October 2023 in Review

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I talk about something on my mind and invite you to link up and do the same. Today I'm thinking about all the fun we had in October! Every weekend was very blog-worthy, but I didn't have time to get a single weekending post together. So today I'm recapping the entire month of weekends.

We kicked off the first weekend of the month by doing one of my most favorite things - helping with a wedding! Nicholette and Timothy tied the knot on Friday, October 6. My friend TW came into town to help and everything went great. This wedding will be getting a blog post of its' very own as soon as I can get some of the photographer's photographs.

 

On Saturday, we tried a new-to-us restaurant in Waterloo, Illinois called Gallagher's.  It was scrumptious!  If you go, try their truffles fries!

On our way home, we stopped for ice cream at Oh Sugar!  They have ice cream flights.  Who wouldn't love that!

The next weekend was Girls' Weekend in Kansas City.  The weekend started at TW's house for a fondue party.  You know you're in for a good time when there is a signature drink involved!

TW knows how to throw a fondue party!  We had a blast sitting around the table dipping in the cheese, broth, and chocolate courses.

On Saturday, we breakfasted at The French Market then were off to do the Kansas City Gangster Tour.  

For dinner, we went to Marine 27.  I had one of the best steaks for dinner!  As a matter of fact, everyone enjoyed their dinner selections.

One of the cool things at the restaurant was the wine lockers.  Guess who's locker we spotted...

After dinner, there was a new speakeasy we wanted to visit.  The singer had a great voice, but couldn't finish a song to save his life.  He did more talking than singing, which annoyed us.  Regardless, we had so much fun trying various cocktails and listening to the music when he sang a few bars for us.

My friend Linda organized the weekend and it couldn't have gone smoother.  We had the perfect amount of activity and downtime.  

By the third weekend of the month, I was hopeful we could see some colorful fall leaves.  Eric and I played pickleball on Saturday morning and the park leaves were beautiful.  We decided to go for a hike in the afternoon to see if we could capture more fall foliage.

We ventured to Castlewood State Park to do some hiking.  They have a nice hike that's perfect to do in an afternoon.

The leaves were just starting to turn, but they weren't at their peak just yet.  It was still great to be outside!

By the time the last weekend of the month rolled around, the weather had changed and it was downright COLD outside.  Saturday morning we participated in the Walk to End Alz and thought we might get frostbite!  There's still time to make a donation - click HERE to donate.  

After the walk, we headed to Cooper's Hawk for a wine tasting and lunch.  It warmed my heart that my husband, son and daughter-in-law all walked with me and braved the cold weather.

Saturday night we met our friends for dinner at Napoli 3 to celebrate Eric and my upcoming birthdays.  

The friends we met, Sharyn and Eric, have been friends for years and it's always nice to catch up with them.  As a matter of fact, Sharyn and I have been friends for 54 years!  Now that's a special friendship!

I ended the weekend by pulling together a little Halloween treat for some of my work friends and a neighbor.  

What a month!  Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with my weekending posts as November unfolds.  It hard to believe how quickly October flew by!

Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!  

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