Oh Ten. And Oh Eleven. Two Oh One Seven

No more apologizing. It's just late!

October and November were both busy months!

October was full of lots of crazy stuff! I did a lot of events with LuLaRoe. Josh went on a youth staff retreat.

I got to go to the Museum of Ice Cream! I found out about it on Instagram earlier in the year from someone I follow. It's one of those super hard places to get tickets for, but somehow I managed to get some! It was a super fun day and I loved every square inch of that place!

We also went to our friend S.W.'s annual Halloween party. It's always such a fun time! We had such a hard time deciding on our costumes this year but I think they turned out pretty amazing!

 

And we went to a corn maze with some friends. It's one of our favorite things to do in the fall and I'm so glad we were able to.

(It was SUPER windy that night!) 

Josh's dad had to have surgery in October (and thankfully everything went well and he's doing great!), so Josh was out of town a few days because of that. Josh's grandma also passed away, which was very sad. We both loved her a lot and miss her very much.

******

November kind of came as a whirlwind after the crazyness of October.

Our friend S.W. took some amazing pictures of us at the beginning of November! We got to go to one of my favorite spots in California that I hadn't been to in years. It was a really fun afternoon!

(PC: Scot Woodman Photography)

I participated in a women's tea event at our church again. It's always fun to see how everyone decorates their tables! And the food is incredible! My friend L.B. and I have gone together the last two years and we had so much fun together!

We went wine tasting and had a great time! It's one of my favorite things to do with Josh, or with friends, because it's so relaxing and fun!

Josh had a conference for work, so he was gone for a few days for that. After he got back, we celebrated Thanksgiving early with my family! We had a really nice day! My mom made lasagna and it was delicious! I like doing non-traditional meals sometimes for the holidays.

We also had our annual Friendsgiving dinner with some friends. It's one of the things I look forward to so much every year.

I also signed up to be a Color Street Stylist! I know, I know, I'm a little crazy...but it's been super fun! I had a launch party and I participated in a couple of events for that in November!

And now it's already the middle of December and 2017 is almost over. I have so many more thoughts I want to share, but never enough time to do so! I hope to be back here soon!

Friendship Refreshes the Soul

I went to CO last month to see my bestie and her family!

I know I say this every time I get back, but I really have the best time with them. We have much needed, sometimes even really hard conversations, and I always leave feeling encouraged and refreshed.

I cried a lot on my final day there, knowing I had to get on a plane and come home. Em asked me in the car on our way to the airport what my favorite part of this trip was and I couldn't even answer her. I had to text her while I was waiting for my plane because I couldn't verbalize it through my tears. My favorite part was all of it, and I'm very much looking forward to the next time I get to be with them.

We went driving in the mountains to see the fall leaves, which was so beautiful. I feel like we often get a little ripped off where I live because sometimes the leaves haven't even had a chance to fully change before the wind and rain come in and strip the trees of their leaves. So it was amazing to see so many beautiful trees starting to get their fall best.

We went to a biergarten in the mountains as well, which was really fun. It was a place Em had been dying to try, so I'm glad I was able to go there with her. We also went to one of their favorite country bars while I was there, and had wings and lots of laughs.

We started and finished a 101 Dalmatians puzzle (the amazing Thomas Kinkade one) and played quite a few games with the kids.

We saw American Assassin in the theater and went out for drinks after at one of their favorite spots (that they took Josh and I to last year when we were there).

We also had a wonderful tea morning that turned into afternoon with Em's sister. She is such a sweetheart and I'm so thankful that I've gotten to know her a little better over the years.

And we spent a lot of time hanging out at their place with the kids. I love their little family so much and I love getting to spend time with them.

It was my longest amount of time spent there and yet time flew by as usual. I'm so thankful I was able to take this trip!

Oh Three. Two Oh One Seven

It's nearing the end of April, so I think it's time to post about March!

March was another busy, but fun month.

We went to a celtic festival with my family. It was one we had gone to when I was younger, and neither of the boys had been. It was fun but not nearly as fun as I remember. Time changes and things change, I suppose. But it was nice to spend the day with my family!

