80 Years of Family

This weekend I was happy to be an event photographer for Lindley's grandmother's 80th birthday party!  Her family hosted it at Table 16, located in downtown Greensboro, which was a perfect atmosphere for gathering together to celebrate!  

With a handmade stand displaying various flavors of cupcakes and a selection of bite size appetizers, the food and wine added to the casual elegance of the party.  Photographs throughout the decades were scattered on the tables partnered with a "What Happened in 1933" fun fact sheet.  Her grandmother was surrounded by family and friends, including two girlfriends that she has known since the first grade!  Can you imagine being able to stay in touch with someone for almost 75 years?!  

The entire afternoon was full of love and joy, as people reunited with relatives and family friends. With laughter and small talk, I felt so welcomed.  It was so nice to spend time around people who exuded kindness and good karma and who were enjoying the moment with the ones they loved the most. 

Christmas Family Dinner

Happy Friday Everyone!  I hope this weekend starts off a great holiday week for you and yours!  Last night we had our Greensboro Family Christmas dinner!  If you didn't see our Thanksgiving Feast, we have a dinner for almost every holiday; since we all go in different directions, its nice to all sit down at a table to talk, and laugh, or watch a movie together like civilized adults, not just a group of kids who met in college.  The ladies have fancy beverages and the boys talk on the porch until everything is finished cooking and we take our seats at the decorated table setting.

This time Vlad made lasagna, Emma & Eric brought rolls, Lindley (sadly Nic was still resting from knee surgery and didn't dare try to make it up to my third floor apartment)  made the mashed potatoes, Garrett & Jaklyn sponsored the green beans and I put together the salad and cranberry sauce.  We watched The Polar Express and Charlie Brown's Christmas, ate candy canes and cupcakes, and argued over which year an old movie came out or retelling old stories.  

Einstein, who has become the mascot of our family dinners, was thrilled to have the boys there!  Between Derek, Coley and Garrett he never got a moment's rest and proceeded to instantly fell asleep on the TV stand once everyone had said their goodbyes.  But our family dinners always seem to end to soon, but is always a perfect addition to our own holiday festivities!  (Thanks Coley for the amazing photo above!  It captures the night perfectly!)

Happy Holidays Everyone, From Mine to Yours!

Corner Bar

Corner Bar is one of Greensboro's local dive bars that's been a place where we've all congregated on weekends for years.  It's a place where you can sit in the booths or on top of them, play a game of pool, enjoy the fancy jukebox, or play a few arcade games.  For us, it's become a place where we celebrate weekends or birthdays, honor lost loved ones or exboyfriends, or have a girls night out or a "Greensboro family" night together.  It also happens to be one of my favorite places to go during the holidays because it's so festive, with it's cozy atmosphere, strings of light and stockings, and of course the annual upside down Christmas tree and Santa Clause!

I also happened to find a new Iphone App that transforms your camera into a personal, portable photobooth, which of course we couldn't resist using for our entire Saturday night.  So here's a post of us being silly on Instagram and Photobooth; a piece of our holiday to share with you!

With Love,

Hannah, Vlad, Lindley, Nic, Emma, & Eric

Festival of Lights

This Friday was Greensboro's 24th annual Festival of Lights!  The first Friday of each December becomes the one night of the year, when downtown Elm Street fills with people, music, and snowblowers!  This was my third year attending, and it's gotten better every year!  Strolling down the sidewalk, feels like you're walking through a radio channel finder; first you'll hear a chorus group, then within 20 feet an acapella group will come into range, then another 30 feet a jazz band will tune in and then a few more feet an acoustic guitar and violin will sound.  Every genre is represented along the street adding festive Christmas carols to the atmosphere. 

The event also marks the lighting of the city Christmas tree in the center city park.  Next to the fountains and statue garden, it becomes a holiday landmark of Greensboro.  All the stores, salons, galleries and restaurants stay open late, serving hot chocolate or hosting games.  The local newspaper, The New & Record, hands out red reindeer antlers, wore by kids, adults, and puppies alike. Snowblowers are set up at the center point so the street becomes a winter wonderland!   This family friendly affair has become a holiday extravaganza for all ages!

Early Thanksgiving

         Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday!  It marks the start to a new season, and since I've lived on my own, its a time to enjoy with my family!  This is the week that marks the beginning of all the holiday festivities!  As Thanksgiving is this Thursday, most people travel back to their hometowns by Tuesday or Wednesday to spend time with their families and have a few days to eat good food and relax a little.  I can't wait to spend the week with my own family in Concord!  

          So to kick off the holidays a little early,  we had our own traditional Thanksgiving dinner before we all left Greensboro in different directions!  We each chipped in to put it together: Vlad cooked the rosemary and sage turkey, David brought the rolls, Derek helped with the mac & cheese, Lindley and Nic made the stuffing, Eric and Emma brought gravy and cookies!  As a party of 10, and having a Christmas movie as a background, not to mention all the extra mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pasta salad and pumpkin or apple pie for dessert, our family dinner was a perfect setting to say hello to the holidays, as this season is all about realizing what you're thankful for and cherishing the family and friends dearest to you.

Homecoming

          This time of year always brings my favorite event of the season….Homecoming!  While I was still in school, it was time of year to meet new people and celebrate on the busy campus with a week of activities!  But since I've graduated, it's become a time to reconnect with old friends and spend a little time on the campus that has a special place in my heart.  It's always interesting to meet those who have crossed ahead of you and to look back at those who you've surpassed.  UNCG has been a home to so many amazing people, and homecoming is one time every year when we can call it home again.

           This year I spent most of the weekend celebrating alongside the guys who I spent so many crazy weekends with all four years of college!  Friday night was the kickoff event, at a private lounge in a local Greensboro brewery with a bar, pool table, darts, and big cozy couches where all the alumni got a chance to mingle with the new faces and spend a night out on the town!  

          Saturday was more of a progressive party, and while wearing Spartan blue and gold, I couldn't wait for the day's festivities!  They began with a bloody mary and mimosa brunch, serving mini queshes and breakfast items to start out the day. After the morning mingle we headed to campus with the younger crowd and spend the afternoon playing cornhole and enjoying the company of other greek tents and more recent alumni.  The campus events were all family friendly and provided balloon animals, moon bounces, and an arts & crafts table set up for the kids!  My EUC (UNCG's student center) worker reunion was also Saturday afternoon, and went great! It was so good to see the people who I had spent so much of my college career with!  I worked there all four years so many of them have seen me grow up!

         We ended the day with dinner and a party that went into the night for alumni, brothers, and friends!  I couldn't have asked for a better day, or better people to spend it with!  Happy Homecoming UNCG!