Merry Christmas

I just wanted to say I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the Christmas moments!! Maybe take a moment for yourself and be remind of why Christmas is filled with such joy!

Here's some of my pre-Christmas activities since being home.

Hello and Goodbye!

Hi Blogger world! I am still here, I am alive, I have just been so very busy this week! Taking a couple days off to go to my cousins wedding put me surprisingly behind. But, it was so worth it!

Michigan was amazing, as to be expected. Seeing my family was even better. I cannot express the joy, contentment, and happiness when I am surrounded by those I love. I really do cherish and love my family, recently it has hit me how blessed I am. My family is truly a gift from the Lord and I am so thankful he put me where I am!

Here are some pictures from some time spent in Michigan and the drive back!

Sisterrr!

Pupppppyyyyyy

Little Bro! They won their game!

Pumpkin Patch!

Our snacks for the ride up!

The drive on the way back!

Needless to say, I had a GREAT time and I love fall things! Speaking of fall things- It is FRIDAY! And I want to fill you in on what I am doing this weekend! [Drum roll please!]... I am dedicating this ENTIRE weekend to fall... [Thank you Pinterest] From start to finish. Fall activity's- Falltivites!

Starting with some Hot Cider 

Recipe

Adding some Carmel Apples

Recipe

If I am feeling brave, some Chocolate covered apples 

Recipe

Of course, a scary movie! Which one should I see? 







And If I'm feeling really, really brave Pumpkin Bread

Recipe

Tomorrow I am going to a flea market with my, (drum roll please) boyfriend! And then hiking to the top of a mountain, maybe visiting a winery, making lunch and hopefully hitting up an Apple harvest festival, I have found six that are happening this weekend! I'll have some fun stories to tell and cute pictures to show on Monday!

I hope your weekend is full of fun fall festivities! If you are running out of ideas, I will 'leaf' (get it!) a list of a few things for you to do!

Yes, we are ALL single. [I know, we can't believe it either]

Traditions, Traditions, Traditions!

[I encourage you to play this song as you read this blog. It may make it more interesting] 

My family is all about tradition. Thinking back to when I grew up (oh, so many years ago) I can think of numerous traditions my family clung tight to for as long as we could.

1.  The Candy Cain Hunt. [My mom would give us all different flavored Candy Canes and hide them around the house, the kid who found all of theirs first won!] This was never really my favorite tradition because my sister was way to competitive about it [and always won... just like at Easter] and we always ended up with weird flavored Candy Canes by the end. [No one wanted to eat them.] 
2. The Pumpkin Patch. This was BY FAR my FAVORITE event of the fall season. We would all pile up in our red minivan and head to Heritage Farm pumpkin patch. We would listen to Adventures in Odyssey on our way and discuss the type of pumpkin we wanted. And of course when Halloween rolled around so did the book, The Ghost Eyed Tree and Dad's Halloween song. (He still calls all of us and sings it on Halloween. I'm telling you, we are all about the tradition)
3.  Christmas Tradition. Why do we insist on Dad waiting to bring  the gifts to the tree after we are asleep? We all know Santa is NOT real. But, That's just what we do, cause it is TRADITION. My family is stubbornly stuck on traditions... There is a continues argument every Christmas about moving where we open Christmas from the basement to the living room... It is always 3 verses 3. But, Chandler won't be at Christmas this year.... So, maybe I have a fighting chance? Christmas in the living room anyone?

So, this is a little taste of my family. My family who have come to mean so much more to me over the past year of my life. Sometimes, at the end of everything, all you have is family and that may have been all you needed in the first place. I am so thankful for them and so blessed to belong to this amazing and eclectic group or clan. (As my mom reefers to us, 'The Collins Clan') 

2006? or 2007?

In the UP representing our family Roles. Go ahead and take a guess at what they are. 

2007? At  another 'Back to School' tradition. :]
Which I reinstated this summer, with dinner and coffee.

Let's go youngest to oldest. 

This is my little brother, Guthrie. or GU3. or Gunther. or Goose, whatever really. His personality matches the description you would seem to gather in these pictures. He's starting his Senior year at Calvary and I think there might be a sigh of relief once the last Collins kid leaves the campus. We may, or may not have been instigators throughout out our many years there :]] 

Turtle Hunting, another Collins tradition.

  

This is my older sister, Blythe. Who will probably not read this blog post, because I know she sees blogs as a waste of time, and that is just one of the many differences between us. I think our differences have brought us closer the past 5 years and maybe not sharing a bathroom helped a little as well. :] 

This is my lovely and super smart sister. Always doing something, always being somewhere, always with someone, or making friends as she goes. She has recently picked up photography and check her out, she's SO great! I love her. We had a longstanding tradition of spending Spring Break together, in Florida with our Grandma for about 5 years? This is one of the many pictures we took on the Spring Break affairs.

Florida... 2007?

Florida 2009?

Last Spring in the Burg.

And, the oldest and most wise sibling,Chandler slash Chan. I love my big broski. He has a blog as well, check it out! He has moved to Israel for the year. [Tear.] But, not because I'm super proud of him going and doing something different. I love to claim him as my older broski and he's seriously fabulous. And, if you were inquiring, he LOVES being named Chandler, especially because of its natural association with the popular TV series, Friends.

This pretty much sums him up.

Please note both shirts represent the amazing state of Michigan.

And of course, we can't forget Mom and Dad. These two people are responsible for the weird, quirky kids we are.  I thank God everyday to have parents like them. I know I am a really blessed girl and I cannot forget that. My parents are pretty awesome in their own quirky kinds of ways as well.

My dad has an iphone... and he is really good at taking pics like this, and mass texting them to all of us kids.
My favorte one was when he texted me a pic of him in a do rag, and asked if it looked alright.... and texted me another pic with a different one asking which one looked better.

My beautiful Mom! Who was really the mastermind behind
all these wonderful traditions and memories!
Our family would not have these funny and wonderful memories without her!

And lastly, the most recent and probably most loved member of the family... Meadow.

So, this is my family. I love them all. Now, after meeting all of us, I think I should tell you, we are all single

And yes, we love Michigan. Very much. So, don't mess.