I went wine tasting twice. The first time, Josh and I went with our friends C.B. and L.B. to celebrate my late birthday and L.B.'s early birthday! The second time, I went with L.B. and some other friends to celebrate L.B.'s birthday...and then we headed to her surprise party! Both were really fun days. I'm so thankful that I've had L.B. in my life for over 14 years now!

I also went on the women's retreat with my church, which was a lot of fun! The place we stayed at was right on the beach and the weather was perfect (after it finished raining, of course)! I'm so thankful for the time that I had to connect and re-connect with some amazing women.

Some other fun things that happened:

Josh passed his final tests for work! I'm so proud of him and all his hard work. He's had such a busy year and a half, and now he feels like he can finally relax a little!

I also have been able to spend some time with my friend E.K. and her kiddos. I'm so thankful they've been in the area so I could see them.

And that was March! I'll be back (hopefully) in the next two weeks with April's post.

The Best Things in Life Aren't Things

We got to take a really fun (and much needed) trip to CO to see our friends!

We always have the best time with them...but the time passes way too quickly! It's always so hard to say goodbye when we leave.

We took a drive up to Helen Hunt Falls while we were there. We went there on our very first trip to CO six years ago. It was totally different (but still very beautiful) to experience it in the snow!

(Have I mentioned how much I love their kiddos? This was only my second time getting to see their youngest and she is just so precious. Their oldest was born when they still lived in CA and she is just the sweetest)

We played a lot of games with John and Em, and with their kids. It always makes me so happy to play games, as I grew up playing a lot of games with my family.

We started watching Stranger Things while we were there! Quite a few people had told us we would probably love it but we just hadn't taken the time to watch it. We finished it after we got home, but it was really good! I'm really looking forward to the second season next year.

These two are so sweet to each other

We also went to a distillery while we were there, and went to a couple of fun places to get drinks. We also went to a few places to eat that we don't have here (or at least local to us).

And, we saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with John and Em, and Em's sister and her husband! I was so excited when I realized it was coming out the same weekend we were gonna be there. My CO bestie discovered her love for all things HP about three years ago, soon after we started our BCB group, and her sister read and fell in love with the series shortly after that. I love being able to watch movies about the things I love so much with people who love those things just as much as I do!

We also had some really great conversations. We always do every time we go out there, but it's something I cherish so much. I always feel so encouraged and challenged after our conversations.

I wish with all my heart that we lived closer to each other again, but I'm so thankful for the time that we do get to spend together.

Fall

It's finally starting to feel like fall where I live.

And every time the weather changes and a new season arrives, I start to feel nostalgic.

I'm not really sure what it is about the weather change that makes me feel this way, but suddenly I'm flooded with memories of things that the weather reminds me of.

Today, it's crisp air, fall leaves, going to CO for the first time 6 years ago to see our friends, going to the corn maze with friends, decorating our first apartment for Halloween, craft nights with friends, and many other memories.

But it's not just the fall that makes me feel this way. Spring brings it's own flood of memories, as do winter and summer.

There is something about fall, though, that makes me long for change and new adventures. I want to pull on a pair of boots and wrap a scarf around my neck and head out to do something fun. I want to cuddle up on the couch in a blanket with a cup of hot tea or hot chocolate in hand. I want to watch Gilmore Girls and Harry Potter over and over again. I want to read new books and meet new people.

There's just something about seasons changing that stirs my heart in ways it hasn't been stirred in a few months.

Cruisin'

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went on a cruise with a couple of our friends!

It was a lot of fun! I had never been on a cruise before so I was a little nervous about it, but I ended up having a great time (though I did deal with some vertigo/"sea leg" issues for about a week after we got off the ship)!

First night on the boat!

 On our way to our first port: Catalina Island!

 Elegant evening on the ship

 Viva la Mexico

 We found the nicest winery in Mexico. The whole experience was awesome!

One of our towel animals

Some of the things not pictured:

We participated in two different trivia contests on the ship: Harry Potter and 90s music! Both were a lot of fun.
We also played Bingo and came very close to winning on more than one game!

It was a much needed time away for us and it was very relaxing (and was perfectly timed, as Josh passed one of the certifications he needed for work two days before we left!). I'm so glad we went!