I always mourn the end of summer, but fall is off to a good start with activities such as . . .
Beginning . . . the month with a little getaway to Big Sky Country. My brother, Ben, and his family moved to Montana last year, and we have wanted to visit them ever since. We took advantage of the Labor Day weekend to finally make it happen. Ben and Meagan were amazing hosts: they planned fun activities for us (or made recommendations for the times when they weren't available). They fed us yummy food. And we just had the best time with them and their girls. Highlights included: visiting the Bozeman Public Library where Ben works (probably the most impressive library I've ever been to), playing at the pond, visiting the fairy houses (seriously amazing), going on a double date for dinner, hiking, playing games, and roasting marshmallows. We also went to visit a grizzly bear reserve, which was not really recommended by Ben and Meagan but we did it anyway, and it was probably not worth the money. We stayed in a house on a large piece of property outside of Belfast, and it was really beautiful. As a bonus, we also were able to see Mike's brother, Jon, and his family on both the way out and the way back.
Attempting . . . the Big Jud challenge. On our way home from Montana, we stopped at Big Jud's in Ashton, Idaho. While the rest of us went for single or double burgers, Mike ordered the Big Jud, which is a one pound burger, a huge bun, a drink, and tater tots. If you can consume the entire meal in thirty minutes, you get your photo on the wall and a chance to buy an exclusive t-shirt. Mike gave it a good effort but admitted defeat to the bun. He knew there was no way he'd be able to eat it and still be able to drive home.
Holding . . . my new baby nephew, Declan. My sister delivered her baby boy at the beginning of the month. It was a bit of a rough start, so they ended up staying in the hospital a couple of extra days. My mom and I visited them there (which was an adventure, and I was super unimpressed with hospital protocols and support). Declan has done really well since they got home, and I have been holding him every chance I get. I'm having to share him with Silas though, who is equally enamored and loves holding him against his chest and giving him soft pats and telling us all that Declan would really like to play with some toys. At one point, I was holding Declan, and Silas wanted another turn, so he meaningfully said, "I feel like Declan is crying with you."
Getting . . . my sewing machine serviced. I've been trying to decide if I want to get a new sewing machine or not. I've had my current machine for over twenty years, and it has served me very well, but it hasn't been sewing as smoothly as I would like. Rather than jumping into buying a new machine, I decided to first try getting this machine serviced (something that probably should have been done before this point--oops). My friend gave me a recommendation for someone she had used, and it was very convenient because he was able to just come to our house and do it. It definitely helped my machine, but it wasn't transformative, so I might still be in the market for a new machine.
Spending . . . the morning in Park City with one of my favorite friends. I've alluded to my fortieth birthday challenge, affectionately known as "Forty Friends for Forty Years." As part of that, Jen and I planned a lunch date in Park City. We generally only get to catch up at book club, so it was such a treat to get to chat for several hours straight. We ate lunch at Harvest and then browsed books at Dolly's. Silas tagged along, and even though he had strong opinions about me sitting in the back of the car with him instead of the front seat, we still managed to have a very nice time.
Filling . . . up the day with Homecoming activities. Aaron asked his friend, Jillian, and their group was made up of nine couples. They played Top Golf and got lunch in the afternoon, took pictures and ate dinner at Spaghetti Factory, went to the dance, and played games at one of the boy's afterwards. Although a few of the moms helped get some reservations, the boys mostly planned and carried out everything on their own, and it ended up being a great time.
Being . . . enlightened at parent teacher conferences. Usually parent teacher conferences (or SEPS) feel like more of a formality: a little friendly chit chat, show a few test scores, make a few goals. But this time around, they actually led to a significant change, which was that Aaron ended up dropping his AP US history class. At first, I wasn't going to meet with any of Aaron's teachers, but then I decided it wouldn't hurt to set up visits with the ones I hadn't met before. And over the course of meeting with the US history teacher, talking to Aaron, getting some suggestions from Sonja, and meeting with Aaron's school counselor, it became clear that it wasn't the best learning environment, and it would be better to drop it while he still could rather than endure it for the full year. Kind of a bummer.
Spotting . . . the first colors of fall. Mike and I went on a hike one evening in the canyon by our home. The colors weren't at their peak yet but definitely starting. The trail was nearly empty, the temperature was perfect, and if fall could just be like this always, I would be a happy girl. (When we were done hiking, we got ice cream and met up with Sonja and Rob for a good therapy session about raising teenagers.)
Singing . . . our hearts out. Silas started a little music class at the beginning of the school year. It is the same Let's Play Music program that Ian did but just a toddler curriculum. I go to every class with him, and we have been having so much fun. Silas has also been tagging along on Monday and Wednesday mornings when I help with the brand new elementary school choir. Two of my friends are directing it (they were both in the women's choir I was in several years ago), and I am playing the piano. The kids are already sounding so good, and it is magical to watch these directors get the rapt attention of the kids and produce such a good sound out of them. I am excited to see where it goes.
Sewing . . . and knitting. Both crafts are still going strong. I keep waiting for sewing to fizzle out since it usually comes in waves, but I'm still loving it, so I'll ride it for as long as possible. I was waiting to purchase fabric at Sewciety (see below), so I only ended up sewing a couple of simple shirts. As for knitting, I finished my super secret mystery swap project, which I'll talk more about next month, but it is this bright shawl with pops of geometric shapes throughout. I made a pair of baby socks with the leftover yarn.
