Thanksgiving Surprise

Tim came up with a both brilliant and deathly idea to drive through the night to surprise my family for Thanksgiving! The drive went about how you would expect it to but the vacation was above and beyond and their faces when we walked in the door made it so worth it.

It was a perfect long weekend filled with pool time, sun bathing, beach walks, bike rides, family games, delicious food, and broken elbows. We were so lucky that the whole fam was gathered and that Ryan was able to come too! Gemma loved her family time more than the Murphy dog time or the pool time but we will work on that.

For a more beautifully curated post, see the sister blog.

Trick or Treat

Maybe now that it's Christmas I should actually post Gemma's Halloween pictures.

Gemma had two halloween experiences which is perfect for her two halloween costumes. CUA hosts a halloween on campus as a safe alternative with trick-or-treating through the dorms and food and games. She went as our little lady bug with red riding hood, Clare, her best friend! On halloween night we skipped the actually knocking on doors aspect (she already had enough candy to carry around) and went as a strawberry to a brief party at our neighbors and then made our monthly trip to Costco... only remotely festive.

Golden

My perfect husband and beautiful best friend threw me a surprise party for my GOLDEN birthday this fall and it was amazing. Of course the decor was stunning and the food was delicious with Shannon party planning and Tim made sure that the the surprise went off without a hit. Best part is, all of my closest friends came to me without my need to clean or prepare and I was asleep in my own bed by midnight. Dreams come true!

Annapolis

Tim likes to take me on small day trips for my birthday. He know I love to explore a new (or new to him) town and try new foods. I tend to spend a lot of time on yelp, and the anticipation alone is a great gift! For my 25th birthday in October we went to Annapolis for the day, I have already been to Annapolis (college) but Tim hadn't and t was a great use of the day with Tim's dad visiting. 

We started with a lunch at Chick and Ruths for milk shakes and crab cakes, or in Gemma's case, pickles... And then we walked the city while wandering into and out of shops. The best thing is that Tim cannot hurry me along when it's my birthday. And we also meandered through the Naval Academy with an awkward outfit picture, you're welcome!