SNIPS & SNAILS & PUPPY DOG TALES: Overwhelmed

OK... I think part of the reason I've been MIA for so long is because I'm totally overwhelmed. So much has been happening this fall & I haven't been keeping up with my posts! So, a quick recap of the last month or so & then I'll be caught up to start fresh...

A wedding: We are so blessed to have such awesome friends (and now neighbors) in Christy & Gabe... They tied the knot October 11th and I got to be a part of their big day. Leading up to it all, we had a bachelorette weekend in Kansas City, a surprise girls' night in shower, an afternoon of mani/pedis followed by a bridesmaid dinner and a fabulous rehearsal & dinner. The actual day was gorgeous and one of the most fun weddings I've ever been to. Congrats to the Burkharts!!! In lieu of favors, Christy donated their money to Race for the Cure & some of us bridesmaids joined her for the race. Such a great idea!

Solo Trip: My dad's business just celebrated two major milestones: it's 20th anniversary & a move to a bigger space. To mark the occasions, they had an open house last week. I was excited to help him celebrate, but a little more than nervous to take the boys & Lexi to Minnesota by myself. They proved me wrong and were troopers on our trips to and from. Although it was a quick trip, I was able to catch up with Theresa, have a good dinner with Tiff & Jules- always good for my soul, and spend quality time with Nanny & Bapa. The open house was so much fun- great to connect with a lot of my parents' friends, Aunt Val & Uncle Gary, and my dad's employees and their families. I'm so proud of my dad for following his dreams and finding success in owning his own company. Way to go, dad!

Happy Hauntings: We definitely got our money's worth out of the boys' Halloween costumes this year. Jack was so excited about being a mouse... he has two books with mice in them & loved his costume as soon as he tried it on at the store. In the last couple of weeks, we went to Night Eyes at the zoo, where Jack, Will & three of the other kiddos in our small group got to trick-or-treat.... went trick-or-treating with our neighborhood kids & Lucy. It was a gorgeous night, so we were out for about an hour and a half! The weirdest part is that in Central Iowa, we trick-or-treat on Beggar's Night, October 30. An odd tradition I've never heard of anywhere else.... and went to Living History Farms for trick-or-treating and a horse-drawn wagon ride. We had to do SOMETHING on Halloween.

We also took a trip a couple weeks ago to Howell's Farm to partake in all sorts of fun fall festivities- a hay maze, a corn sandbox, a tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch...