Fall Fun

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the smells, especially the smell of burning leaves; I love the colors; I love hayrides followed by a bonfire of s'mores, hot chocolate, and cider. I love the cool crisp weather. This week I took time to stop by a local park and capture some of the fall beauty.

Last weekend my sister and niece came for a visit. I asked my niece what she missed doing here in the city. She quickly responded, "Going to the mall." I took her to the mall and we saw her friend that runs the Carousel. We got to ride it. I rode one of the horses while she chose the teacup as usual.

Later that afternoon, my mom, niece, her friend, and I went to a pumpkin farm. We saw several pumpkin exhibits, found our way through a few different mazes, and enjoyed pumpkin donuts. It was cold and rainy, so we didn't stay as long as we would have liked.

As we passed through town, we saw many murals painted on the sides of buildings.

Sunday morning as I was driving to church I enjoyed this wonderful display of God's artistry in the sky. Once I got to church, I took time to photograph it before going into the service.

Yes, I'm still here...

I've received e-mail saying that I've been missed on here. I really appreciate that I have people who read my blog. I've been busy. Here is a sampling of what I've been up to since I last posted.

My mom, niece, and I volunteered to help with a Mercy Me concert. Attaboy was the opening band. This is a picture of us with Jeff, the guitarist. I know him from our days as admissions counselors. He and I travelled the same territory and our tables were next to each other several times, so we go to know each other a bit.

When my niece and I arrived to my house after attending the concert, we found a present for her made by one of my friends as a going away gift. My friend has hung out with me when I had my niece over a few times and became friends too.

The next day, my niece and I went to the mall to do some scrapbook projects at one of the stores there and also went to ride the carrousel. My niece gets free rides any time she wants. This is her friend that runs the ride. I think we rode 3 or 4 times...riding a different animal each time of course! It is a double decker, so we rode on the bottom and the top.

Is that Hannah Montana!? My niece is a fan of Hannah Montana and had fun dressing up like her.

The next weekend, began by going out to eat at Bob Evans with our "grandparents" before going Putt Putting.

The following day we went to the zoo. They had the local radio station there that day and some clowns who did some glitter painting.

Yes! I can still fit in the Kangaroo's pocket and pretend I'm a Joey! My niece told me that I wouldn't be able to.

Later that day, we had a back-to-school/going away party for my nephew and niece at a friend's house.

My niece's 1st and 3rd grade teachers came to say good-bye.

My sister/niece's neighbors...they don't want them to move!

My sister's youth pastor and his wife came as well as some friends that live about 2 hours away also came (pictured below).

Some of the hostesses of the party.

My niece and her girl scout leader (who now works at the same place that I do).

The kids discovered and caught a frog. We let each one have a turn to hold it before making them set it free.

This weekend, I attended the wedding shower of one of my best friends. It was a great shower hosted by her sisters and mom. It was nice to get to know her fiance and his personality through a phone conversation during the party. He knew what the questions were ahead of time and that he was going to be called; my friend was totally unaware prior to the call. I have not yet met her fiance in person yet since they are a couple states away.

One of the games we played was to make a wedding dress out of toilet paper. The above picture was my team's attempt. Below are the three "brides". The one on the left was the winner.

This is my friend showing off the picture I made for them. I finished it at 12:30 a.m. that day and framed/wrapped it over my lunch hour.

Saturday, my sister took me out to lunch at Logan's Roadhouse. We had a delicious meal and a nice time together.