It is Often Those REAL Moments & Holidays Our Hearts Remember the Most and Our Favorite Traditions

 Hi Friends.

I thought I would share  a story.

It was Thanksgiving of 2004.

The early morning sun was bright, the air was crisp, I was hopeful.

My husband & I had packed our hatchbacks and with our 2 dogs, we bravely drove out of our adorable Colorado neighborhood.

Leaving behind friends & memories to be closer to our families on the east coast.

We where headed to Richmond, Virginia.

A new beginning.

As we drove my heart was heavy as I had made amazing friends, had a job I LOVED & created a beautiful life there.

But at the same time I was content.

I had missed our families so much!

So we drove, looking only ahead, not back.

As I drove I kept thinking, I am hungry:).

 For the first time in 3 months I actually felt like eating.

You see I was 14 weeks pregnant with our first beautiful boy & I had horrible morning sickness, up until that moment.

I couldn’t wait to eat!!!!

But…..nothing was open.

We kept driving, hitting a few rest stops along the way, filling up on chips & snacks.

We finally hit Salina, Kansas & decided to call it a night.

In the pouring rain, we snuck in our 2 tired puppies.

We got settled & I was starved.

John drove around for a while until he found a truck stop that was open.

He walked into our room drenched & in hand was 1 turkey sandwich, apparently they only took cash:(.

So we split it & it tasted SO good!

As I sat there on the bed  in our motel room, looking over at John

I realized that I had been with my family the entire time,

myself, John, Sadie, Murphy & our beautiful baby boy growing inside of me.

We were our own little family & it was on that Thanksgiving night I FINALLY got it:).

I got up & as I  past the mirror,  I lifted my shirt.

For the first time, I saw it,

my little belly.

Hopeful, happy & still a little hungry, I was excited.

This was our life, our journey & we were going to be parents.

As I lay in bed, I listened to the rain,

my heart was FULL.

It was not how I expected to spend that Thanksgiving but I fell asleep feeling incredibly grateful.

Do you ever notice that sometimes it is those REAL moments & those “imperfect”  holidays that we remember the most?

Did you ever have a holiday like that?

*********************

To say that I am over joyed to be sharing the stage with these 8 amazing women in

Creatively Made Home{Home for the Holidays}

is an understatement.

These women are beautiful!

There hearts are so big and their love for family & home is immense.

Take a walk with me as they share their sweetest holiday traditions….

Favorite holiday tradition of Cathy Penton. You can join Cathy and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.    Jeanneoliver.ning.com

Favorite holiday tradition of KariAnne Woods. You can join KariAnne and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.    jeanneoliver.ning.com

Favorite holiday tradition of Jen Rizzo. You can join Jen and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.    jeanneoliver.ning.com

Favorite holiday tradition of Edie Wadsworth. You can join Edie and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.   www.jeanneoliver.ning.com

Favorite holiday tradition of Anne Marie Klaske. You can join Anne Marie and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.    Jeanneoliver.ning.com

Favorite holiday tradition of Jeanne Oliver. You can join Jeanne and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.    Jeanneoliver.ning.com

Favorite holiday tradition of Andrea Fowler. You can join Andrea and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.    jeanneoliver.ning.com

Favorite holiday tradition of Carol Spinski. You can join Carol and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.    jeanneoliver.ning.com

Favorite holiday tradition of Jen O'Brien. You can join Jen and eight other creative bloggers in Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}.  This is an online course that will be like bringing your favorite magazine to life.   jeanneoliver.ning.com

You see why I am so thrilled to be a part of this authentic & amazing group of ladies.

Creatively Made Home{Home for the Holidays} begins Oct 15th!

It is hard to believe this beautiful & creative holiday class will launch in 1 week!

The holidays for me are a reminder to embrace family, find joy in the simple things and amongst the craziness to slow down

& BE PRESENT.

 I pour my heart into the holidays{just like my mom did}.

I want to create meaning & memories that will be cherished for years to come.

Decorating for me is setting the stage for the bigger things to happen.

In this class we share REAL stories of love & family and how we embrace traditions during the holidays.

We also share some pretty darn cool projects, gift ideas & recipes-30 to be exact:)!!!!

I will be like picking up a pretty magazine but the best part you will get to go behind the scenes as you watch these incredible videos of these amazing ladies.

You will feel connected, like you just made some new friends.

