Go, Go, Goers!

This past Tuesday, my mom accompanied me to another author meet-and-greet at the Mall of America. I've followed Shawna Lander on social media for a few years; her one-woman skits and the characters she plays are wonderful. She tackles fun topics, as well as serious issues, like pregnancy loss. She had a special host for her MoA stop, Amber Estenson, also known as That Midwestern Mom (she lives in Minnesota). And unbeknownst to us, another social media figure was just a few people ahead of us in line as an attendee...Kristen Knutson, aka "your boomer mom." These two were delightful to listen to, and even better to talk to in person. I'm very glad I'm making a point to attend things like this that matter to me; it's been a long time since I've been able to really prioritize doing stuff like this, close to home. We had a big dip in the temps this week, and the leaves are starting to show their beautiful colors, even with the rain giving a gloomy background. G...

Fall is such a fun and busy time for us. There's always something to look forward to with our annual fall fun activities! Last Saturday, we headed to Fireside Orchard, chatted with Darren and Tiff for a bit, and took home some goodies...apples, jellies, cider, and fudge. It was a perfect day to spend some time outside! On Tuesday night, we headed back to the Minnesota Zoo for the Jack O'Lantern Spectacular. This year's theme was trivia...and they changed up the layout and added some new activities. It's such a fun event, and we look forward to it each year! He was jumping in this pic, hence the awkward arm placement Waiting for our dinner to be made The wall of pumpkins Roblox Aliens MN Frost! "Where the Wild Things Are" Twilight Bob Ross Dolly Parton Big ol' spider! G was busy at school, Scott and I were busy at work, and Arya was busy at college and also trying to land a job this week. She had a 2nd interview this afternoon, so fingers crossed it went we...

Last Sunday, my friend Kristin and I went to the Mall of America to listen to Kim and Penn Holderness talk about their new kids' book about ADHD. They interact so well with the audience, and they are a joy to watch and listen to. At the end, we met them and got my book signed. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with a friend! It's been a busy week. We sold Bernice (the Mariner) on Monday morning and had a company evaluate the Pilot on Monday night. They offered us much less than we wanted, so we passed. But someone we know is coming by this afternoon to look at it, so maybe it will go home with a new owner tonight. Fingers crossed that we're down to just 3 cars in the near future! Insurance is ridiculously high, and selling these two cars will save us at least $800/year. Every little penny adds up! G and I ran a bunch of errands this morning, then topped it off with a trip to a French bakery I had been wanting to try in the next town over. Ooh la la! Since he...

Now that we only have one child at home (and no high school activities to schedule around) and the nights are getting darker earlier, we've been spending more time watching movies. We usually get one weekend night with G, and the next night he wants to be upstairs, chatting with his friends online. We've been down this path with Arya already, so we will take whatever time we have with him! I love that he makes his own popcorn and gives some to me! Scott likes to lie on the floor to watch movies Pria just wants to sleep...and eat popcorn These army men are everywhere in our house... They moved upstairs, in formation Last Saturday night, my mom and I went to the Rosemount Marching Band Festival. Even though it was chilly and damp, it was a fun night! It's very different when 1) you don't have a kid competing, and 2) the band that you're cheering on is performing in exhibition only...it was a much less stressful event for us! This isn't the RHSMB, but I have missed...

When Arya, my mom, and I were in Chicago, I stumbled across an event site with events in cities all over the country. I found an Immersive Titanic exhibit in Minneapolis, and since G went through a HUGE Titanic phase when he was younger, this seemed like a perfect event to check out on a fall Sunday. We took the light rail from near the MoA and rode it until the end of the line at Target Field. We had about a 10-minute walk from there to the nearby warehouse that held the Titanic exhibit. The exhibit had so much factual information, along with artifacts, and a full room where you could experience the event from nearby waters (no, we weren't actually in water) and see the messages being sent to nearby ships. It was very well-done, but also heartbreaking. So many small things happened leading up to the iceberg and the Titanic crossing paths at the same time. If only one of those small details had been changed, the sinking may never have happened. I left feeling informed, but also ver...