Thanksgiving 2012

Family, food, and football.  What more can you ask for on Thanksgiving?! 

I am blessed beyond measure with a sweet, fun, and loving family.  We enjoyed a delicious, traditional Thanksgiving meal, complete with chocolate pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.  (Yes, just as sinfully delicious as it sounds!)

And, TCU was victorious over UT! Completed my Thanksgiving perfectly. 

Sister and I always have a photoshoot on Thanksgiving.  It's tradition.

A few throwbacks:

2011

2008.... and of course we had to get Jager involved!

2007

And my favorite from this year:

I'm continuing this turkey day break by playing with friends-- more about that on Monday!

High Five for Friday

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1) Perfect fall color for my mani/pedi pampering

2) Annual sister photo shoot on Thanksgiving.  So much to be thankful for!

3) Read this from Taylor Swift in my Cosmo magazine (my guilty pleasure), and couldn't agree more. All the success and beautiful things in life mean nothing if you don't have anyone to share them with!

4) TCU beating UT for the first time in Austin since 1967 was the best Thanksgiving present! SO proud to be a Horned Frog!

5) You're never too old to come home for some of mom's cooking. 

Hello, Thanksgiving Break!

I'm taking a half day at work today and will get the next four and a half days off.  Hallelujah!

It didn't hit me until yesterday how ready I am for a break.  I love my full life, but a lot has happened the past few months, and I realized I haven't taken a single vacation/sick day since going out of town for my Grandpa's funeral in August.  Whew!  

Sometimes you just need a little rest and respite, which is what I have planned for the next few days.  Along with family bonding time, eating turkey and cheering on the Horned Frogs against the Longhorns, and spending time with friends and hosting a "Friendsgiving" party.  And going to see the final Twilight installment with my sister.  Don't judge us!

What are you going to do with your Thanksgiving Break? {I hope you all get some time off!} 

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." -Psalm 100:4-5

Fun-Filled Fall

To counteract the Monday morning blues, I wanted to share about the fun things I've been up to for the past few days!

Chihuly Nights at the Dallas Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum had a special exhibition of Chihuly's beautiful glass pieces on display for the past few months, and I finally went to see it! All of the pieces are lit up for Chihuly Nights, and they have a concert series as well where guests can set up a picnic, listen to music, and wander around the Arboretum viewing the gorgeous pieces.
Nature, art, music, and wine all at once? What's not to love?!

Live music on the lawn, and everyone set up dinner picnic-style. Such a pretty night!

Loving the purple, obviously

TCU Homecoming
My Little, Ashley, came to DFW this weekend for TCU Homecoming! She lives in Kansas now, so our time together is always so special.  She got in late Friday afternoon, so we spent the evening shopping at NorthPark, my favorite mall in the area, and dined at La Duni.  If you haven't been there, you need to try it!

TCU friends! Rachel, Kayla, me, Lauren, Ashley, Alissa

We spent most of Saturday at TCU, catching up with friends at the Frog 5 Tailgate (for graduates from the past five years) and of course watching the game.  We lost to Texas Tech by 3 points in the 3rd overtime, but it was an incredible game and our team didn't go down without a fight.  Still so proud to be a TCU Frog!

My Little and I at the Frog 5 Tailgate

My Family Line at the alumni reception- Hannah, Meridith, Callie, Kayla, Ashley, me!

After the game, we stopped by the alumni reception for our sorority, Tau Beta Sigma.  Great to see so many of my sisters!

Botanical Gardens  
I caught up with a TCU friend who was in town for the weekend, and we spent Sunday afternoon at the Botanical Gardens.  In all my time at TCU, I think I only made it over to them twice, which is a shame because they are so beautiful! The weather was unusually warm, and I loved walking around enjoying nature.   Definitely will have to make another visit there in the spring!

Counting my blessings after all of this fun with wonderful people, and looking forward to the rest of the fall!

Sunday Social: Fall

This week's Sunday Social is what we love about Fall, and since October is my second-favorite month of the year (after December), I am eager to participate!

Fall Favorites:

Cooler Weather Accessories
The extreme cool front in Dallas this weekend had me pulling out my jeans, boots, long-sleeve shirts, scarfs, coats, etc.  I can't even describe my level of excitement yesterday when I looked through the "fall/winter" section of my closet and realized the new outfit options I'll have as the temperatures finally stay cool.  As much as I enjoy summer, I was burned out on 100+ degree days and my summer wardrobe!



State Fair of Texas
In my opinion, if you grew up in Dallas/Fort Worth or have lived here for a significant amount of time, you HAVE to go to the State Fair at least once.  I went with my parents every year when I was a kid and loved the rides and fun houses.  And, I actually went to the Fair with my friend today!  It's definitely crowded, but there's something for everyone-- auto show, petting zoo, livestock, shopping, rides, and of course, tons of food.  I had to get a classic Fletcher's corny dog, and the chocolate dipped turtle cheesecake was to die for!


College football
Even though my TCU Horned Frogs lost yesterday, and therefore gave up the longest winning streak in the nation, I still love them.  The spirit of college football is so fun.  


Scary movies
I enjoy scary movies, and what better time to watch them than October?!  I've seen quite a few of them, and of course, it wouldn't be Halloween if I didn't watch the classic Hocus Pocus. 


Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
As soon as Labor Day passed, I felt it was acceptable to begin consuming this delicious fall beverage.  I'm also a big fan of their salted caramel mocha frappucino.  Yum!

