Breezy

October is here! That's hard to believe! Weren't we just in Colorado soaking in the mountain breeze?!

Is it just me, or does this time of year seep with nostalgia with even a hint of sadness? My first major spell of homesickness hit this time last year, and I'm feeling those pangs again this season! Maybe it's the change in the air, the longing for Gator football with my dad (IT'S GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR!), the missed Disney outings, the pictures of the nieces and nephews growing way too fast, or the thought of warm chili made by Mama or Mommy.

I love everything about this time of year; but while I'm reminded of just how blessed we are, I'm also feeling the loss of having family nearby. It's a strange reality, but we're simultaneously rooted and uprooted. We are surrounded by a community of believers who care tremendously well for us. For example, while we were sick last weekend, six different friends/families checked in on us and asked how they could help. We are convinced of God's will for us here, at least for now. And yet, I feel separated from part of my own heart, and that hurts.

I decorated for Halloween on Friday, and it was good for my soul. That might sound odd, but I can't remember the last time I've had an hour to spare during the school/workweek. I took my time exploring World Market, enjoying the festive displays, dreaming up my home space, and feeling human again. Did I mention my mom is visiting this week? Wednesday can't come soon enough! And after that, we're looking forward to Giving Thanks with Ty's family on Turkey Day! The thought of these visits is more invigorating than the 60-degree Dallas air!

One of my childhood friends moved to Dallas recently. Our schedules and community circles are different, but the times I've spent with her here have been encouraging to my heart. Her visit today was well timed!

I don't have a conclusion. Just thankful for time to muse here, while my theory textbook remains opened and untouched.

October is Over

Sooo.... I think it's been a while since my last Tuesday post. Sorry about that, but life has been getting in the way of blogging. Monday night is always a hard night for me to want to do anything. Many things to recap though. Jessie and I have been enjoying lots of things in our life recently. One thing that I am happy about is no longer having to cut and chisel apart frozen chubs for the dog.

We had been buying 10 lb. chubs of frozen chicken meat for the dog, and I was responsible for cutting apart and portioning it for the dog.

She is always very interested in how I portion it out.

Well the most exciting part is that the age of the chub has ended! The dog food company has discontinued making the food, and now we just buy whole, sliced chicken from the store and thow it in her bowl. I feel like I work at Pollo Tropical. "You want a quarter chicken or half a chicken?"

Work has been going well, and we can now say that we are debt-free! So thankful that God has provided good work for me and has more than provided for our needs. I have been working next to a guy named Gary and have really enjoyed hanging out with him some too. He had the front cover off a Cummins ISX the other day. I thought it was interesting, so I took a picture.

Might look like a scrap pile to you, but it's very organized.

Also found a very old Mack in our truckyard the other day. It came in for a state inspection and failed terribly. We enjoyed the train whistle of a horn that it had though.

I think the year model was 1990

Not a very nice ride

Had to dig some wiring out of the frame rail in a trash truck. I was proud that it only took me about two hours to find the issues going on with this truck. Normally, it would have been in the four to six-hour range. 

Hydraulic oil had leaked into the wiring and ruined it. Along with trash juices :/  

All that to say, work has been going well. I am currently in a class at a Mack and Volvo training center for three days. Although it has been mostly review, I'm glad that I get to attend. Gary has been taking the class with me, and the other day we also went shooting. Because it was so close to Halloween, we decided to shoot zombie targets.

If you look closely, you will note ten fatal holes in the zombie.

I shot the ten rounds from about 12 yards

This is Gary who is very happy to be shooting the zombies after a long day of work.

Jessie did a great job with her Halloween activity by carving a really scary jack-o-lantern.

I was impressed

We spent the evening at our pastor's house, giving out candy from his front yard and enjoying a small fire on one of the first cool nights of the season.

Jessie also did a great job breaking her PR on a Half Marathon run.

Here you can see her passing the competition at the finish 

We also had a good time at the first drive-in theater we have ever been to. It was really fun watch a movie on the big screen from our car with everyone else and their dog.

The power wagon out to the movies

Great times were happening at this photo shoot with Matt and his new gal, Olivia. We love having good friends - old and new - here in the big city. It makes it feel smaller.

Things were taking a little longer then I wanted. 

The month of October had really been full of great activities and I will end with one of my favorite that happened. I was called up by our local Indian Motorcycle dealership and told about free demo rides going on through Saturday. I was very excited to go. The morning of was about 45 degrees outside, and I rode my bike out there (and was kind of frozen when I arrived). They asked which one I wanted to ride and I replied, "Which one has a windshield?" Here are the bikes I was able to ride.

First ride was on the Chief. Base model complete with windshield 

This was my next ride called the Roadmaster. It had an adjustable windshield, heated seats, and heated handle grips.

The last ride was on the Scout once it warmed up.

Had a great time but don't plan on ever buying any of those bikes. Either too much money or not enough bike.

Thanks for reading through this random catch-up post and hope you enjoyed it.

Currently listening to: Miss May I, Bon Iver, and Audio Slave

Currently working on: test questions like "What is the part number for an injector nozzle kit for a 2003 Mack CH?" 

Currently thinking about: Is it socially-acceptable to wear spandex running pants outside of the house without shorts over them, or do the shorts make it worse? Why is it cold?

