Thankfulness is the attitude that perfectly displaces my sinful tendancy to complain and thereby release joy and blessing into my life."