Not too late to post about Turkey Day I hope!

Not on top of my game!

But let's be honest.. When I posted about Halloween on Halloween

we all knew it was bound to go down hill from there.

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful!

We hosted for the first time and I was scared out of my mind. 

Honestly, I was probably overly OCD.

I wrote out a list of all the food and how long it would take to cook..

Then made a whole schedule for the night before & day of, so that I would 

know when to do everything. Crazy lady right?

First off.. the table! (done the day before.)

We only had cheapo plastic plates and I made Kevin let me

get glass ones and fancy (98 cent) glasses.

We are super classy right?

I went simple (translate: lazy) on my "center piece" and used pumpkins 

we got for Halloween but never carved.

The night before, I also did a bunch of prep. Like cutting stuff up, making dressing, etc.

But that is boring so it doesn't get a picture.

Thanksgiving morning I made a pie by myself for the first time!

I was probably a little too proud of it.

It tasted DAAANG good.

But it was kind of ugly.

So it also doesn't get a picture.

Meanwhile, Maylen plays with her pilgrim and indian paper dolls.

More cooking, more cooking, blah blah blah

Then I got May ready for the day...

Darn thing looked SO cute I had to forget about

my scheduled day for a sec and do an impromptu photo shoot.

I mean really...... my heart explodes on the daily!

Cooking, dishes, cooking, dishes.

The trend continues..

..but I got to stare at these precious works of art.

So I can't complain.

Maylen enjoyed a mid-day treat and ate a cornucopia "craft"

she made with our nanny buddy the day before.

(this was supposed to be done with pointy cones but we only had ones with a flat bottom. So it isn't beautiful. But May had a blast making it and picking out her snacks to go inside.. so who cares!)

A couple we became friends with through Kev's program came over.

We lounged, watched sports, chatted, and played games.

Although I was way too worried about the food to actually lounge

and was in and out of the kitchen the whole time.

(Luckily our apt is tiny so that is like two feet away.)

My crazy lady list might have been a little overboard..

BUT IT WORKED! Everything finished at the same time

and was PERFECT!

Finally it was time to eat.

Started out with this beautiful salad that was even yummier than it looks.

Yes, I am tooting my own horn. Not sorry about it either.

Kevin carved the bird. So manly.

Then we stuffed our faces with traditional Thanksgiving spoils.

It was such a great day to reflect on how richly blessed we are.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Moving across the country hasn't been easy.

There are lots of hard, homesick days.Especially around the holidays. 

But getting to be with Kevin & Maylen  is pure sunshine.

I love these two more than I can possibly say and am

the luckiest to be able to spend my days with them.

We hope your holiday season is as happy and magical as ours has been!

--Lots of love, the Holcombe's--

Fall in love.

Fall is fabulous. It's no secret.
I mean have you ever met anyone who doesn't like fall?

Anyway, we've been loving it.

Pumpkin patchin' our days away.

Painting pumpkins (slash acorn squash)

And... of course, HALLOWEEN!

(Toddlers know how to party.)

Maylen is obsessed with Peter Pan. For real OBSESSED.

While every other girl in the world is on their Frozen kick, May May

is sticking with the classics. And I'm just fine with that.

So... we really had no other option for costumes this year.

We just thought happy thoughts and they lifted us into the air.

(so candid guys. so candid.)

Why I believe

Washington DC temple- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Last week, we went to a special event at the Visitor's Center of the DC Temple. It was a fantastic night!

Before the event started, we browsed an art gallery they had there. The talent in this world is unreal. Like.. I can't even write straight if I don't have lined paper and then there are people who can do this.

Meet our friend Will! Kevin has been able to go out with the missionaries a couple times to get to know him and teach him more about what we believe in. Wonderful guy right there! Will I mean. Kev is wonderful too though. So I guess clarifying is a bit unnecessary. Anyway, he came with us and it was so fun to have him along for the ride.

So... I'm browsing the art gallery. Some religious works. Some not. Then BAM I run into this beauty..

...and for a second I got to pretend I was home. And I might have cried. (I did) I miss these gorgeous mountains so much. And the lovely people who live below them? Don't even get me started. So thanks Karl Thomas! (I couldn't help myself from snapping a picture so I could feel at home anytime I needed it. No copyright infringement intended Karl. PROMISE!)

Then we were spiritually fed! Like a spirit Thanksgiving dinner. There were a few speakers, who were recently baptized within the last month or so, telling us why they believe the gospel. Hearing their conversion stories and how they came to know the truth was so inspiring.

It was such a beautiful reminder to me that our Heavenly Father is so aware of each of His children. 

He knows the fears, worries, and desires of our hearts and 

He truly wants what is best for each and every one of us.

So.. Why do I believe?