Resuming . . . woodworking. Mike got out his woodworking tools again to fill an order for our artist friend who needed a bunch for new paintings going in at a new art gallery. He made sixteen in various sizes, and he always enjoys an excuse to work with wood.
Reserving . . . most Thursdays. I try not to schedule things on Thursdays so that Silas and I can spend them with my parents. This month, we foraged for food in their abundant garden, went to storytime at the library, played at the fall festival, ate ice cream, and went on a hike (where Silas stuffed his pockets full of acorns).
Supporting . . . local businesses. A year ago, my local yarn store closed. Without it, there were no longer any small yarn stores in Salt Lake, and it felt like such a hole. I've taken the opportunity over the last year to visit many of the other yarns stores across the valley (Wasatch and Wool in Park City, Yarn on the Corner in Sandy, Petit Fours and Purls in Lehi, Willow Hill Yarn Company in West Jordan, Harmony in Provo), but I still wished for one that was closer to me. And then, over the summer, I heard rumors of, not one, but TWO new yarn stores coming to Salt Lake. As luck would have it, both of their grand openings happened during the same week. It was a joy to visit each one and purchase yarn for new projects. Even though they are catering to the same group of people, they actually carry completely different inventories, so it feels like I have so many options and choices now. The Knitting Hive features many local dyers while Handwork carries a lot of international yarns. And then, besides these new yarn stores, I also made a visit to a lovely little fabric store, Sewciety, that I have been meaning to go to for months. I am now well stocked for both knitting and sewing for the next little while!
Rehearsing . . . a piano concerto. My niece, Addie, has been working on a piano concerto for over a year. We went to a church this month, and I played the orchestral reduction on a second piano while she played the piano part. It is so exciting to see this come together after so much work.
Enjoying . . . some good books. My reading slowed a bit the past couple of months, so this is what I read in both August and September:
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (It was hard for me to keep track of the characters, so I didn't like this as much as I expected to. It wasn't until the final third that I finally felt compelled to keep reading.)
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo (A readaloud with Clark and Ian, but not my favorite of Kate DiCamillo)
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh (I knew very little about this period in history, but the storytelling itself felt a little juvenile--which can't really be seen as a criticism since it was written for a middle grade audience. Read this one for my one-on-one book club with my friend, Sarah.)
Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand (great summer read with plenty of family drama)
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 7 by Beth Brower (I'm now caught up in the series, which is sad.)
A Heart Like His by Virginia H. Pearce (a sweet, thought-provoking book, made better by a discussion with friends)
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (riveting, unbelievable, and infuriating; recommend)
Celebrating . . . President Nelson's 100th birthday. President Nelson passed this amazing milestone, and so we had a birthday party with all of the primary kids in our neighborhood to honor him. We played a fun game of "Which is Older?" with well-known items, and then introduced the children to some classic party games: musical chairs, bingo, and "pin the tail on the donkey" (modified to "pin the tie on the prophet"). We ended by singing happy birthday and eating birthday cake.
Finding . . . a praying mantis. We were out working in the yard one morning, and Silas stumbled upon a large praying mantis. He was a little intimidated by it but also super curious, so he followed it around the yard for a good twenty minutes and tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to get it to climb onto a stick.
Decorating . . . a cake. Clark was invited to a fun birthday party at a bakery where each child got his/her own miniature cake to decorate. Clark was the only boy in the group, and this is actually not the first time he's been invited to an all-girl birthday party. He doesn't mind one bit though. He has an abundance of friends, girls and boys, and is happy to hang out with any of them in any combination. Plus, he loves working in the kitchen, so this birthday activity was totally his jam.
Living . . . it up as an official teenager! Bradley turned thirteen this month, and after growing an inch over the summer, he is looking the part. When you're thirteen, everything is about the food. He wanted Einstein Bagels for breakfast, Cup Bop at school for lunch, Navajo tacos for dinner, and sunken chocolate cake for dessert. Then a few days later, Mike and I took him out for lunch (at Millie's Burgers, which, incidentally, is where we went when I was in labor with him). He went to a service project after school on his birthday, so we didn't even see him until dinnertime. He got a bunch of Brandon Sanderson paraphernalia, a couple of games, and we upgraded him from a watch to a phone. We loved celebrating him.
Attending . . . a Celtic Thunder concert. Max has to attend a musical event of some kind every term. We left it until the end of this first quarter so scrambled to find something that was happening during the last weekend before it was due. Celtic Thunder was what we landed on, and it was a lucky decision for us. We ended up loving it, and Max has been listening to their music ever since.
Cleaning . . . up crab apples. This tree is gorgeous in the spring and absolutely awful in the fall. It is loaded with fruit, every branch bending under its weight, and it drops them for a solid six weeks. Despite cleaning them up regularly, our sidewalk is still always covered in little tiny crab apples. It's just the worst.
Building . . . a new balcony. We tore the old one down a year ago when we redid our backyard, and we finally hired a builder to put up a new (smaller) one. We love it, and I think it actually helps to break up the space in the backyard. We're probably going to hold off getting furniture for it until next spring, but for right now, it's so nice to no longer have a door leading to nowhere off the upstairs of our house.
Visiting . . . the pumpkin patch. We hit it up early this year, and it was such a beautiful evening. We filled a wagon with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes and then promptly took them down to the basement when we got home. We had a couple of weeks at the beginning of October with temps in the 80's and 90's, and I was afraid the pumpkins would rot if we let them bake in the sun.
I'm sure I've forgotten some happenings, but hopefully nothing too important. Until October . . .
