home for the holidays

The holiday season has been particularly sweet for us because after a semester of non-stop studying, Cori has had four glorious weeks off of school.  I have been soaking up the extra time and have loved just seeing my hubby relax.

We spent most of Christmas with Cori's family (we alternate years) but started and ended our travels in Richmond.  The Friday before Chrismas was one of my most favorite traditions- our annual girls dinner.  These ladies have been in my life for decades, and I love this intentional time together to laugh, talk, and make our yearly predictions for each other's lives.  It's been so neat to see our group evolve over the years as we've grown and changed, adding husbands, babies, boyfriends, etc into our lives.  I so hope we will continue this tradition for years and years to come!

On Saturday, Cori and I met up in Short Pump- he'd spent the night at a bachelor's party in Blacksburg- and headed out to the boondocks where my parents live.  We had a great time with them and enjoyed Christmas part 1 as we ate dinner, exchanged gifts, and hung out.

Sunday morning we went to church with my family, caught up with friends, ate a quick lunch with my parents, and then headed out to Lancaster, where Cori grew up.  We spent a wonderful few days with them- relaxing, eating various sweets, playing Cori's old Super Nintendo, lounging by the fire, and playing Settler's of Catan.  We enjoyed Christmas part 2 with them and in general, were so blessed by the generosity of both of our families.  Also- my mother-in-law is a wonderful cook, so we enjoyed a fabulous Christmas feast with Cori's parents, his brother, and his brother's girlfriend.

so... I had a winning streak with Settler's and my competitive hubby was maybe not so keen to take a picture to celebrate my win ;)

my sweet mother-in-law

Christmas morning!

goofy hubby

old-school

deliciousness!

so thankful for another Christmas with this guy

Tara & Bruce!

The day after Christmas, we got breakfast with a few of Cori's high school friends, and then started the 4-hour trek back to Harrisonburg- with a stop in Richmond.  We spent a quality afternoon with a bit more of my family- my parents, my aunt & uncle who were visiting, and my brother.  My brother got ENGAGED the Sunday before Christmas, so even though his fiance was with her family in Missouri, it was so fun to get to see him and give him congratulations in person.  The only picture I took was this one...

some much-needed relaxation for this PA student!

Then, it was back to Harrisonburg and back to work.  We were so thankful for time to spend with our precious family and friends!