Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Now

high above Brevard

Smores downtown

Dupont Hike

It has been about two weeks since I last updated our blog.  My lack of writing isn't due to the absence of activity, but rather the opposite.  Since our arrival in Brevard we have been very busy.  It hasn't been the crazy busy we use to experience in York, but rather a busy based around fun activities, building friendships, and learning the area around us.  We participated in a downtown festival, gatherings with friends, and beautiful hikes in the Pisgah and Dupont forests.  We are truly blessed to be here and we appreciate every moment of the adventure.  

I know that many of you thought us crazy for making the decisions we did a year ago, but for us it has been one of the most blessed experiences of our lives.  In the past year we've had the opportunity to watch our kids experience so many cool things for the first time and to truly experience joy in a way I've never seen before.  

In light of the heart-breaking events of the past week and all the posts I've read on Facebook, I can say with full honesty that we have no regrets.  It is for reasons such as these that we didn't want to wait until it was too late to do something crazy and fun as a family.  We've watched so many loved ones pass in and out of our lives over the years - the best of friends gone way too soon, Pappy's & Mamaw's, grandmom's, aunt's and uncle's, and sweet little pookies struggling with cancer - we didn't want to wait until something tragic happened to ponder what might have been.  We can't control everything that will happen in our lives and this was our chance to enjoy the moment, to seize the day "Carpe Deim" as Robbin William's stated so emphatically in Dead Poet's Society.

So, as many of you ponder over the events of this past week and look for answers and some sort of peace, I can only encourage you  to remember that life is short and you should seize the day.  I truly hope you have a blessed holiday and  and as I said in my facebook post...consider doing one thing in the upcoming year that is a little crazy or outside the box that will be a moment you will never forget!  We did and it's been an amazing ride!  

A Christmas Story

 Today, we took a trip to the local Christmas tree farm where you could pick and cut your own tree.  The view from the hillside was spectacular.  This was a brand new adventure for the Meile crew. We've never had a real tree for Christmas and then to be able to find it and cut it ourselves was a wonderful treat.  

We roamed the hillside looking for the perfect tree.  It was a steep grade so climbing to the top while searching for our little evergreen was challenging, yet fun.  Once we all decided which tree we wanted to harvest, Dave and Lauryl worked at cutting it down.  Even Grace got into the action and finished the last few strokes of the saw.  Then, Camden took the lead, as he and Lauryl carried our Christmas tree down the steep hill.

Once we were at the bottom, the kids helped bind it and load it on the roof of the jeep.  It was a beautiful sight; three happy kiddos and a beautiful tree to take back to the cabin!

Once we got it back, we had decide whether we wanted it inside or on the back porch.  After much consideration, we opted for inside with the hope that Poette and Dempsey would not mess with it too much and that our allergies would not get too crazy.  

Lauryl helped Dave get it inside and set up.  Once it was in its stand, they put on the lights; a strand of illuminated shotgun shells in various colors.  The kids hung their ornaments from Gammy which fit our rustic theme.  We then began working on some homemade items to complete the look.  Our garland was a crocheted strand that Lauryl found in a bin of craft things she got from her great-grandmom Meile who recently passed away.  We made paper snowflakes and we tied bunches of holly on the branches which we found in the woods around the cabin.  We hung several shells we had from our time at the beach this year and Lauryl and Grace decorated sand dollars we found in Destin.  

Tomorrow we are planning to go to a craft fair where we hope to find a few more handmade items to add to the tree. Overall, it was truly a special evening and probably the most memorable since I was a little girl.  As I prepared to take this picture it brought a smile to my face seeing my son's pellet gun sitting there and remembering one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time.  It is a great beginning to what I hope is a really wonderful Christmas story for us!