Boo-tiful Halloween

Brian & I started our Halloween morning with our annual boo-scuits and grave-y meal, a hearty brunch that we cooked together. The recipe is Mom's specialty, which her daughters now make. Amanda jokes that she could have gotten marriage proposals out of the dish. Brian pleads the 5th when I ask him whether it weighed in on his decision to pop the question. (I can't share the recipe, but I will offer one hint: lemon pepper.)


The weather was gorgeous today: near-70 and sunny. I took a nap in the hammock (does the picture below look familiar?).


Lilly didn't want me to rest and thought I should play catch with her instead. She kept dropping her Kong toy on the hammock for me to toss to her.


Meanwhile, Dakota helped Brian rake the leaves ... sort of.


I helped Brian winterize our vegetable garden (harvesting the last of our tomatoes and peppers in the process). I'm thinking about trying to make fried green tomatoes with some of our crop. I've only had them once at the Kansas State Fair and loved them. I'll have to see if I can find a promising recipe.

We also got our bird feeders ready for the fall feeding frenzy. This week, we spotted a couple of colorful blue jays -- as well as a redheaded woodpecker (my kind of bird!), several wrens and the mated pair of cardinals -- in our backyard.


Good, productive afternoon. Next up: Seeing "Wicked" with my sister! Can't wait.

Fall photo shoot

A sunny fall afternoon, a camera and 30 minutes in the yard today yielded:

Octoberfest

Among other festivities this month, Amanda, Brian & I attended the wedding of our friends Jaime & Carter at the breathtaking Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine.

We joined Brian's family, Tony & Nicole and Tony's parents for the New York Giants-Chiefs game at Arrowhead. For Brian & me, it was our annual football road trip. For a few in our group, it was a first NFL game. So we had a unique tailgating party with red and blue jerseys, a ton of food and a gorgeous fall day:

Eric & Brian

From left: Nicole, Mario (in front), Tony, Eric, Janice & Brian



Sunday afternoon, Arrowhead Stadium
Final score: NY Giants 27, KC Chiefs 16

Although we lost, it was fun to see Eli Manning play in person ... and to spend a day among friends and family, of course.

I went to quilt guild with Mom & Janice and finished my latest project just in time for fall. Meow Meow gave her stamp of approval, and I happen to think it looks rather lovely on the antique pew in our living room.















And we've been flying our KU flag on game days. KU was undefeated when we hung this puppy up last Saturday morning. They've had one loss since and aren't looking too good today. Brian & I are watching -- and cringing -- while we get some things done around the house today.


Molly, who is hanging out with us today, has been a frequent guest, which we love. Dakota & Lilly can expend quite a bit of energy during a day playing with her.


I promise it won't be another two months before I post another blog update. Stay tuned ...

Silly nephenewsers!

Earlier this month, my family gathered to celebrate my nephew Kaden's first birthday. Oh, how the year has flown.

One of the first photos I took of him.

Pictures from his one-year b-day bash:

Jen made these cakes for her "little monkey."


Jen, Kaden & Ryan with one of their kitties, Fez. I'm not sure who's more tickled about the gift Brian & I got for our nephew: Kaden or mommy. (We got him a Fisher Price police dog and car. Pretty cute.)

Other pretty ... and pretty weird ... pictures

Flowers at my parents' house in August


A late August sunset


During my first trip to Cabela's in late August, I Tweeted, "Mission: hiking socks. Surprise: taxidermy."


Sunset at Cross Timbers State Park in early September.


Pretty pink petals I spotted during vacation in mid-September in Krebs, Okla.


Beauty blossoming mid-September along historic Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, Ark. Additional images from our vacation in Petit Jean State Park, Ark.:

Carpet rocks








The remnants of an old YMCA building


Meow Meow, demonstrating the essence of Saturday morning in late September.

Wonderous waterfall

On our vacation in mid-September to Petit Jean State Park, Brian took this video of me standing at the base of Cedar Creek Falls. It's the fullest we've seen it thanks to heavy rain that fell throughout our vacaton week. To many people, that would ruin a vacation. But to me, it added to the relaxation and introspective mood of the trip.

Yay, vacay!

In September, Brian & I celebrated our eighth anniversary. It's hard to imagine we've been together that long but that it's gone so quickly. I thank God for each day. The real celebration was in mid-September when our good friends Tony & Nicole joined us for a week in Petit Jean State Park for reading, hiking and relaxing. It's a favorite place for Brian & me, and we were last there in September 2007.


Our trip included:

Getting our kicks on Route 66 at Pops, where we enjoyed fuzzy libations.

Dinner at Pete's Place in Krebs, Okla., home of Italian cuisine and Choc Beer (and other fuzzy libations.)

A foggy, damp and exhilarating drive through the Ouachita National Forest.

A stroll along Historic Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, Ark.

At the state park, the four of us shared a cabin and did lots of hiking. Scenes from the park:

One of the more pedestrian-friendly hiking trails at Cedar Falls Overlook.

My sweetie on Cedar Falls Trail.

We had a little photo shoot in an old abandoned YMCA building:


We explored an old cave:


We spent a lot of time exploring and enjoying the park's focal point, a 95-foot waterfall:


We also spent a day in Little Rock, where the boys golfed while Nicole & I went antique shopping and toured historic Little Rock Central High. Our tour guide from the National Park Service was the daughter of one of the Little Rock Nine, which was an amazing experience. (I tried to pepper her with only so many questions ... ) We also had dinner at Cajun's Wharf (yum!) and sang along to the crazy music at Willy D's, a piano bar in the River Market District that also happens to be Brian's favorite bar of all time.


A fabulous vacation. See you again soon, Petit Jean!