"If you want to be happy in a million ways, For the holidays - you can't beat home, sweet home!"

Just one week ago Zoey and I were waiting patiently for Timmy to get off work so we could make our trip home for the holidays. We had a very nice, but busy visit home f0r a few days and enjoyed our time with both family and friends.

Christmas Eve we enjoyed catching up with friends at the Walter's Annual Christmas Eve Open House, visited with Timmy's parents, had dinner with mom and Reed, and went to visit Annie & Zac in their new beautiful home in downtown Richmond before heading to church with mom. Christmas Day we opened gifts with mom and Reed, went to the Duke's for Christmas brunch, made a short visit to the Garfinkel family and then headed back to mom's for the rest of the day. That evening we enjoyed a great dinner mom made and were glad Timmy's parents were able to come join us. The day after Christmas we did a little post-Christmas sale shopping then headed over to Timmy's parents to celebrate Christmas with them and Jonathan, Mary Katherine, and Benjamin. Sunday we got up and had breakfast with Timmy and his family and then hit to road back to Charleston. It was a short but fun trip home and we are both grateful we had the opportunity to spend the holidays at home. Below are a few pictures from our holiday adventure.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning

Christmas Day Family Photo

Christmas with the Marsh's

This afternoon I am headed to Atlanta to visit my friend Tara and to go to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl to cheer on the Hokies tomorrow night as they take on Tennessee. Should be a good game and hopefully it will end well for the Hokies, I have been to lots of Bowl games and we have never won a single one I have attended, lets pray that this one ends different. Hope you and your family have a safe and fun New Year's Eve where ever you may be!

"I'll be home for Christmas, You can count on me"

The presents are wrapped and packed, our bags are packed, and all of the baked goodies are packed, we are ready to head home for Christmas! Zoey and I are patiently waiting for Timmy to get off work so we can start our drive north, not to to the north pole, but to Chester to celebrate Christmas with our family and friends. While we are only going to be home for a few days, we are looking forward to our visit which is sure to be filled with lots of eating, visiting, and celebrating.


Here are a few things we are looking forward to over the next four days at home:

* Listening to Christmas music the whole drive home

* The Walter's Annual Christmas Eve Open House

* Getting to see Annie & Zac's new home

* Our annual family Christmas photo at mom's with the camera timer, its always an entertaining few minutes of trying to get a good shot!

* Giving and receiving Christmas presents (I am really looking forward to hopefully getting the Glee CD!)

* Christmas morning brunch at the Duke's

* A Christmas Story movie marathon on Christmas day

* Christmas dinner at mom's

* Celebrating Christmas on the 26th with the Marsh's, and spending time with our nephew Benjamin.

* Spending the Holidays with our family and friend in Chester!



Things we are not looking forward to:

* The drive to Chester and back

* Not being able to see my dad over the holidays this year

* The cold weather that awaits us in Chester (it is supposed to be 24 degrees when we get in tonight!)


Hope you and your families have a very Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays from the Marsh's!

"There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow"

Well I know as I write this that most of my friends and family in VA and MD are still snowed in from the snow that hit the area Friday and Saturday. The same storm did hit Charleston, however not in the form of snow, but lots and lots of rain. While you all played in the snow, I drove my car down very flooded downtown roads praying that I would make it to the stop sign and not get stuck in the high waters as I drove home from work Friday. So while we have certainly had no snow, nor have we really toasted/roasted (I google searched and apparently there are versions of the song that use each word) marshmallows, we have certainly had the opportunity to host and attend several holiday parties!

Last weekend was our holiday party weekend. Friday night my friend Bethany from work had all of the girls (and their significant others) over for a fun night of visiting, good food, and some great wine. On Sunday we hosted two holiday gatherings at our house, luckily they were both potluck so we did not have to do all of the cooking for both. In the morning we had the women on the Panhellenic Council that I advise over for a holiday brunch and a winter wear gift exchange. That evening we had the Greek Life Office (GLO) Staff over for our holiday celebration. It was very low key since not all of our student workers were able to come. I have been told that in the past for the GLO Holiday party they did a White Elephant gift exchange, but the students this year decided rather than bringing silly gifts for one another, to donate school supplies to the local elementary school off their wish list. The food and company were great for both of the celebrations and Timmy and I spent most of last week eating off the left overs!

