Pumpkin, Pecan, Chocolate, oh my!

It is Whitt-Byers tradition (now that we are old enough) to go to Maw-maw's house the Wednesday of Thanksgiving to make pies for Turkey Day.  It was nice to not be the one "going it alone"...Taris is not a recipe follower...not really suitable for baking.  The one thing Maw-maw insists on doing is making the crust from scratch.  Some times it comes out perfectly, some times not...oh the joy of making and molding crust!  Enough of the monologue...here are the pictures from the day!

Maw-maw and Alexis working on the pies

Isn't this apron flattering?!?!  It seems to accent in ALL the right places...ruffles were never my thing.

Mom working on the pecan pie

Starting to work the crust

Maw-maw working her magic with Ma's crust recipe

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the finished pies because I left to have lunch with my friend Kera.  I promise they looked great and tasted even better!

Cowboys vs. Redskins

As part of our on going strategy to mark things off of our list of things to do before we spend the year apart, Taris and I wanted to see the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and try and catch a game.  And catch one we did!  We are in Dallas/Abilene for Thanksgiving and the Cowboys played the Redskins on Sunday, November 22nd.  The stadium lived up to the hype...amazing.  You can't take in a camera better than a standard pocket camera, so the pictures are not as awesome as they could have been, but I hope you enjoy!

Walking up to the Stadium

The NEW Cowboys Stadium.  All of those glass sections actually roll back to open up completely.  It is crazy!

The view of the infamous screen at the stadium

Our view of the field from our seats

The cheerleaders getting ready for their pre-game performance

The team being introduced onto the field

Avalon

On November 14, I had the opportunity to see Avalon.  They are a Christian music group and I love them.  They were doing a concert at a local church in Milton.  They sang a lot of classics and some of their new stuff from a brand new album.  If you have never heard of them check them out.  You will not be disappointed.

Seeing Atlanta in One Day

So, because we didn't leave home until CRAZY late on Saturday and with the race on Sunday, we were left with Monday to see Atlanta and drive home.  We saw Stone Mountain and the Georgia Aquarium (thanks Kathleen...great suggestion).  Stone Mountain is the "world's largest piece of exposed granite" and it does not disappoint.  We road the summit skyride to the top and could see so many lovely fall colors and a great view of Atlanta.  If you have a weekend, it is a must do.  (There is even a Marriott in the park for those of you not camping inclinde.)  After that, we headed to the Aquarium.  It is in an awesome location...next to the "World of Coca-cola" museum/tour and across from Cenntenial Park...of 1996 Olympics fame.  The aquarium is not cheap, but it is worth the price.  The size their fish tank is almost three football fields!  We had a great time.  We stopped for dinner at a little italian place and it was fantastic!  We finally made it home at 11.

A view of the side from the parking lot

A close view of the carving into Stone Mountain...Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

This is the classic (and old) covered bridge at the Stone Mountain Park

Taris getting ready to go into the aquarium

Taris touching a sting ray at the touch tank

The otters scratching thier itches...just like Kacey

Taris standing behind the sample of how thick the glass is at the aquarium that seperates us from the fish!

Nascar

Taris and I decided that we needed to get out of town for a little while, so we hit the open road for Atlanta and Talladega.  On Sunday, we headed to Talladega for my second attempt at a Nascar race.  We had a great time at the race and it ended with a bang.  I was able to take a few photos.  I hope that you enjoy!

During a break at the race

The planes flying over head at the start

The start of the race

Taris' driver

Part of the final wreck

Jamie McMurray won, but Taris' guy came in 6th...you can't see the car because of the crazy burn out.

Happy Halloween

The squadron halloween party theme this year was...80's.  Super excited...crazy costumes.  The Ehlenberger's throw a mean party and everyone had an awesome time.  Unfortunately, I did not take a ton of pictures.  So just a few will have to do.

Taris and I...our only picture

Mitch and Natalie

Christine Graham