Fall Happenings

Testing... testing... is this thing on?

Hi there.  Long time, no blogging.  2017 feels like it has just flown by.  It's hard to believe that we're less than two months away from 2018, and I only have 2 blog posts to show for the year.  Oh well.  Life gets busy and blogs get sidelined sometimes.  But I'm back!

Here's what we've been up to this fall.

We caught a Cowboys game with some new friends.  I must say, after being there for a game, I can see what all the fuss is about.  Dallas sure loves its Cowboys.

We celebrated my dad's birthday over Labor Day Weekend in Oklahoma with my family.

We rang in Steve's birthday with the most delicious ice cream cake and spiciest guacamole I've ever had (I bit off a super spicy part and couldn't speak for 10 minutes!).

I actually hung out with my SoulCycle friends outside of SoulCycle!  We're not used to seeing one another all dolled up and not drenched in sweat.

My Indiana bestie came to visit (!!!) and we battled that Texas "fall" heat at the Texas/OU game at the State Fair.

I discovered a love of trail running.  Now to just get this pesky plantar fasciitis under control!

I took a trip to the pumpkin patch - The Wizard of Oz themed - at the Dallas Arboretum with my mom and aunt.  The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie of all time, so I just loved it!

And Steve and I got all dressed up for a gala at the Ritz.  We felt oh-so-fancy!

For those wondering about Lyla, don't worry - she's been leading that life of luxury per usual.  Lots of pool time and walks!

Things I Forgot About Fall

It's hard to believe that we only have one week of October left.  I feel like it was only yesterday that Starbucks started selling those cute little fall cups with leaves on them.  This season has been both fun and surprising to me - mainly because I think that over the six years that I spent in the Midwest, I forgot what fall looks like in Texas!

Celebrations Galore

Last weekend, we headed up to Indiana for a long weekend full of celebrations.  The fun began with a surprise welcome at the airport when I landed.  I miss my small group girls like crazy and seeing them all lined up for me with these homemade signs made me weepy.  I love these ladies!  #lylas

beartooth pass

Earlier this month, I flew out to Montana to visit my sister for a long weekend.  We took the day on Friday to drive the Beartooth Pass - a popular highway that winds through southern Montana and northern Wyoming on the way to Yellowstone National Park.

I had never been to Montana before and wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the pass.  The mountains were stunning and the topography was unlike any mountains I had seen before.  We weaved our way up to the top of the mountain range and the landscape evolved as we drove along.  We saw everything from beautiful firs, to bare mountaintops, to glacier remnants, to hidden mountaintop lakes, to grizzly bear country!

It was about a six hour round trip - one that I would highly recommend for anyone visiting Montana.  Hope you enjoy these pictures from our journey!

dear monday

Dear September, you have turned out to be quite lovely so far.  This 70 degree weather and plenty of sunshine has been pretty close to perfect.  I know I've been a little MIA in the blog world as of late (sorry, friends!), but I'm trying to make the most of them this month and get as much time as I can outside in the sun!

weddings, westies and weekends

Happy Friday and Happy November!  It's hard to believe that November is here already.  Next thing we know, it'll be Thanksgiving - one of my favorite holidays.  After that, Christmas :). 

 

Without further ado, here are my five silver linings of the week:

 

1.  Celebrating parenthood with two sweet couples who became parents for the first and third time.  We're not ready for kiddos yet but it's so much fun holding these sweet little babies!

 

2.  Our last wedding of the season (!!) on a brisk October afternoon.

3.  A Westie suffering from a case of the Mondays.  Someone did not want to wake up.

 4.  Spending the weekend with my mom.

5.  The last farmer's market of the year with S, my mom, my aunt and Gannie.

 

If you're new to my blog, thanks for stopping by!  Please feel free to say hello and read more about what I'm currently up to here. 

Have a good weekend!

danville

This past weekend was great.  On Saturday, my dear friend Larissa and I headed out to my hometown for some classic "fall" activities - pumpkin patch picking, apple cider tasting, and corn maze wandering at Beasley's Orchard.  When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the orchard was in the middle of celebrating its Heartland Apple Festival, which meant food and activities galore! 

We began our festival tour with some samples from a local winery, which had the most unusual flavored wines.  I enjoyed their Christmas wine, while Larissa's favorite was the Thanksgiving-themed cranberry wine. 

Next up was the General Store.  There were so many pumpkins on display out front that we had to resist the urge to swoop several up then and there.  We waited to get our own pumpkins from the pumpkin patch instead... and our patience definitely paid off.  More on that later. 

It wouldn't be a General Store without some delicious homemade apple cider.

 

Beasley's makes its own jams and jellies in tons of flavors.  My favorite is the Apple Butter, which is dangerously delicious. 

 

Next stop: a hayride to the pumpkin patch!

The pumpkin patch was huge with so many pretty pumpkins to choose from.  Larissa got straight to work picking her pumpkin straight off the vine. 

Success!

We wound up taking home these three little beauties. 

 After a quick break for 50 cent bottled waters (yes, they only cost 50 cents!!), it was time for the infamous corn maze.  The corn maze at Beasley's changes every year, and this year's theme was a hot dog.  We had ten clues to help us get through the maze and made no only a few wrong turns.  All in all, we made it out alive after about 45 minutes.

 

Isn't this lady just gorgeous?  It was her first (non-haunted) corn maze experience and she manuevered it like a pro!

 We worked up quite an appetite after the corn maze, so after a few final purchases at the General Store (including caramel apples, yum) we headed into downtown Danville for lunch at this gem. 

The Mayberry Cafe is Danville's crowning glory and has been around since before I was born.  Hoosiers travel from far and wide to eat there.  It has an Andy Griffith theme (of course), and was a must for our excursion.   

 

We devoured some delicious cheeseburgers and snacked on Mayberry's famous cinnamon butter with bread, while all the meanwhile episodes of the Andy Griffith Show played in the background.  Being in that restaurant and walking around the downtown square really brought me back to my childhood.  It was really special for me to share my sweet hometown with such a beloved friend.  And I think she enjoyed seeing how small-town Hoosiers like to celebrate fall-time.

 Danville, you were wonderful (as always).  Until next time!

 

 

the chili-serving miracle of 2013

It's Friday!  If you are new to my blog, welcome!  Please feel free to stick around for a while and check out a little more about me here.  I don't know about you, but I can't believe we're almost halfway through October already.  I'm linking up with Lauren for five silver linings from this week:

1.  I'm working my way through my Fall To-Do's and am going to cross one off of the list this weekend - visiting an apple orchard and pumpkin patch with a good friend.  We're going to head out to my hometown and hopefully will find some apple cider while we're there - another one to cross of my list!

2.  I'm still on a high from our trip to Wheaton for the hubby's class reunion (you can read about it here).

 3.  This little pup was so worn out from her weekend at the boarding kennel.  She loves it there and always comes home exhausted from playing.  So much for feeling guilty about leaving the dog behind!

4.  Our small group spent yesterday evening serving a potato bar to a local inner-city high school football team.  I was in charge of serving chili and somehow managed to not spill it all over myself - which is a miracle, let me tell you.  It was a blast! 

5.  Speaking of my small group, after the Chili-Serving Miracle of 2013 we all went out for dinner and stuffed our faces with pizza.  YUM.  I am so thankful to have such great friends. 

 

Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!