I believe because I have felt the miraculous gift of the Atonement in my life. I believe because every time I hear our living prophet and apostles speak, I am filled with the most peaceful feeling of comfort and assurance that they are truly inspired by Heavenly Father. I believe because the earth and the human body are the most amazing creations that could NOT have occurred without a Master Creator. I believe because priesthood blessings remind me that God's power is still on the earth today. I believe because families are too important to be temporary. I believe because if I didn't, I would be lost.

Christ lives. He loves me. He loves you.

ps. can General Conference be my favorite holiday? Because I am stoked for this weekend.

Second chances.. or like fifth.

Hey people. Let's face the facts.

I'M A TERRIBLE BLOGGER! Like pretty sucky at it.

I have never blogged one wedding picture.

I have never even mentioned my darling off spring because

I haven't blogged ONCE since becoming a parent. What?!

I even tried starting a second blog since I was so terrible at updating my first one.

That logic was flawed. In hindsight I can see that.

For real though, what was I thinking....

I wrote on that blog even less than this one.
Why didn't someone stop me?

But here's the thing all 13 people that follow my blog:

I want to NOT be a terrible blogger.

Especially now that I live far away from my beloved people.

I'm not going to make any promises but I really am 

going to try to have an updated, interesting, and FUN blog.

So umm... I know. This one is ugly.
Don't spare my feelings, I know it is. I tried.
I failed.
I am seriously not technologically savvy.
At ALL.

So does anyone have tips or
know someone who makes blogs pretty and WON'T
charge me a small fortune to do so.
Cause people.. living on the East Coast is a lot of things.
But one thing it isn't is cheap.
We've never been so poor.
But enough about that.

I hope at least a handful of you are as excited as I am about
my blog overhaul. I think its going to be awesome.

Here's a picture of my family to prove to you guys that I'm serious.
It's like when Ariel signed Ursula's shining gold contract with her perfect signature.
Kind of.

It's been a while..

I haven't blogged in a while.. so here are some updates:

I get married next month.

I don't feel completely prepared. But I do feel completely ready. Does that make sense? What I mean is, there are still lots of things on my to do list but I have never felt more sure of a decision as I am about this one. I am SO ready to be sealed to my best friend. He is everything to me. Everything.

ps. all you unengaged or unmarried people: When you do get engaged... make it short. Seven months is a LOT longer than you think.

School is out!

I love not being in school... Graduating will be one of the highlights of my whole life. This last semester was a tough one. Chemistry? Not my best subject, which is really too bad considering that I have to take six Chem classes for my major. So I'm just going to have to suck it up. Also, I will admit I was not as focused on my studies as I should have been. Any one has been around me within the last 11 months can testify that I have typically one thing on my mind. Kevin. But anyway.. This is going to be the best break from school I have ever had because I get married and go on my honeymoon. Pure bliss. Then the day after we get back, school starts. Booo...

We have a home.

Kevin's brother and sister-in-law just bought their first house. It is darling!! They have decided to rent out their basement to a cute new married couple. You guessed it--Kevin and me! We are pretty anxious to move in. We've gotten a few peices of big furniture in there and will be moving more soon. I am thrilled. I am sort of lame.. I am almost 21 and have never moved out. So.. June 10th will be my first day out of my daddy's house. I am finally growing up. This makes me even more stoked to move into our darling new house, decorate it, and make it our home.

5 things I love about Kevin

1. He is super aware of people around him so is always looking for ways to make people happy.

2. He has the most beautiful eyes this world has ever seen. Truly. I love the color and his eye lashes are to die for. (I hope he passes his eyelash gene down to our kids.)

3. He'll spontaneously go limp like a wet noodle so I have to catch him and hold him up. It makes me laugh every time.

4. He cries a lot. Every cute movie makes him cry.

5. He hates 3D movies.

puff

This isn't a post about smoking or a magic dragon. It's about my puff. It's been my puff for a little over two years now. "Puff" is just a cuter way of saying muscular hernia.

Once, I got in a big sledding accident. Yes, sledding. It's more dangerous than people realize. I broke my tibia and fibula (this is just a side note-- but I get really bugged when people say fibia.) Both breaks were compound, which means they sliced through my skin and were sticking out. Gross I know.

Because of that, in a little area on my leg, the bottom layer of skin that holds everything in tight is gone. So... my muscle pushes forward and sort of bulges out. That is my puff.

It's annoying.

It's ugly.

It is painful.

It looks like an alien is going to pop out of my shin at any second.

It freaks people out.

It is tricky to shave over.

BUT

..it has one really good perk, which inspired this post.

It holds up my boot perfectly!

I have this pair of grey boots that are quite handy in the winter months. They are comfy and they are warm. They go a little passed mid-calf. They have cute buckles on the back that I love. The only problem is.. they fall down sometimes. Well only the left one does because my puff doesn't let the right one slip.

I do NOT want another puff on my left leg. But I am trying to think off how to get a puff equivelant for my boot. Any ideas that don't involve my bones??