thanksgiving in the mountains

With the powers of Jared's full time job & my part time job combined, we knew pretty early on that a trip home to our families for Thanksgiving wasn't in the stars for 2014. Fortunately, some of Jared's coworkers planned a little cabin getaway in the mountains, & were sweet enough to take us in as part of their Friendsgiving feast. We had a truly delightful and delicious day. Without further ado... A LOT of pictures of our Thanksgiving.

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What better way to spend Thanksgiving than in the mountains of Virginia in a historic log cabin, right?

Duke, along with his giant brother Triton
(who moved just a bit too fast for my camera to properly capture)
spent the entire day feeding my puppy fever.

Backyard view

Will made apple cider mimosas for breakfast & MY, did they hit the spot.

I mean, that neck.

My handsome love, whom I am the most grateful for.

Jared & Matti take the canoe for a spin, & all I hear as they turn the corner is Jared singing, "JUST around the river beeeeeend..."

Party trick.

Our dinner programs. LEGIT.

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2014 has brought us so many twists & turns, & as much to grow into as we have to be thankful for. Incredible things, really. Holidays without my father-in-law's Mexican dishes gracing the table in some capacity, or my parents' dogs, or a family viewing of Elf in the evening are something I'd like to avoid for... well, forever. You just can't substitute for family. But we are so grateful for friends & pups alike & their invitation & hospitality that made for a wonderful stay in the mountains.

I hope your Thanksgiving was amazing. Let the most wonderful time of the year commence!

christmas eve, with some friendsgiving on the side!

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone! We're spending the next couple of days at my parents, with a house full of babies & dogs & grandparents & really good food... The most wonderful time of the year! I'm in charge of Christmas morning breakfast, so I'm off to prep some frittata ingredients & make labels for the mimosa bar (oh yes). Not to mention the oodles of presents that have to be wrapped to day, as per Essmann family tradition, but I leave you with the holiday video I finaaaaally managed to put together from our Friendsgiving gathering last month. Pretend that the leaves are snow, because that's what I'm doing. (& once again, sorry for the spot on our lens that might make you twitch.)

Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!

Giveaway : June Jars

 I am so very excited to present you with our very first giveaway!

It only makes sense that our inaugural giveaway is in partnership with June Jars, owned by our besties, Amelia & Andrew. They launched the June Jars shop this past year as a local alternative to what is found on seemingly affordable online shops that are suddenly unaffordable when you calculate shipping. Amelia found herself in this exact position earlier this spring, & decided to make one for herself, instead. As she carried it around town, she was constantly being asked if she took orders, because as it turned out - Richmond, VA loved June Jars. It actually loved them a lot, & soon June Jars were flying off the shelves of many local shops. It has been an absolute joy to watch this shop take off, even expanding into Hampton Roads & NOVA. 

To be honest, carrying my June Jar around is one of the ONLY ways that I stay hydrated throughout the day. I'm always pretty aware of staying hydrated, especially after working in the outdoor event industry for going on 5 years. But after reading THIS ARTICLE, I have been especially motivated to keep the water flowing. For whatever reason, I find that I absentmindedly drink nonstop if there's a straw in front of me. It's totally great! Each June Jar is 24 oz., which means I need to drink AT LEAST 4 jars a day, although I shoot for about 6. In summary, they're super affordable, from a local shop & are a major help in the hydration department. What is there not to love?

AND WE WANT TO SHARE THAT LOVE! One lucky reader will win a June Jar, plus 3 straws to commemorate Thanksgiving week around these parts. (Can you believe it's the end of November? Because I've pretty much been writing November 8th as the date for the past two weeks. However, I've also been adding 2014 as the year, sooo... I'm just a mess.) Entry details below!

TO BE ELIGIBLE: "Like" Sitting in Our Tree & June Jars on Facebook! (This is important, so we can contact you if you win!)

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this entry by Saturday, November 30th (appropriately, Small Business Saturday!) telling us what you are thankful for this year. Winner will be selected at random from eligible entries!

WHAT YOU'RE WINNING: One 24 oz. June Jar + your choice of three (3) straw colors.

Winner will be announced at 9:00 p.m. EST, Sunday, December 1st, via the Sitting in Our Tree Facebook page.

Bonne chance, everyone!