Christmas Parade!

Once again, this post is super late. Whoops. Charlotte, Katy, Katie, and I went to the Blacksburg Christmas parade December 6th. I could only stay for 20 minutes, because I had to attend my last 180 as MC of IV. None the less, it was a blast. I got a free candy cane and got to see the kids in the highschool band playing and the girl scouts marching. So good. My saying this year has been "Christmas soul." Like I said that going to the Christmas parade (even though it was only for 20 min) was necessary for my Christmas Soul. Or seeing the Christmas lights, or drinking hot cocoa... all to satiate the Christmas soul haha. Anyways, home now. Stoked to rest, hang with friends, hang with the fam, go to Georgia to see my aunt and uncle. So much fun to come! 

Charlotte, Katy and I

Roommate Katie! 

Roommate (from last year) Katy

CHRISTMAS PARADE!!!!!

Fake snow! What!?

The givin of the thanks, or as some call it Thanksgiving...

This year for Thanksgiving I went to the Shoaf Thanksgiving at 12:30. Rachel Rocamontes is one of my oldest and best friends. Her family (the Shoaf side) is like my family; her grandparents have actually un-officially adopted me. I legit am in a picture with Rachel on the family picture wall- score! It's pretty great! So this year I got to celebrate with them. It was DELICIOUS!!! And so special to see them all and catch up. Then my family, just us six (Ann Marie, Chip, Travis, Megan, Nate, and I) had Thanksgiving dinner at 5:30. Once again, so yummy. I actually felt sick though after my second Thanksgiving meal in one day haha. SO WORTH IT THOUGH! Usually family get togethers are pretty crazy, but this year was relatively calm and enjoyable. That's something to be thankful for! Even though my family is, well straight up difficult (me included in that for sure!), I love them so much I can't even describe it and am so thankful for them. 

Bowling, Noms, Movies and so much more!

     Sunday we went to church, I hadn't been to Trinity in forever so it was nice to go but it felt so different. I definitely didn't feel like a part of the church anymore, such an interesting feeling. Blacksburg has slowly become more like home and parts of Norfolk feel less and less like home. It makes me super curious to see where I will end up next year, where I will create a new home!? Then Sunday afternoon we went bowling and then went to Mexican where Nate and Noah joined us, as well as, Charlotte (child-hood best friend) and her boyfriend Evan. It was a blast!

     Monday Megan had off work and so we slept in, worked out, and then got massages. It was amazing, the lady who gave me a massage said I had ridiculously tight knots in my shoulder and back. We pretty much just chilled the rest of Monday: made stir-fry, watched a movie, went to bed early.

     Tuesday Dad and I saw Catching Fire together and then I headed to the Beans' house for Pumpkin Football and a yummy chili dinner. It was my first year being able to come and it was so fun. It was rainy and muddy, but I kinda feel like that made it more epic. We did have an injury though, which was a major bummer:/ This sweet girl Alyssa broke her arm! Eek! 

     Today was cooking day. I woke up, baked the stuffing casserole, chocolate chess pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole, peeled and cut the potatoes, and snapped the green beans. I had a lunch break: got to join the siblings and Grandma for lunch. Tonight I'm headed to Virginia Beach for Freddie and Mary's engagement party.

Bowling with the Fam and Friends:)

Lunch with Granga (Travis, Nathan, Jessica, Megan, and Granga)

Made it home

So I left Blacksburg Thursday around 2 and headed to Lynchburg. I got to spend the afternoon and night with Grandma Gracie and Papa John. It was so nice to see them. We had a really nice spegetti dinner Thursday night (John defrosted some of his yummy mushroom sauce for the vegetarian- SO YUM!). I legitimately couldn't keep my eyes open at 9:30pm so I went to bed and slept so well. Friday morning GG and I baked some treats for my Richmond visits, then John made his special waffles and we had a nice brunch. I loaded up the car (dad needed some furniture brought home that he had been storing there). Then on to Goochland! I spent the afternoon with Steve (the farm manager from this summer) and his family. I got to visit the farm, it looks so different. There are so many awesome renovations, it was so nice to go back. I miss it for sure. The Miles fed me dinner, Mandy is such a great cook and I love spending time with their fam. Then I headed to Richmond, got to see Owen and his parents which was really fun. They live right on the James River, it was beautiful. I finished the night by heading to Glen Allen to stay the night with Taylor. Had a nice lazy morning with Tay and then had lunch with Kate (farm friend) and got to see her and her boyfriend Ben's new place. It was awesome! I left Richmond around 2:30 and got to Norfolk around 4:10. Dinner with all the siblings, Megan's boyfriend Tyler, and Papa Charles and Billie. It was really fun! It is definitely nice to be on break and be home. I had been home for 4 days and August, but other than that haven't been home since May. Crazy!

Fall Retreat!! Better Posted Late than Never:)

Catherine, Jamie, Me, and Alyssa:)

I got kinda close to the bulls eye haha

Teen Band Pic! Nathan, me, and Ross

The infamous blob!

Throwback pic: my old small group girls:) 

Frisbee. Dat Bro Life...

My First Frisbee Tourney

Roommate Katie

The Kelsey's

VT Team Y: We won 3 of 4 games! 

The whole frisbee team: costume tourney whoop whoop!

Halloween

We are the Spice Girls! Get it? :)

Sinkland Farms With My Small Group

This is my wonderful co-leader Jamie Hoover

This is one of our freshman, Alyssa. She is also on the frisbee team- such an awesome girl!

Fall Break in Lynchburg!

PUMPKINSTIEN

Pumkinstein was this weekend with my roommate from last year, Katy Huggins. Pumpkinstein is a tradition of these three families that participate and has been for over 30 years!! It rained a lot:/ BUT was still a blast. We ate a yummy vegetarian chili, sang around the fire, and so much more. But some are secrets of Pumkinstein and therefore I cannot disclose that information to you. So sorry, but it is how it must be. My pictures are captioned and reveal what I am allowed to tell you:)

Pumpkinstein is always in Winchester, VA! 3.5 hour drive... just me and Katy Bug Hug

Don't worry, we know the owners! They invited us!

Katy was not havin this, but we drove through it anyways

Katy and her sweet sweet Grandma Louisa 

The campsite. Tents and food behind me, open woods in front of me.

Katy and Kels:)

The carving of the pumpkins

OHHHH!! This is not quite Pumpkinstein... this was a 10 min away field trip to Katy's grandma and grandpa's home. Which they build every single thing themselves and they are fully sustainable. Like chop down their own wood for fuel, pump their own water, grown all their own food. SO COOL!! I was lovin this so much.

They thought because of housing regulations they had to have indoor pluming, then they ended up not having to so they turned them into something else:) 

Their wood for this winter. 

Their house, which if you can see the plants on top is largely underground. This keeps it from never being under 52 degrees and never over 85. AMAZING!!

The shed

Work bench

They are drying onions! Just like I did:)

THIS IS SO OUT OF ORDER HAH. NOW WE'RE BACK AT PUMPKINSTEIN!!

The theme this year was Zombiestein! See the zombie pumpkins! 

They are surrounded by a fire/ fireworks. Katy has those pics since my phone died. So I will add the explosion pics later haha