A Little Spice

Most days are ordinary and insignificant when you look back on them. 

As much as I love variety, honestly, most of the time I prefer to have a routine and know what to expect out of a new day. 

The past few weeks have been filled with plenty of the ordinary--wake up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, watch TV, spend time with friends, go to bed. Repeat.

But, these things have definitely added a little spice to my life as of late:

1. I moved! Into my very first post-college, grown-up apartment!  Much more on this to come in later posts...

2. I met a very influential, inspiring individual.  I wish I could share who it was, but I have to leave this one as a mystery.  Let's just say it was an honor to meet them, and I won't soon forget it!

3. I witnessed a crime.  Sounds dramatic, but fortunately it was a small crime, and I am perfectly fine! I was driving by a row of parked cars, and about to pass one stopped in the middle of my lane, when I noticed that two guys had smashed in the window of a parked car and were in the process of putting a stolen stereo into their own car.  They looked right at me, and I realized I needed to get out of there and call the appropriate authorities!  All of this was in broad daylight...and I am kicking myself for not getting the license plate number! Next time look out, bad guys, I'll be ready.   
I suppose I can cross this off of my bucket list?

4. I was the lucky girl who found a man's wedding ring that he lost in the middle of a football game.  Read all about the "ring fling" here. 

What unusual things have added a little spice to your life lately?  

Where did November go? And, um, half of December...

I have been a very bad blogger lately! I feel like November flew by (I guess I just stayed really really busy), and we all know how crazy December is!

I am currently sitting on my bed, next to my boyfriend who is home in Texas for an entire month (!!!), and we decided we had neglected our blogs for far too long! So check out his blog (alexmckeemusic.blogspot.com) and then read below to hear a little about what I've been up to!

A majority of my time has, of course, been occupied by work. This is a good thing, however, because I really enjoy what I am doing and (most of the time) it doesn't even feel like work. As I've mentioned in my previous posts, part of my job involves coordinting the Center's young professionals' group, the Think Ahead Group, and at the beginning of November we celebrated two years for TAG! Alex was able to be there and see me in action/finally understand this organization that I am always talking about! The event was both of a time of celebration and a time of sadness, because the mother of three siblings who were part of TAG's founders passed away from primary progressive aphasia, a type of frontemporal dementia, the day before the party. Their mom was a huge inspiration for the creation of TAG and has left behind such a legacy.


Having Alex home for a few days in November was wonderful....and now have having him here for a month is a dream come true! Hopefully we will have lots of good pictures and memories by the time he has to return to Los Angeles for the last semester of his master's degree.

Thanksgiving was spent with my lovely family! As is tradition, the Carter sisters took a Thanksgiving photoshoot. The last one is going to be our Christmas card picture!






And, of course, I have been spending time with my sweet friends! Sometimes we are bad at taking pictures, but these hit a couple of the high points--last TCU home game of the season with Jenna, and my Women's Group Christmas Party! Looking forward to even more fun in 2012 with these ladies!


Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all of this, I turned 24! I don't feel that old, but somehow I am! My wonderful co-workers surprised me for my birthday, complete with pink and purple cupcakes, and after work I had delicious sushi with Marissa and Jenna!

Stay tuned for my next post...I hope that the topic is going to become part of a regular series for me! (If I can remember to update this thing!)

I hope you are all doing well this Christmas season and filled with joy from our many blessings as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. I know I have much to rejoice in!

Falling Into Fall

I have no idea where October has gone, but I have stayed busy with work and play!

New Beginnings
My roomie of four years, Caroline, moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams. She's going to be a production assistant for CBS Films, and I am so proud of her!
We threw her a going-away party before she headed for the West Coast:

Me, Caroline, Jenna....roomies forever!

Rachel, Kayla, Caroline, Callie...plus a photo bomber!
Never forget your roots!

Care and Alaina


State Fair
I went to the State Fair of Texas for the first time in many years with a few good friends. When we were leaving, we ran into one of my best friends from TCU who I had been thinking about just the night before, and who Caroline had really wanted to see before she left for LA. God is so amazing!

Me with Jessica!

Jessica and Caroline
The photographer was supposed to get Big Tex in this too, but oh well!

Homecoming
Last weekend was TCU Homecoming. This is my second homecoming as an alum and the first one where it didn't feel strange to not be a student anymore...guess that means I'm growing up! The weekend turned out to be a blast- I spent time with some of my favorite people and there wasn't a dull moment! My little Ashley came into town and ended staying with me for the whole weekend, which was so fun. We headed to campus Friday night for the parade and pep rally, then had delicious tex mex and margaritas at Yucatan Taco Stand, one of my faves. Saturday was the TBS alumni reception and the game, where we beat New Mexico 69-0...GO FROGS! After the game, Ashley and I had sushi at another Fort Worth favorite, Edohana, explored Charming Charlie's, and then met the rest of our TBS Pink family for dessert.

Sarah, Hannah, Me, Kim, Ashley O., Kimmy, Ashley L.

Allison and I....love this pic of us!

My Little and I, cheering on the Frogs like old times!
Meridith, me, Ashley, Kayla, Callie, Audrey

Frogs for the Cure
I got to enjoy more Frog football on Friday night with Morgan at the Frogs for the Cure TCU vs. BYU game at Cowboys Stadium! We beat the Cougars 38-28 and it was fun to hang with Morgan--I'm so glad she's back in Dallas!

Morg and I!


I have lots of specific things to blog about, so stayed tuned! : ) Happy almost Halloween to all!