Have Yourself A Merry Little...

Christmas may have missed the Bankston house this year... well, actually, duty on Christmas day happened. It's been nearly impossible for us to get excited about anything knowing that he will be working. Also, it's my second Christmas not at home with my mom and I've been having a really tough time defining what this time of year means to me without my family. I am happy to see people's hearts and minds turn toward Jesus and what his coming to Earth means for us. It's definitely worth celebration. But what do trees and lights and cookies and presents all mean when you don't share it with people who you deeply love...

In spite of my mood, I pray that joy, hope, love and peace are abundant in everyone's life, especially this day. Those are the thing Jesus brought us and what better way to celebrate. Merry Christmas...

First Snow Day of the Winter...

Although it wasn't as dramatic as last winter's introduction, Thursday's snow was a gorgeous reminder of the season...

Welcome Winter...

Erica...

I am always amazed at how incredibly strong and fragile we can be. What amazes me even more is how limited our perception of strength and frailty can be.

Erica had a physical disability and battled many health issues, but that never seemed to bother her. And if you spent more than 5 minutes with her, you would forget about it too. Her capacity to care and love far exceeded what her body allowed her to do. She was a natural caregiver and encourager... Very seldom was there not a smile on her face... I'm absolutely sure she would literally give someone the shirt off her back if they were in need. It was like she radiated light and positivity. I feel very fortunate to have known her and call her my friend.

She married a great guy that shared that same genuine giving heart. He's been her rock when she needed. It was beyond painful and strangely beautiful to see him care for and love her in her final hours here. He only left her side to refill his coffee and take phone calls. He invited us in to see her and pray and cry with him. He wanted her to be surrounded by the love she had shown the rest of us when she was able to. Once again, I feel fortunate to have seen such love and devotion with my own eyes.

After the difficult decision to remove her from life support, her heart beat for 33 hours before she passed. I like to think that her heart was so strong because she loved so unconditionally.

What Sarah Said...

And it came to me then

 That every plan is a tiny prayer to father time

As I stared at my shoes in the ICU that reeked of piss and 409

And I rationed my breaths as I said to myself

That I'd already taken too much today

As each descending peak on the LCD

Took you a little farther away from me
Away from me

Amongst the vending machines and year-old magazines

In a place where we only say goodbye

It stung like a violent wind that our memories

Depend on a faulty camera in our minds

But I knew that you were a truth I would rather lose

Than to have never lain beside at all

And I looked around at all the eyes on the ground

As the TV entertained itself

 

'Cause there's no comfort in the waiting room

Just nervous pacers bracing for bad news

And then the nurse comes 'round and everyone lifts their heads

But I'm thinking of what Sarah said: "Love is watching someone die"

~ Death Cab for Cutie : What Sarah Said

30 days has November...

And they have all gone by in a flash! It's been such an eventful month leading into the holiday season. I mean, balls and weddings, and gatherings with family and friends and a big win in the spotlight!

So when the weather starts to get chilly as it has in VA, all of our gatherings move indoors and usually involve some board game or, more likely, video game (cause the guys LOVE it and hey, if you can't beat 'em...). This night it was Mario Kart on the Wii all the way!

Yoshi in the lead!

These gatherings also involve food! And the more shareable the better...

  

FONDUE!

The landscape has changed so much since the beginning of the month. The trees are nearly bare now and the skies are a somber gray most days. But even gray skies can't contain the festive feeling that comes with mid November....

First festive event of the holiday was a pre-Thanksgiving wedding! My good friend Lisa married a wonderful guy in a small but very joyful and sweet ceremony and reception! LOTS of smiles that day...

LOVED the holiday decor

Then there was Thanksgiving which I spent at my mom's! We invited one of the guys from Travis' shop that didn't have family nearby. We had lots of great food and conversation... just what I hoped it would be :)

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but Travis' parents are amazing singers. They aren't trained performers or members of a band/chorus. Just a couple of karaoke superstars that can truly sing. His dad wanted to sing with a live band, so he entered a talent competition earlier this year and won! He was asked to come back for the finals where he would compete with 3 other singers for the top spot and a chance to be a regular at the theater. The competition was stiff but in my very humble opinion, he tore it up! Amazing performance!

And he won! I'm not really into country music but I can't wait to see him perform again!

We closed out the weekend with Thanksgiving dinner #2 with his family. More amazing food and we got to see some family we haven't seen in almost a year. It was a good time and quite frankly, I need to go into turkey rehab with all that was consumed in the last couple of days...

Now bring on the Christmas!!!

235th Marine Corps Birthday Ball...

This is the 3rd and possibly most fun ball I've been to so far. (Probably because I actually knew a few people well enough to enjoy their company... and I was familiar with the ceremonies, etc... and I wasn't worrying, AKA freaking out, about my hair/dress/makeup...)

It was held at the Gaylord National Resort in Maryland, just outside of D.C. The facility was gorgeous! I was in love with the huge atrium that felt more like an amphitheater and looked out onto the harbor. (Sorry I didn't get any shot of the view)

The ballroom was beautiful, the food was really good and everyone had a really good time.

(The back wall has a huge cherry blossom mural painted on it!!)

Travis' roast beef and potatoes.. YUM!

Incredibly delicious cake...

I'm kinda thrilled that I managed to take care of my hair and most of my makeup! (I had help with the eyes...) Not bad for girl whose routine usually involves a ponytail and chapstick...

I even managed to get a couple of dances out of Travis! :)

All in all, a great night!

You are mine...

While speaking with a friend recently about our husbands' hobbies (more accurately, their excitement and devotion to said hobby), she asked "Why don't we have anything that we are THAT caught up in?" I replied "Oh, we do. They are our "hobby". They are the one thing in our lives that we pour our time and devotion and love into..."

Seasons change...

The hubby and I went for a walk to take in the crisp autumn air and natural beauty this weekend...

And the jack o' lanterns on the stoops make it official...

 

The holiday season is upon us...

The colors of autumn...

It's that time of year! And the fall colors are at their peak in VA. Although I don't welcome the shorter days or the cooler temperatures, these vibrant hues are definitely one of the highlights of living here!

Hopefully more to come...

Oh, how the time flies...

As I tried to catch up with the rest of the summer, I neglected to post a new entry... Whoops... So here are the highlights of the last 2 months.

At the end of July, I was talked into we bought a motorcycle. After weeks of keeping one in the garage for a friend, he fell in love with it and decided he NEEDED to get one. I will be the first to admit that I wasn't in love with the idea (it fast and small and dangerous) but he convinced me that he would be safe, take a safety course and get something we could afford and both agree on. I couldn't really argue too much with that, other than my own fear for his safety. But it's been great! I've enjoyed riding with him and he has been very responsible. As a young couple without kids, I think it's good that we did this at this point in our lives.

Shortly after that he spent 3 weeks in Ohio at the NRA National Championships with the USMC rifle team. I went up to visit him there for a weekend. Port Clinton is a really nice place on the coast of Lake Erie (I think). And after a scorching VA summer, it was awesome to retreat somewhere cooler for a few days. The team did well this year, too.

We spent the end of the month on leave, visiting his family that we haven't gotten to see since he was on the road with the team. We hung out in Richmond and celebrated his birthday with his folks.

The following week visited his aunt in NC for the last long weekend of the summer.

I finally learned how to make chipped beef gravy, which is essential when married to a southerner :)

And to round it all off, his bestest friend/brother from another mother is headed to a new station. But I suspect we will be all together again sooner that we know.

So, it's been a fairly eventful few weeks. Now we are trying to catch up with normal life again and waiting to see what's next...