2012 is fast approaching! This year has been full of change, blessings and adventures. Here are my top ten highlights of 2011. Please feel free to share your special moments as well.   Marrying my best friend. Our honeymoon to Antigua. Acceptance into my new family. A new sister, brother, mother, father and niece! Seeing the growth of my photography business. Witnessing firsthand the happiness of old friends. Seeing the Spirit of God work in my family. Being a part of a new church body. Teaming up with my husband's business and getting to work side by side on jobs. Spontaneous...

It’s so hard to believe Christmas has come and gone. Why must it always go by so fast every year? For me, Christmas is the time I finally get to see my entire family get together in NH. I try to pack in as much social activities as I possibly can with friends and family while I am there. This year’s trip was extra special to me. The hubs and I landed in Manchester, NH the Thursday before Christmas. Our first stop was at the Airport Diner where we met my longtime friend from junior high, Marie. I had photographed her...

The Founders Inn and Spa had its 20th Anniversary Founders Illumination this past Sunday. Although we only stayed for a few of the festivities, it looked like a wonderful day for children and families. Puppets, holiday music, face painting, dancers, a buffet, carriage rides and Santa were all part of Christmas events.                              If you did not make it to this year’s event, you can still view the Christmas lights behind The Founders Inn. A word of advice for next year…arrive early! The lines can be quite long....

Thanksgiving this year was one of the best I've ever had. It was my first year as “Mrs. Adams” and I spent it with my in-laws in Virginia Beach, which was a tradition change as every year I have always returned to my roots in New Hampshire. Blending families has been an enjoyable process for me and one I am quite thankful for.   We spent the day watching the Macy’s Day Parade, eating too much, skyping with family, playing board games, sharing our thoughts of thanksgiving and reading from God’s Word. The day could not have been more perfect. 12...

With October over, I felt I wanted to start enjoying the upcoming holidays. My favorite part of the holidays is baking and making gifts. The holidays last year weren't quite the same as all my favorite recipes were not gluten free and I didn't have alternatives. This year I am starting early and testing out recipes before Christmas.   My first recipe is for Gingerbread Cookies. The initial recipe I found on the back of Pamela’s Gluten Free Bread Mix and I tweaked it a bit more to my liking. I used more seasonal cookie cutters and decorated them myself. Here’s...

  This year marked our first Halloween at the house together. Rather than handing out candy at the door, we thought we’d be a bit more creative. We've lived in the neighborhood for the past year but haven’t met many of our neighbors. How could we be more involved than the few seconds we had at the front door?   We decided to have Shine with Jennifer Leigh donate time and photos for the community. This way, we could chat with parents, meet the kiddos AND hand out candy. The interest and involvement in the costume portrait shoot was beyond...