This past Friday our friends Libby and Tyler had a holiday open house to celebrate the season and to display the lights on their house. Unfortunately, due to the rain storm and some technical issues at their house, were not able to see the lights but we were once again able to enjoy good food, some great champagne wine, and the company of the great friends I have made from the College.

Timmy & I at Libby & Tyler's Holiday Party

Saturday we made a quick trip up to Columbia to complete our Christmas shopping and get our hair cut before the holidays. We also had the chance to get lunch with our friend Lindsay and enjoyed having the chance to catch up with her. Lindsay and her husband Nick were one of our only couple friends in Columbia that we grew close to during our short time there. Nick is in the Air Force and currently is over in Afghanistan, so we missed seeing him but were glad to see Lindsay and we definitely keep them both in our thoughts and prayers constantly, especially during the holiday season when they are apart, and we hope that you will also! Next spring when Nick returns to the states they will be moving to New Mexico so we are grateful for the opportunity to spend some time with Lindsay and hopefully both of them before they leave.

Timmy & I with Lindsay & Nick celebrating my birthday in May 2008

The past few weeks have been very bittersweet for me and my new group of amazing friends here in Charleston. It has been wonderful celebrating the season together but sad as we prepare to say good-bye to our good friend Heather. Heather and her sister will be leaving Charleston on Tuesday to move back to the Cincinnati area to be closer to their family. Heather was one of the first people I met when I started my job in July and she always went out of her way to make me feel welcome and at home and has been a great friend and mentor to me over the past several months. I feel so blessed to have had the chance to work with her and to get to know her these past few months and will certainly miss having her around. She is a truly amazing woman and I know she will do great things wherever her road in life may take her! Relocating and starting your life over in a new place is never easy and I am very grateful this holiday season to have made some very great friends who all work at the College of Charleston with me. They have welcomed Timmy and I into their lives and been a great support to us during our time of transition.

My Amazing CofC Co-Workers & Friends
Timmy and I both have a few days left of work but are looking forward to heading back home on Wednesday to celebrate the holidays with our family and friends in Chester. I hope as you all continue to prepare for the holidays that you take time to reflect on the many people and blessings that we all have in our lives and remember to keep those who serve our country, like Nick, and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

"It's the season to be jolly, and be thankful for all that we have"

I feel like every few months I am on here apologizing for being a bad blogger, but once again we have had a busy month and now that the holidays are upon us things have continued to be busy. Timmy and I both agree however that we have had so much to be thankful for this year and feel so blessed to be where we are in our lives this holiday season. At the beginning of November Timmy was offered a job here in Charleston with Citadel Broadcasting. He is still an account executive but is now working for radio rather than TV. While he had a hard time leaving his friends and co-workers behind at Raycom we both grateful that he is no longer commuting to Columbia every day.


I had the entire week of Thanksgiving off work and was able to head to Blacksburg the weekend before to go to the VT v. NC State game. It was great to catch up with with some of my favorite Hokie friends and to visit my favorite place on earth! I spent the rest of the week at home with mom as she continued to recover from her surgery. We had a wonderful time laying around on the couch all day most days, which was nice for both of us! Timmy came to Chester on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and we enjoyed Thanksgiving and the weekend after visiting with his family and spending time with Benjamin.
I also had the chance to get out and catch up with some friends on Black Friday at our annual Chester reunion that night. It was great to be home and catch up for a few days with friends and family.
Since we finally have a house to decorate we have enjoyed our real size Christmas tree and decorating the house for the holidays. We are hosting two holiday parties here for my students and have enjoyed getting everything ready. The preparations remind me a lot of getting ready for the annual Westra Family Christmas Party we had every year growing up. While there will probably be no singing or 12 Days of Christmas, and certainly not as many people, I feel blessed to have learned from one of the best hostesses I know, my mom!


The beginning of December also marks the Annual Meeting for the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, the professional organization that myself and others in my field are members of. I always enjoy the opportunity to catch up with old colleagues and friends, engage in some great dialogue about fraternity/sorority life, and to sharpen my own skills from the different education sessions. I continue to feel blessed to have a job that I am so passionate about and to work with so many other amazing professionals, it is truly humbling to see all the amazing things that are happening in our field!

There is a very brief update on our last month. Like I mentioned before, we have a variety of Holiday Parties coming up and we look forward to both attending and hosting!