a weekend for the record books.

Its not even 7PM, and I feel like I should've been in bed hours ago. The weight of working more hours combined with other commitments have left me feeling like I haven't had a day off in weeks. Couple that with planning a wedding and shopping for Christmas and that's my life right now. I'm pooped.

I meant to blog earlier this week just to recap on what a wonderful weekend was had. Weekends like last come along once or twice a year, and I was sure to suck the marrow out of every inch while it lasted. And as quickly as a blink of an eye, it was gone. I'm so thankful that God instilled in me a love for pictures. Without that love, I would never have been able to capture the snapshots of this life.

Steph and Shaina came over on Thursday to help me bake Christmas cookies. Besides the fact the Shaina had to leave 15 minutes after arriving, the night was a success. Even after the failed attempts at frosting making and only using one cookie sheet, we ended up with these beauties...

Ever since 2007, I have had an insane love for Michael Buble. Adam bought us tickets to his concert in Grand Rapids for my birthday in November. And this past Friday, we finally were able to indulge our jazzed up appetites.

Adam bought us wonderful floor seats that made an arena filled with 12,000 people only feel like a couple hundred. What a blessing it was to discover that we were aisle seats as well! We were happy when we saw that we could leave whenever we wanted without crossing over people's laps, but we were ECSTATIC when we realized Michael Buble was coming down the aisles to see the fans! On his way back up to the stage, I reached out desperately -- yes, conjure up the image in your head: me screaming like a ten-year old getting ready to see justin bieber. holding my heart with one hand, scraping and searching for a piece of his clothing (or hair) -- to touch him. And instead of just touching him, he looked me directly in the eye and grabbed my arm. As in, HELD MY ARM. I screamed for the remainder of his walk up to the stage, but then fell into a comatose-like state. He touched me. Michael Buble just touched me.

After Adam and I each finished work on Saturday, we drove home to my parents to spend the night around the fireplace. Drinking coffee and snuggling with furry animals. Its one of our favorite places. After checking out the venue for our upcoming wedding, we went Christmas tree shopping with my parents to find the perfect 9', blue spruce, live tree. Rich with pine scents and pokey needles (that Dad will no doubtedly regret buying as he puts on the Christmas lights). We bundled in parkas and scarves, drank in cups of hot cocoa, and toured the gift shop that nestled perfectly in the southwest michigan countryside (okay, we bought a couple ornaments too!). After arriving, I was desperate for my Canon60D, but I left it in Holland. I'm so thankful that my iPhone could suffice!

isn't my mama gorgeous?

Monday hit hard. With long work hours, a daunting schedule for the week, and snow. Lots of snow. Holland received over a foot during the day on Monday, and although the soft flakes are gorgeous to look at through my sliding glass door, those flakes pair up with other flakes and create drifts and slush and then the worst...ice. I'm so thankful everyone in my family made it through our first snow storm safely. Here's to our next storm this weekend! I'm off to wedding plan and sort through Christmas presents. It's almost Friday, right?

december first.

the snowfall has quieted, and the flakes have nestled into each other creating a still blanket on the once green grass. the first snow of the season. the snow that everyone ahhhs and gasps about. seen as less of an annoyance and instead, a gracious complement, welcoming in the new holiday season. and to think, all of this happened on the first day of december.

so, i here i sit with my favorite cup filled with hot chocolate (sans marshmallows) listening to bing crosby and willingly welcoming what i've strove so long to put off: christmas movies, christmas music, snow, mittens, boots, and ice-scrapers. yes, folks. ice-scraper.

my ice-scraper and i had a reunion (a difficult one, mind you) this morning. stepping outside with 15 minutes to get to work, i see my car covered in a layer of snow...and ice. i open my driver-door (only to have snow fall in my car and on my sear), sigh one of those why-is-this-happening-already sighs, and start the defroster. tip-toe to the truck of my car and see it. my trusty, red ice-scraper. he's high-tech with his sturdy bristles and metal extension handle. and although i grudgingly said "hello" to him, we're now on even terms. i'm happy to have him; and he's happy to be out of hibernation...and to currently live on the passenger side floor.

however, the icy roads and i have yet to speak to each other again. he wasn't very friendly with his refusing to be plowed and salted. and he kept making me slip all the way to work. i forgot how rough he could be; i need to get used to it again!

and i say "hello" to another season, i wave "goodbye" to the other. november was good to me. real good to me. not only was it my birthday (22, holla!), but i got engaged, booked a wedding to photograph in may (!!), found a job for the season, and spent a beautiful day with my family this past thursday. turkey and gravy leftovers left me satisfied until saturday...when i realized i'd have to take a trip home to get more. i knew i should've taken more!

i have been blessed this past season...immensely. both with the big things mentioned above and all the small things in between: putting up the christmas tree with my love, spending a lazy night on the couch with a full pizza and the cat, going out to eat with my fiancé and talking about all things old. and now, after a day of work, i will sit back and enjoy it. because it can only be the first of december one day a year.