2026 Election Day and More

It was an odd week for schedules. G had school the first three days, and I worked M-W-F only. Scott worked M-Th, and Arya doesn't seem to have classes on Friday, so she usually gets in an extra day of fun (after she works a shift, of course). She loves her new job, and it's right across a parking lot from a Target, so that's a bonus :)

Tuesday was the midterm elections, and for the second time, I was an election judge for one of the precincts in our city. I love knowing how the process works behind the scenes, but it is a very long day - and I only do a half day of 7.5 hours!

One of the friends I met for the primaries was at the same precinct as me, so we had a chance to chat for a bit between official duties. I spent most of my time as a ballot judge, while she checked people into the system. Everything went smoothly, and there were very few issues with people getting feisty. Nothing so concerning that staff couldn't manage! On Tuesday night, I went to a neighbor's house to watch the results come in...what a great night!

On Thursday, G and I had an incredibly busy day. He had a dentist appointment at 7am, then we got breakfast and a haircut for him. We headed home for a few minutes, and then off to his annual doctor's appointment. After that, we went to the middle school and checked in with his teachers for fall conferences, shopped at the book fair, and finally met with his advisor...all before 12:00pm! After a brief respite at home, we headed to the Mall of America for a few hours, where we had lunch, and he spent a bit of his birthday money. By 3:00pm, we were both cooked and headed home for a quiet night with Scott. Whew!

G made a game of counting all of the Ford Transit vans that he saw that day...it was over 110 before he stopped counting! We had a great view of the parking lots at the MoA, and 494 while we took a break for lunch.

Last weekend, G went trick-or-treating with pals around our neighborhood (he was a hunter), while I went to a friend's house to hang out and catch up. It was a very slow candy night...not nearly as many kids as we have had in previous years. Not sure if it's because it was a Saturday, so maybe there were more parties, or maybe trunk-or-treating has taken over? Regardless, he got a TON of candy!

My silly Pria, tucked into the curtains lol

Arya stopped by Saturday night and spent the night here at home with a friend. We barely saw them before they left for River Falls that morning. And that's ok! She's having a blast and making friends, and that's what we hoped for her. We just want the kids to be happy and healthy, and loving life!

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Exploring Local Places

Last Sunday was the perfect day to explore an area that neither Arya nor I had been to before. We headed east to walk around the Vermillion Falls/River and Greenway area. The path was nicely paved, with lots of overhead shade from trees; there were so many families out on bikes and walking, and we had a nice view of the Vermillion River. Arya got some great pics, and I enjoyed spending time outdoors with my sweet girl. This weekend, G and I will be heading out to explore a creek area in a few towns just south of us. And I've already got an idea for another creek I want to walk by next month (it's a bit further away, and I'd rather put that aside until Arya is off at college) The tree leans to find the sun On the way home, we stopped at the DQ in another town (we have a love/hate relationship with the DQ in our town, so I wanted to avoid it.) The warm weather felt great, and we enjoyed some sweet treats while watching the world drive by. We're counting down the days unti...

What a Week

The weather has been unseasonably warm this fall, so we've been able to extend our outdoor projects just a bit. This past week Scott's been working in the garden, cleaning everything out, and repairing the back wall of our garage. Ava was such a good little helper, scooping up dirt, but still trying to keep her hands clean while doing it! I swear, a box is all she needs to make her happy. Princess Darla. Princess Darla has had enough. I personally like how she and Ava have the same expressions in this picture. Apparently Spanky was bored - check out that yawn in the background! We went down to Grand Meadow this weekend, and as always, it was so fun to see Ava and Isabel play together. They actually had several little conversations with each other - and they were so polite while doing so! We even had them share a room last night...boy, that was a challenge. I think they finally fell asleep around 10:00pm. And of course, Ava wa...

Apples & Pumpkins 2026

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...

Go, Go, Goers!

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