Catching Up

We've had a busy couple of weeks. My Dad came to visit from California which was nice, he actually ended up extending his trip which made us feel like we were good hosts. He's not well, but we all made the best of the visit. We're looking forward to Dave's Mom's birthday visit in October, as well as my Grandmother's visit. We love having company - for the obvious reason of getting to enjoy them - and also because it motivates us to do some projects around the house and to clean those areas that we do not get to often.

Last weekend I had a garage sale at my house with 3 other couples. We worked hard the night before organizing and pricing everything and then got started early on Saturday morning. I got rid of some stuff that had been laying around and now have cash where I had old useless stuff, so that feels good. Dave was out of town at a Mets/Braves game, so I am grateful to all of the friends who helped out so much.

The weather is starting to get nicer. The last few nights we've left the windows open and have been able to get fresh air in the house which we both love. I'm getting itchy for all the great things about Fall. I am taking a break from tennis with the league on Saturdays so that I can spend that time in the yard, or taking my morning yoga class, or cycling, or setting up all-day crock pot meals. I miss the tennis girls, but hopefully I'll be able to jump back in for the Spring season.

We're planning some fun things for our street - a halloween party in October, a progressive dinner in December and I am hoping to get enough of us together to light the street on Christmas Eve with luminaries. The entire neighborhood is getting together for a Fall Festival for the first time which should be fun as well.

Football has started which we always love. The Jets are 2-0 which is great. Their first game was touch-and-go but they pulled it out at the end. This last one was not as much of a nail biter, but too many interceptions. The Aggies are also 2-0 after blowing their first two games out of the water. I haven't been able to get any of the games on tv so far, but in-conference starts this weekend so they should be televised. Another note on the Aggies, they are trying desperately to leave the BigXII. If they leave, they are likely headed for the SEC which works out great for me since they'll be playing all of the teams around where I live. Dave and I have always said we'd go back for a game (he HAS to experience an Aggie game) - so we went ahead and got tickets to what will likely be the last (or the last meaningful) A&M vs. UT rivalry game in College Station! They always play on Thanksgiving, so we are going to do a November road trip, staying in Tallahasse and New Orleans along the way. It's a long trip for a football game, but we're excited. I am trying to come up with a Thanksgiving tailgate that we could do on a camp stove or grill, we'll see!

Lots of other projects on-tap for Fall. Planning a Fall veggie garden like usual, need to stain our fence, want to plant some trees in our back yard now that they wont get scorched by the intense heat, and I have a bunch of curtains to make. Also want to do something with the thousands of corks I have been collecting for the past 3 or 4 years - Cork Backsplash? Giant Cork Board? Cork Wreath?

So that is about all for now - Fall, Football, Family, Friends, Projects. Life is good.