Fall Fun Weekend

The kids had school off on Friday, so we spent a beautiful day at the zoo:

Brad helped do an eye surgery on this elephant years ago, so we always spend a little extra time with him:

This was also our first time seeing the new baboon exhibit:

We had the best day, and we love our little zoo:

I had to work Saturday, and Issa spent the day applying for scholarships and doing college work.

Sunday, though, we went to the ballet to see Frankenstein! For the first time I forgot to take a picture! They had two new pieces before the main ballet that were absolutely gorgeous, too. We laughed our way through dinner at Mellow Mushroom before coming home to watch Halloween Wars in the gazeebo.

It was a perfect weekend enjoy the fall weather and a little Halloween fun!

 

Senior Pictures

Another milestone is in the books:

Issa had her senior pictures taken yesterday:

We could not have asked for better weather, and Duke Gardens never disappoint:

And having Robin as the photographer just made it perfect:

Issa used to dance with her daughters, so Issa felt totally relaxed within five minutes. We also fully trust Robin, so we just followed her around the garden, and she found incredible poses:

We should have the photos in a week, but I will be forever grateful for the afternoon capturing my girl.
 

What a Weekend

Friday night was our first without a football game. We made pizzas and I fell asleep on the couch before nine. I'm grateful for the rest because the rest of the weekend was a blur of fun!

Saturday, I went to a former student's baby shower:

This is a class that I was particularly close to, and I love celebrating these milestones with them!

As soon as I got home, we headed for the fair. We drove two and half hours before we bailed on the fair! It should have been a 30 minute drive, but the weather had been cruddy the past two weekends and it seems the entire state attempted the fair on Saturday. We had all been hoping for arepas at the fair, so we just pivoted and went to our favorite arepa restaurant. The kids also learned how to play My Father Owns a Grocery Store and the Alphabet Game. I kept saying we were making core memories, and I stand by that. I will especially remember laughing so hard I snorted and couldn't catch my breath when they only brought us two forks; Brad was so stymied me managed to shoot juice into his eye.

The only other thing Evan really wanted was a deep fried Oreo, so Brad made them:

I'm still mad at how much I love these little bites:

Sunday was our annual trip to carve pumpkins with goats:

Kai joined the fun this year:

Brad was convinced I was going to catch a horn, but I got some great goat selfies:

Nana made an extra happy pumpkin:

Brad made a goat:

Issa and Kai went very different directions:

And we are still not sure what to call Evan's:

This little goat hung with us the whole time:

And the highland cows were still a huge hit:

This year we also laughed too hard and Kai and Evan trying to do the ball toss:

Last night, Evan built us a lovely fire for roasting hotdogs:

It was a perfect fall fun day, and it was just what my heart needed.
 

Book 30

I finished book 30 this morning:

 It's the sequel to The Tea Rose, and I already started the last book in the trilogy today! 

This was just as well-written as the first, and the characters just keep becoming more and more interesting. There are plenty of surprises, but everything ends happily ever after--just the way I like it!

Senior Sunrise

Issa had a very early start to her day. The seniors gathered at 7:15 to watch the sunrise together:

Apparently, it was cold, and the hot cocoa making was not stellar (like the students coordinating dumped a couple of big containers of cocoa mix into a five gallon drink container of water that had been boiled at home and transported). Sunrise is also a very long time before schools starts, so she and Kai ended up back at our house for a while. The two of them then took Evan to school:

These three crack me up, and I'm glad I got a little extra time with them this morning.

 

Date Nights

In the midst of all of the crazy and the happening lately, Brad and I have been able to sneak in a couple of great date nights!

Saturday, we went to see MJ the Musical:

We both agree this is in our top five, which we were definitely not expecting. It tells Michael Jackson's early story through his music. I was most impressed by the choreo and how they walked through all of his influences. Our MJ also was a perfect match in both voice and movements--it was almost spooky.

Last night, we made a trip to Greensboro to see Heilung again! We saw them last in Atlanta, and we were excited to see them again closer to home. We had never been to the venue, and the area was super artsy and fun. We loved sitting on the terrace enjoying this art before the show:

We love Heilung, and they put on an amazing show.

However, as pretty as the area is, we will not be returning to the venue. I've never seen a more disrespectful audience, and I think a large part of the problem was overserving. It was sad, but I'm still glad we went.
 

Senior Night

Friday night was senior night at the football game:

In addition to the banners, the senior families made this cutouts to wave at the game:

We are now calling it a Kai-sicle, and it will likely move around the house for a while. He was very amused when came over yesterday and saw it in our centerpiece.

Y'all, I was not prepared to cry my way through a football game. I hadn't thought it through that I knew so very many of these seniors since kindergarten or first grade. We lost--again--but they played hard. After the game, the coach spoke to each senior on the 50, and Kai was last:

I'm so stupid proud of this kid:

He took on something brand new this year. It's his first time playing high school football. Our team hasn't won a single game. But man. He has gotten better every week, and he is the biggest encourager on the field. He is reflective and thoughtful, and those skills will serve him well off the field.
 

Work and Rest

I'm traveling this week to do an accreditation visit to another teacher prep program. The days are jam packed with focus groups and interviews and report writing, but the evenings are spent quietly alone in my hotel room. I have gotten so much work accomplished in the evenings! I have also spent time reading, crocheting, and watching HG TV:

This morning, I watched a beautiful sunrise:

And I was way too delighted but housekeeping bundling my otter:

These visits are exhausting on some level, but I also find the evenings some a time of rest. It's a good balance. That said, I will be very glad to be in my own bed tomorrow!
 

To Tennessee and Back Again

We made a whirlwind trip to Dickson, Tennesee for my cousin, Kaitlin's, wedding! We left Thursday afternoon, and we managed to time it so that we could do dinner at Buccee's:

It's part Cracker Barrel store, part massive service station, and part BBQ place. It's all weird and delicious! 

Friday morning we had some time before the wedding, so ventured into downtown Dickson:

It was super cute, and we found a wood-fired pizza place that was actually safe for Issa and Brad. We did some window shopping at cute boutiques and antique stores before topping the early afternoon off with an ice cream.

Then it was back to the hotel to get ready:

These two are so very easy to celebrate:

The whole day was so uniquely them, and they were just giddy. Their vows made me cry, and I'm still smiling big every time I think of the day.

It was also so good to catch up with my family and meet little Luke--finally!

We didn't have beverages for the toast, so Brad used the candle:

Somehow, that is so very appropriate for two people who simply radiate joy and positivity. I can't wait to keep celebrating with them for years to come!
 

What a Whirlwind...

Last week was straight up fueled by coffee in my cute travel mug:

We had our big state conference last week, and while I'm finally not co-chairing the event, but I'm still the president elect, which made for a very, very busy Wednesday through Friday. I was leaving the house at 7am and getting home about 9. Thankfully, I was home by 5 on Friday so we could go to the football game. Kai's banner was debuted:

And we had high hopes in the first quarter:

But we still lost 0-43.

Saturday I absolutely hit the wall. I was barely human. Thankfully, we had minimal plans. Brad did all the cooking, and I spent most of the day reading in my treehouse. Saturday night, we did our first family movie night in the gazebo:

Brad and I spent the night out there, and I woke Sunday feeling recharged. Fresh air and sleep does wonders.

Sunday, I finished book 29:

It's the first of a trilogy, and I loved it! Set in the 1890s, it's part mystery mostly romance. You see where it's going, but there are enough little twists to keep it interesting! I already started the second book, and it's just as good!

We girls also got to return to the ballet Sunday afternoon:

The main ballet was Firebird, but the two modern debuts stole the show for us!

This week is a little more forgiving, and I'm so grateful for the time to recharge!