The View of October 27

It's the end of October, which means that it's time for our scenery to start changing. When we woke up this morning, this is the view down our street toward the mountain.

Ah, what a beautiful bit of scenery, isn't it? All of you who keep up with our blog, who live in the south, are so jealous right now. Even though it won't stick around, today's addition to the scenery reminds us that the seasons change, as does everything in life.

Have a beautiful day!

Excuse our Absence

Please excuse our absence. It's been a rough week. I was in bed for 5 days with the flu (swine or seasonal? They didn't test.), and Scott had a business trip out of town for 4 of those days. Luckily for him, he seemed to have gotten out of town just in time to not really get sick. Unluckily for me, I was home all by myself sick and in bed.

We did both get our flu shots at the beginning of this month, so even that didn't prevent me from getting the flu. Perhaps it was the swine flu that I had because they asked where I worked, and when I told them, they said the swine flu was everywhere on my work campus. This is going to be a brutal flu season for sure. Maybe it'll be smooth sailing for us since we have already been exposed. Here's to hoping.

Wedding Pictures

Finally, they are here, wedding pictures from my little brother's wedding. I don't have that many as I left that up to the professional photographer, but we do have a few snapshots of the day to share. Scott and I had the privilege of each being part of the wedding party- he as a groomsman and I as a bridesmaid. The colors for the wedding were lemon and lime. Here you can see us all decked out in our fancy gear.

Meet little bro's wife and my first sister-in-law. If you look closely you can see little bro in the background having his picture taken.

They had all of their pictures taken before the wedding ceremony, so after the wedding was over, the wedding party was off in a trolley for some cruising around town. Middle brother, who was the best man, started the champagne toasting before we had even left the church.

Here's the wedding party in the trolley. You can see both lemon and lime colored dresses. The bridesmaids all wore yellow and the two personal attendants wore green.

It was fun that both of us were in the wedding party because that meant we got to cruise around in the trolley together with everyone else.

We made a few stops along the way for drinks and snacks. Here's all the kids- little bro, me, and middle bro.

Middle bro and little bro even found time to relieve some of their Duck Hunt days, or perhaps they were just getting ready for the duck hunting season.

Here we are at the restaurant afterwards, all seated at the head table. We had a great meal followed by dancing and more dancing. We were exhausted when the night was over.

The next day we got together with both of the families for gift opening and more time together. Scott and I were so thankful we were able to be a part of little bro's wedding, and we're so happy to welcome little bro's wife into the family. We wish we lived closer, so we could see them more, but we are thankful for the time we get to spend together when we do.

Fantasy Football Week 5

Another weekend of NFL games in the books, which also means that another week of fantasy football is complete.

I happened to win in both of my leagues this week, which pushes my record in each league to 3-2. In one, I am in second place, while this record is only good enough for 6th in the one Carrie and I share. However, there is still a lot of season ahead, and I think I've got a pretty good team.

Carrie also managed to pull out a win, which gives her two in a row, and a 3-2 record. However, because her players have gotten more points, she currently sits in 3rd place, with over 100 more points than my team.

I face a dilema this week, though. Carrie and I face off against each other. Each week she likes to ask what I think of her team, and what gives her the best possibility of winning. As you can see, this may put me in a bit of an awkward situation. Do I tell her to use her best team, in which case I might lose, or do I suggest players that may not do so well, simply so that I can win? Do I take one for the team (family peace), or do I show my competitive juices and try to win? Any suggestions?

Wedding Rehearsal

I mentioned in a post awhile ago that we were in MN for my little brother's wedding in September. I'm finally getting around to posting some of the details. (I actually have two younger brothers, but this is the youngest of the two; hence, my reference to him as little brother.) D and S had their wedding rehearsal on a Thursday night because S is a florist, and she was planning on doing all her own flowers on Friday.

After the rehearsal at the church, we were off on a boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka. I was a little nervous about how the weather might be in MN in mid-September, but it was a perfect evening. The temperature was warm and the skies were clear.

Here's the happy couple dressed in red and black for their big night.

The sunset was amazing on the lake. It seemed to take over the entire sky.

We had dinner and cake on the boat on the lower level here. The middle level was also covered, and the bar was located there. The top level was open for relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Wedding pictures will be following soon.

Fantasy Football Week 4 Update

Okay, I will admit that I'm not in the best mood this week. Once again, each of my teams ended up losing (though I think to inferior opponents!!!). That evens out my record in both of my leagues at 2-2. I have to keep reminding myself that it's a long season, and there's plenty of time to get some wins.

Carrie, on the other hand, pulled off a win this week to push her record to 2-2. So, while we may have the same record, she is on a winning streak, whereas I am on a losing one. But things are really starting to look up for her team, as she has several really good players who are just getting rolling, it seems.

Incidentally, I wonder if my teams struggling is related in any way to the fact that the Dallas Cowboys, my favorite football team, are struggling, too. It really couldn't be that I have at least 3 Cowboys on each of my teams, could it? Deep thoughts to ponder heading into week 5.

The Changing of the Seasons

The seasons have definitely changed around here. Fall is in full swing, and we've even had a few glimpses of winter. GASP. It all happened last week when Scott was out of town. Sure enough, the day he goes out of town the temperature drops 40 degrees and I even saw rain turning to sleet (it was white) when I was walking to my office. We have had freezing temperatures overnight, and the garden is dead and black. We tried to pick everything before he left, and we currently have a ton of green tomatoes inside waiting to ripen.

While I love fall, it's depressing to have such cold temperatures this early on. I do not like winter, and the cold temperatures remind me winter is coming soon. Everyone is sick around here with the cold and flu. We are trying to stay healthy. I have a feeling it might be a long, cold winter.

But on the positive side, here's a neat illustration of the two seasons. You can see the snow at the higher elevation that was leftover from the storm last week. You can also see the reds of the changing leaves and the lower elevation. It's not the best picture because we were driving and didn't have time to stop, but I think you get the idea.