to josefinaangelicaclairejuarez

happy birthday, sean-y

if you're in Utah...

 

decembertime

So far, NC seasons are right on.
Fall lasted right up to Thanksgiving and through November. Perfect, right?
Thanksgiving is all autumn-y if you think about it.
I missed capturing the Japanese Maples around the house—
the last to turn colors (and they turned a stunning lipstick red!)

Just four days into December, and NC was ready for Christmas.
So were we—ringing in the season with a Christmas train ride, thanks to Mangums!

A real-deal steam engine, guys. And a diesel engine at one point.
And these tickets! Love tickets...

 These are all the smart people that knew it was going to be just a few degrees over freezing and that the train was an outside deal.

This marked my first time being COLD in North Carolina.
{Even through Fall, it was not often sweater-weather for me and the self-heating system that comes with the growing belly. I spent much of November with the windows open to counter the heat.}
So perhaps you can envision my get-up.
Chacos? Yes. I promise I was fine until the train started moving and wind became a factor...

 One lovely boy captivated by the Christmas NC woods.

 Another lovely boy captivated by the dark smoke of the engine.

(I couldn't help but drift back to memories circa 2002 when Ashton was smitten by trains
so much that he'd hear the engine miles away and request that we stop everything to go watch it.)

* * *

And later that day?
THIS!

 
RIGHT outside our back door. Seriously, is there anything more Christmasy?

OK, snow on bamboo is not more Christmasy, but I couldn't get enough of the snow.
This was the view out all our windows. It seemed more snowy in real life, of course.
Visiting the grocery store that day was a hoot too. I guess it wasn't just a joke that
"everybody freaks out here when it snows." I was there for a few things in the afternoon—
in the thick of the snowfall. People were filling double-carts and the line at the register
took as long as my shopping. The cashier was an hour overdue for her break and said the store had been that crazy since 6am!

Bottom line: I'm loving Christmas in NC. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm not in the thick of finals and I can DO any Christmas-y thing I want. But maybe it's just NC...