No Shave November

I dread No Shave November because that means when I kiss my husband I get stabbed with a thousand little needles in my face. Joel just doesn't seem to get my pain. So, I tried to convince him to shave by refusing to shave my legs. That did NO good. All it did was make my showers shorter and give me warmer legs. He was sweet to shave a day early so that I could enjoy a date night with my smooth-faced hubby. However, I continued to plead my case in hopes of him never growing a beard again. So, this is how he found me one night...We laughed hysterically for about 30 minutes. He called me the blonde gnome. And, I forced him to kiss me. I think he's still traumatized. Maybe, he'll think twice before letting them whiskers grow again.

Other highlights of November were...

Celebrating the first birthday of the cutest twins. Ironically, Emma and Dalton turned 1 on 11.11.11. I can't believe how big they are now. They are both smiley happy babies. I'm sure they keep Joe and Steph's hands full, but they are wonderful parents and somehow manage to stay sane with all the craziness in a house with twins.
Ford turned 3! We celebrated in Columbus with grandparents. The Lord definitely blessed us with a sweet little man. He just melts my heart with everything he says and does. We are so thankful for him. He teaches me about God's tenderness and grace all the time. I love that his favorite thing to do is give us hugs. We got some quality time at Nonna and Grandaddy's...complete with great conversation, "tractor" rides, and mexican coke.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Lexington, KY this year with Rebecca and Ethan, Bandit and Mylie (the dogs), and Grace and Zeus (the horses). We were definitely thankful that Granna got a new, bigger car so that we could all ride together. We stopped by Knoxville on the way to prove to the kids that there is another college in this world. We took them on a mini tour, showing them campus, mommie's favorite restaurant, and the tree where Joel proposed to me. The kids loved getting to ride horses...and Granna even rode too. I witnessed firsthand how hard Ethan and Rebecca work. They have a lot to balance with barn responsibilities and their jobs. I think they're hoping that the barn will become their full-time job in the future. They work hard...but they love it. Tennessee was playing at Kentucky that weekend, so I thought it'd be fun to get to go to a game (and thought that I'd actually get to see a UT win...a rare occasion lately). We got the hook-up with seats in the coach's family and friends section. Of course, it was the Kentucky coach's families, so I couldn't wear my Tennessee orange and I had to cheer under my breath, but they were great seats and it was neat to talk to a lot of the player's families. We moved to the UT section at the half so I could actually cheer out loud. That was a good move since the game had a sad outcome for the Vols. Click on this pic to see more from Thanksgiving.

This is the tree where Joel proposed to me 10 years ago.
It was a sweet memory to get to share with our kids.

And, we ended November by getting our tree stuck in the garage!

It was a great month of celebrations and time with family. I'm excited that the Advent season is here. I've been realizing more and more lately how limited my love is and how broken I am. I loved what I read in my Advent book today..."We can only stay together (in friendship, marriage, and community) when the "staying power" comes from the One who comes to stay. When we know ourselves to be deeply anchored in that divine covenant, we can build homes together. Only then can our limited and broken love reflect the unlimited and unbroken love of God." (quote from Henri Nouwen's Lifesigns)