A Thankful Weekend

This was our crew!  I don't know how many years we've been doing this tradition of a family picture before dinner but I'm thankful for all of them as well as the people in them :)

This time next week every person in this photo will be a BELL!!!  Wedding week is upon us. . .

I'm linking up today with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday

It will be a short work-week for me!  We have a new person onboarding onto our team today, all-day New Employee Orientation tomorrow, and then I'm off to celebrate a new beginning for Robert & Ellie :)

We've been talking songs for this day - I found this one that I love so much.  I'm hoping they use it for their photo slideshow at Rehearsal Dinner. (I just saw the video he made for the song when I looked up this link - WOW, exactly what I would have thought for it.). Here is the refrain:

Hold on to these moments 
They're flying by so fast 
Take the time with the ones you love 
Like a chance you can't get back 
Make a million memories 
So when you're old and gray 
All the faces in those photographs 
Smile back at you and say 
You didn't let the days God gave you get away

We're doing Tim McGraws Humble and Kind for the mother-son dance.  Ellie approved :)

I heard this song on Release Radar earlier this fall and sent it to the engaged couple - it is another good one!

Robert asked me to make a collage for them with the pictures he printed for their engagement party and then I added a few:

Got my hair done Tuesday then Erin blew it out and styled it Thursday as a practice run:

Dresses (and shoes & jewelry) are ready:

Still have a few last-minute things to put together but other than that, we're good!

Wednesday I got to volunteer at the Fantasy of Trees here in Knoxville - it was so much fun!!  It's been a long time since I got to work in a "service" position - I've missed it.  I worked with a teacher in an adjoining county.  Our job was to turn money into tickets to spend on all the activities that had been set up for kids and their parents at the event.

Tom came by after my shift and we walked around then went out to dinner on Market Square.  It was a great date night!

This guy was the star of the show at Thanksgiving - little Joe B is only 7 weeks old!!

He didn't "just sleep" but it appears that's all I got pictures of - ha!  I remember I was outside with him once and didn't have my phone - he is such a cutie!!  Definitely the star of the show.  He lives with two cats who haven't yet warmed up to him. . .

I finally finished this book - I really liked it until about 10 hours in. . .then it got stupid and I wanted to quit but had already put so much time into it so went ahead and finished and was glad that I did.  I would recommend it to READ, so you can skip some of the nonsense. . .but it really DID give me some things to think about - like how the people we surround ourselves with determine some of the direction in our life and how, sometimes, you just need to work at it.  Also, how it's never worth it to "try to make it work" if it just doesn't (she ended up married to her ex-boyfriend three different times in the rotating husbands and never was it good).

Thursday was also my sister's birthday and she had both our parents with her - 

What a life I will have lived if Tom and I get to be with any of our children on their 52nd birthday someday :)

The day after Thanksgiving is a BIG DEAL for our hosts too - they love making an entirely new meal that isn't turkey - this year it was pulled pork, ribs, and wing drumsticks.  SO GOOD.

  

This was NOT a highlight of the weekend - a very low point, actually.  Hate to end the season this way - but super proud of Vandy and their efforts this year.  

Luckily, I had the Hallmark Channel to balance out the sad football - Ellie watched Christmas Above the Clouds with me Friday night, That led me to Blind Date Book Club and then I finished the weekend with A Grand Ole Opry Christmas - me and time travel this weekend!!  Last year I watched A Biltmore Christmas - the guys in this house are fascinated with our ability to watch the same storyline with the same actors in movies with different titles ;). What should I watch next??

I now have this staring at me from my perch on the sofa on Sunday night - Ellie and Robert came over after the game on Saturday and helped me put up our new tree!!  I wasn't sure if I was going to do it this season and Ellie was having NONE of that - Christmas is her favorite!  So. . .thank you, Robert, for bringing someone into the family that will share my love for having a festive atmosphere for the holidays :)

My cup certainly runneth over this Monday morning, the 1st of December 2025.  Share a memory of a special wedding from your life in the comments!

Ellie is using our cake topper, which was Tom's parent's cake topper in 1964. . .so happy to have that link between our weddings with them :)

Love,

Jenni

Hold on to these momentsHold on to these moments
They're flying by so fast
Take the time with the ones you love
Like a chance you can't get back
Make a million memories

So when you're old and gray All the faces in those photographs Smile back at you and say You didn't let the days God gave you get away They're flying by so fast Take the time with the ones you love Like a chance you can't get back Make a million memories So when you're old and gray All the faces in those photographs Smile back at you and say You didn't let the days God gave you get away

Hold on to these moments They're flying by so fast Take the time with the ones you love Like a chance you can't get back Make a million memories So when you're old and gray All the faces in those photographs Smile back at you and say You didn't let the days God gave you get away