I don't know when I became such an outdoors person. I'm sure my mom, dad, brother and sister wonder the same thing. I know it was after I met Troy. Our first vacation together was a rafting and camping trip in the Grand Canyon in 1989. We have taken virtually nothing but outdoor vacations ever since, always including hiking somewhere, sometimes camping as well. The first week of October we threw the tent in the back of the jeep and drove down to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which is about a 3 hour drive from home.
We camped at the base of the dam at Beaver Lake.
This is the view of the river from the dam.
We have been here before of course, I say this all the time....but it's one of my favorite places! Tent camping is one of my favorite things, I just can't personally think of anything else more peaceful than waking up gazing out of the mesh ceiling of the tent at the trees above us and listening to the birds outside. To wake up outside is pretty cool. And coffee and bacon and eggs cooked over the fire! There is just no better way for me to start a day.
So this trip was all about me. I got to eat at my favorite German restaurant, The Bavarian Inn.
Roast Duck or Wiener Schnitzel anyone?
And also shop in some of my favorite shops for antiques and specialty items on those pretty, winding, hilly streets downtown.
I came home with a green glass rolling pin, a big multi-colored bag from the leather shop, and some colorful plastic fish shaped paper plate holders (to hang on my kitchen wall).
And this time we drove up the hill to see the Christ of the Ozarks up close.
The next weekend was a fall festival in my hometown, the town where I teach, Girard. It's 8 miles from our home. We decided to ride our bikes over Saturday morning. We did this one other time. It was great weather for it again!
There were vendors set up all around the town square. Very nice turn out this year. And a car show. That's my dad's '51 Chevy in the picture.
The following weekend the Smiths invited us to their lake house at Lake of the Ozarks. Another pretty fall weekend. We took the boat out on the lake. Troy and I drove the jeep and our girls went with the Smiths. We got to take our time on the way home, touring HaHa Tonka State Park near Camdenton and stopping at antique stores along the way, again coming home with more goodies (that only Troy and I would appreciate).
I spent another 3 day weekend in DesMoines scrapbooking the next weekend. It had been a year and a half since I'd been able to go. I got a lot accomplished while I was there and had a great time with my friend Nancy's cousins from Minnesota. Going back again in February.
And then it was Halloween:
Adorable Case family kids!!!!
The same weekend Susan's beau, Troy, had a very sweet surprise 40th birthday party for Susan. He put so much work into it and she was genuinely surprised! The pictures say it all.
He had this cake made representing all the decades of her life so far, picking up items from the scrapbook store to represent our family dog, her interests growing up, jobs, children, etc.
Susan's lifelong besties were there waiting for her to show up. Susan thought she was attending a party celebrating my Aunt Betty and Uncle Charlie's 60th wedding anniversary.
Room full of people: family, friends, co-workers, waiting for Susan. Good beer, wine, food. He put together a touching slide show of Susan growing up and today also.
And there she is! Realizing that it's all about her. Very sweet, eh? Nice evening.
And my Troy's brother, Travis had a baby girl this fall. We made the trip out to visit them when they had their first born, Liam, 5 years ago, so we made another trip this fall to see baby Veda. It was very pretty there in North Carolina in early November, here's Troy walking Travis' property. And Kalyn holding baby Veda.
We went to a flea market there, Kalyn didn't have luck finding the sunglasses she wanted, but Alina found some shoes she HAD TO HAVE. She is still wearing them a few weeks later even though they cramp her toes a little.
Kalyn has some of the better pictures from this trip on her camera so I took a few from her. It was about this time I decided I needed to get a better camera of my own. Above here are pictures of Liam, Kalyn, Alina and me, all of us sitting around a fire pit in their driveway, and body stamps the kids really enjoyed while we were there.
We came home from that trip and the leaves had fallen off the trees here and everyone had decorated for Christmas. And I knew my fall was over. Even though it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet.
So.....Troy, Kalyn, Alina and I were sitting at Applebees together Thanksgiving weekend and Troy mentioned seeing a good deal on a Cannon EOS T2i with a nice lens online and I ordered it that night. To cheer myself up about the onset of winter. It arrived today and as I type, Troy is looking it over while he's watching tv. Merry Christmas to us!
God Bless Us, Every One.
Hey, we're going to see A Christmas Carol this weekend in Kansas City! I'll have some nice pictures to post!