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween...

...From the Peter Pan Cast!

Oh, wait! That's my family at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party earlier this month. 

We look so incredibly like the cast that I almost didn't recognize us.

Last Friday, I hosted the Annual Halloween Musicale. Ty and I also threw a party the following night.  We aren't really party people, if you know what I mean. The last party we threw was a small gathering (mostly family) for my college graduation - in December. We really want to use our home to be hospitable, so we decided to throw a Halloween bash!

It was hosted by Wendy and...

...The Ghost Host (duh!)

He was such a sport at MNSSHP, but he said he didn't want to "wear a dress" at his own party. We recycled the hat from his John costume, and came up with this!

One of my favorite parts about Halloween is the themed food.

I had so much fun creating treats for our parties! Yes, the punch is teeming with sour gummy worms. 

But not every edible spooky has to be sweet!

Exhibit A: Bats!

Exhibit B: Spiders!

Here's some of the gang in the photo booth! Ty and I are sitting on a bale of hay. :)

(Of course we didn't think to take pictures before a handful of wonderful folks left. Rats!)

 I need to send this to Kelly; she'll get a kick out of it.

 Sone is acclimating to American culture just fine.

And for today? I'm going to work as a nerdy music teacher.

Oh, wait.

Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do!

I do that every day. 

At least I'll be handing out candy on this special day!

Halloween Musicale and...Ballerina Dog!

I'm recovering from my third (yes, third) bout of illness in eight weeks. I am literally tired from spending entire days in bed and canceling work. I'm over the fevers and congestion and vomiting. Yuk! May I please just get back to life? As you can see, I make a poor patient. I'm demanding and downright dangerous when I have too much time on my hands. (Thank you for loving me, family!)

Thankfully I am on the mend, because tonight I hosted the much-anticipated 5th Annual Halloween Musicale! In case you don't know, the Halloween Musicale is a most brilliant combination of piano recital and Halloween party; my teacher from high school and I put this on together each year. It's a favorite with our students. Yes, the students play in costume. And then we eat spooky snacks and play ghoulish games. I bet you want to take piano lessons now, huh?

Notice that furry student on the far right with Wendy?

Why, that's BALLERINA DOG!

Favorite!

(Don't judge. You'd take glamour shots of her, too, if you had the chance!)

Ballerina Dog was a great hostess and greeted each costumed guest. (Which was truly helpful, since I have not recovered my voice!) I am thankful we had the time to socialize her so much as a young pup, because there's very little that frightens her (vacuum is on the bad list still). She stayed with me most of the evening and tolerated her tutu gracefully. May I just say I love my dog? Or was that already obvious?

Happy Halloween week! Have fun and stay safe!

Run (at) Disney

Tyler and I just returned from a Magical weekend at Disney with his family! (More on our adventures later!) For now, I'd like to show you what we did on Sunday morning. Our half marathon is just three weeks away, so we couldn't give up a long weekend run, even if we were staying at a resort. But where to go?

This blurry picture is the lighthouse on Disney's Boardwalk. It was still dark when we arrived. That is my favorite time of day. There were a few other runners out, as well, but it was refreshingly isolated.

What's not to enjoy about that view?

Yacht Club resort! We had dinner there the previous night. Love the nautical feel!

After a few laps around the lake, we decided to run to Paris. Yes, that linear image in the distance is the Eiffel Tower.

(Now it's hiding behind the clouds.)

Did you know there is a second entrance to Epcot, back in the World Showcase? It spits you right out onto the Boardwalk, where you can take a boat to several resorts. 

What is this, you ask? This is the coldest water fountain in all of Disney. We hit this up twice on our run.

After our short visit to the Epcot exit bathrooms, we packed up and headed toward Hollywood Studios. It's also accessible from the Boardwalk, if you're willing to walk (or run) a little.

Yes, that's Tower of Terror looming in the distance. Tell me this isn't cool!

Right up front! The park was still about an hour and a half from opening time, but there were groups waiting anyway.

Over by the Swan and Dolphin, they set up lovely canopies just for us to run through.

Okay, they were actually for the Food and Wine festival, I think. I may have run through them anyway.

And over to Fantasia Mini Golf! Still want to go here!

We did a couple out and backs and a few more trip around the lake. I was geeking out the whole time (You'd think I'd never been to Disney.)

"Ahh! It's Tower of Terror. I'll run ahead and get a picture. Just keep going. I'll catch up if I need to." That may have happened multiple times. Just for Tower of Terror.

When else can you RunDisney without 25,000 other people? I'd sign up for all the races if they were as personalized as yesterday's run. Happiest run on earth!

I was so proud of Ty for running his farthest yet! He's going to be ready to go in three weeks!

Post run!

Family breakfast! Best post-run activity!

My gluten-free pancakes were handmade by the chef, as was every other meal I've eaten this weekend. Definitely been spoiled by The Mouse, as evidenced by the fact that I was loathe to make my own food this morning.

Our great Run (at) Disney experience may just have made up for my Princess Half. I'll RunDisney if you put me up in a resort, give me my own (free) course, and promise to have an allergy-free hot breakfast waiting at the finish line. Or is that too much to ask?