You will laugh, you may cry & you will be inspired!

City Farmhouse-Creatively Made Home{Home for the Holidays} This course will change how you love your friends & family this holiday season-Featuring 30 Holiday Inspired Project Videos, Stories & Traditions




Sharing at

Savvy Southern Style

I really hope you will join us.

I can’t wait to see you in class:)!

Have a beautiful week,

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20 Comments

  1. I loved your story about family. My husband and I married on Thanksgiving Day, 1984. We each had 2 children from previous marriages. Three weeks after the wedding we moved to Denver, Co. for my husband to attend semenary. Our adventure in moving saw us rolling into Denver on De. 22. We quickly decorated for Christmas in our small rental home. For Christmas one of my girls got an Atari-a first generation computer game. My new husband and all the kids “bonded” around that sillygame. That Christmas remains my favorite EVER. My new daughter told me thank you for her best Christmas. She said that I made it feel like Christmas all day long. My heart still sings at the memory.

    1. Thank you so much Pamela for that beautiful story! It really is those regular moments that are forever engraved in our hearts! Loved the story:). Have a beautiful week, Jen

  2. Beautiful story! Thank you so much for sharing. Are you still in Richmond? My daughter moved to Lynchberg, Va this summer to be with her fiance. I miss her so and my Thanksgiving and Christmas will be very different this year but I am thankful that she is happy. I am so excited to be a part of this class because I am one of the winners of the giveaway! I cannot wait to be part of this amazing class and all of you very talented ladies. 🙂

    1. Hi Babette,
      No we are not still in VA. We moved back to Colorado after that, then to NY where we have been for 7 years. My aunt & uncle lived in Lynchberg for many years on a farm, I loved to visit:). I can imagine this season will be hard for you! I spent many away from my family too. Maybe next year you can spend it together! I am excited for you, you will get an email from Jeanne soon. Have a beautiful day, Jen

  3. Your post is so beautiful and heart felt. I enjoyed reading all the comments and seeing the photos of the ladies.
    One particular Thanksgiving for us was when we were waiting for an apartment in a low income development outside San Diego. We had been staying in a motel so it meant in the a.m. I had to drive a fastback 67 mustang, all the kids with me to take hubs to work in one direction then drive to other end of town to take kids to school. We had been living in the motel for about 5 weeks already. We had one small bathroom, 4 kids, one small kitchenette, and one bedroom with 2 beds and roll aways.
    On Thanksgiving I tried to make a dinner but the oven in the kitchenette didn’t want to cook so we ended up having to get food to bring back to the motel. It was funny and wonderful, all of us together, it was a holiday I’ve never forgotten. The kids treated it like fun which I thought it was. They were still young enuf, youngest was about 1yr or so, she slept in dbl bed with her 11 yr. old sister. The boys must have been about 8 1/2 and 7. The boys slept on roll aways.
    Talk about being on top of each other for several weeks but we got thru it. In January I had to have hysterectomy after we’d barely moved into the apartment we’d been waiting for. We spent Christmas with a Charlie Brown tree but still enjoyed it . We hardly had any money to buy gifts for the kids but they didn’t seem to care. We made ornaments for the tree. Every time I come across those photos I have to smile. The kids are all grown up now with kids of their own. I’ll have to ask them if they remember that Thanksgiving and Christmas. Happy week

    1. Hi Jane Ellen,
      I enjoyed reading your story so much! Thank you so much for sharing it! I wonder if they do remember:). You should retell the story at this holiday. I wish you 7 your family a blessed fall! Jen

  4. Wow…what a nice post to read first thing this morning at work (shhh, don’t tell anyone). Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful things that each of you has started with your family…such a great way to cherish and pass on these traditions!

  5. Your post made me cry. That was a really nice story of you and your husband’s Thanksgiving in 2004. It is a funny thing how you always end up having exactly what you need even if you don’t realize it right away.

  6. Jen, this was lovely and I really enjoyed reading this.
    Here in Canada Thanksgiving is this weekend, and as we won’t be able to make it to see my family this year, we are having a “Friendsgiving” to celebrate with our friends in the village. 🙂

  7. Oh Jen, what a beautiful story! I totally teared up! Sometimes it is in those moments where we think “it couldn’t get any worse” that the veil is lifted from our eyes and we see everything exactly the way we are supposed to see it. I love that. And what an incredible group of women…I know it will be a fabulous class.

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