One Happy Family

I recently wrangled my guys into a family photo session.

There were a few moans and groans....but...overall, everyone promised to behave and smile for the camera.

We met the photographer at the local park on a Sunday afternoon.

The leaves were beautiful. The weather was amazing. It was simply gorgeous....

A perfect day for pictures.

A great day to celebrate FAMILY.

all photo credits: Dana Kogod Photography

Great memories.....

Weird Fascination

A few weeks ago Bob and I took a Sunday afternoon jeep ride through the National Forest. It's one of my favorite things to do. I wanted to visit a couple of old cemeteries that are tucked away in the mountains.

I love to read old tombstones.

This monument was placed by the family at the entrance to the cemetery. Notice the dates on the tombstone.

The names and dates on these stones have long since disappeared.

I can't imagine what life must have been like for these families. The isolation, the hardships...how did they manage?

I'd love to hear their stories.

2011

Happy New Years from the Williams Family.

My goals for 2011?

Balance.

Bible Study.

Create.

Be Joyful in all things.

Worship

Celebrate.

Love more.

Snow and a Girl who loves taking pictures

Equals a perfect opportunity to practice with the shutter speed.

Boys, Snow, and 4 Wheel Drive

It's not often we get a White Christmas in the South. Here in the North Georgia Mountains, we may get a cold Christmas or a Christmas with a light snowfall but rarely do we get a 6 inch snow.

Miss Katie loved the snow.

We got up on Christmas morning and made the decision to stay put. Or at least I thought that was the decision. The guys were convinced they could make it to Granny and Papa's house. They were sure their 4-wheel drive trucks could handle the road.

I think they just wanted to play in the snow...big boy style. Instead of sleds and snowmen, they wanted to slip and slide in their truck.

Instead of driving the main roads, we chose the National Forest Service roads. The drive through Cooper Creek Wildlife Management area is one of our favorites. The snow was beautiful. I could have taken pictures the entire day!

Here the guys wait on me while I snap a few more photos. We were the first ones to ride through the area.

My Alma Mater

This is the smallest school in the state of Georgia. It houses grades k-12. I graduated with a bumper crop of 12 students! I love this school.

We safely arrived at Granny and Papa's house for Christmas Dinner and were only 25 minutes late :)

Merry Christmas 2010

Just a few pictures from Christmas 2010 at the Williams' Arena

Adam playing his new Washburn acoustic guitar. He was just a wee bit excited. Actually he was blown away. He posted on facebook that he got the "best Christmas present ever!"

This picture is for the in-laws in Iowa. We had plans to travel to Iowa next week but the snow is keeping us at home. This was the third or fourth shot. They were actually smiling in the first two pictures...unfortunately someone had their eyes closed in each picture. By the time we managed to get a picture with everyone's eyes open, the smiles were gone. I didn't press my luck and ask for another picture.

From our family to yours - Merry Christmas!

His "Happy Place"

Clay came home last night with an armful of boxes and a big grin on his face. It seems he had made the "purchase of a life time." He had several boxes of Mustang car parts that were going to make his truck run faster. *ahem*

He was out the door early this morning to get more needed parts for the truck transformation. Something about having to design and build a one-of-a-kind air filter...

I looked out the back door and this is what I saw. I thought to myself, "Well, Clay's found his happy place this morning." My next thought was, "and he's working in his new jeans and shirt." Ughh....

Oh my goodness, how I love this boy. He is such a delight.

He assures me he will stay clean and not ruin his clothes. I have my doubts.

Here's my kitchen table with all the "goodies" spread out.

His automotive genius can't be bothered right now with cleanliness and organization :)

A Snowy Morning

The view from the back door this morning. What was supposed to be a 60% chance of snow became 100%. We had around 2-3 inches...more than enough to cancel school for the day. Our driveway is on the other side of the picket fence and curves around through the trees in the background. Bob can easily get up the driveway in his 4-wheel drive; it's going down the other side that gets tricky. Too tricky for me, I'd rather sit in my kitchen and watch the rest of the neighborhood slip and slide on the hill.

I was more than happy to stay at home by the wood stove. Which also happens to be Katie's favorite spot.

What was going to be a hectic week filled with work commitments and meetings suddenly became manageable.

We enjoyed every moment.

Undefeated....

Adam's middle school football team competed in the championship game this afternoon. We were undefeated going into the game.

His team will finish the season undefeated. The last time the middle school won a championship was 16 years ago when his coaches were in 8th grade.

29-0. Not too shabby.

Number 1.

They worked hard to make it to the championship. Weight training and conditioning all summer, games and practice Monday through Friday from 3:30-6:00.

The trophy and a drink cooler dumped on the head coach.

The memories that will last a lifetime.

Here are my two football players. Zach is looking a little woolly this week. We've been on fall break so he has skipped the razor a few mornings. Next year they will both play on the same team. Zach will be a senior and Adam will be a freshman.

This is a terrible picture but one I'm glad I caught. After taking the picture above, Zach whipped Adam around and made a comment about tackling offensive players and knocking them into the ground.

They do love to tackle.....I guess all those years rough-housing together had a purpose.

Sweet Days...

This is the view outside my bedroom window. I think the leaves are going to be gorgeous this year.

Meet Katie

Isn't she the sweetest thing? We're all pretty smitten with her.

The last of the beach pictures...I promise

We drove to Corolla Beach for our last night. This beach requires 4-wheel drive. We loaded up everyone in the back of Bob's truck and headed down the beach.

You can see why a 4-wheel drive is needed. We looked at a rental house in this area. It was beautiful but not easily accessible. You had to drive at least two miles down the beach before you reached the houses. We didn't even attempt to go to the end of the island. We were afraid we'd get stuck.

Final beach picture...and a good visual reminder to start that diet when I get home.

There are wild horses that roam the Corolla beach area. As we were leaving we spotted this group. The sun and the horses were all in the wrong spots to get a good picture.

Adam and Cage (my nephew).

Zach and Colton - They kinda bonded on this trip. Colton's personality reminds me so much of Zachary when he was that age.

Final picture of the grandparents and grandkids (minus Clay who had to stay at home and start college).

It was a great trip.

Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands

Adam, Avery & Seth getting ready to climb the stairs in the lighthouse. They made it in record time.

We had to take a ferry similar to this one to Ocracoke Island.
I love the color blue. If I lived on the Outer Banks, I'd have a house this color.
Ocracoke Island
This house was adorable. The gray siding with a bright yellow door. So pretty.