What We Did in October 2024

We had a great October!  Today I'm sharing the recap ~

The first weekend of the month, we traveled to Jefferson City, stopping in Fulton, Missouri, along the way. Our nephew had a football game on Saturday morning, and we were thrilled to see him on the field. Adding to the excitement, our niece was the cutest little cheerleader, making it so much fun to watch them both in action!

After the game, we took a short trip to Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri, to visit our friend Donna. I've seen the Capitol building countless times, but it never fails to look so striking!

Donna and I have been friends since college.  It was so fun spending a few days with her and get caught up.  After a little lunch, we were off to do some retail therapy.  Jefferson City has some adorable shops downtown!  A few of our favorites are Southbank Gift Company, Carrie's Hallmark Store, and Shaefer House.  

Saturday night we had the perfect weather to sit outside and listen to the Shiloh Country Band at the Pierpoint General Store.  

 

On Sunday we enjoyed more great weather and music at Porchfest.  Eric and I had never been to a Porchfest event and it was so fun.  In case you're not familiar with Porchfest, a street is shut down and entertainers sit on people's porches and yards to play their music.  You wander up and down the street and stop whenever someone's music interests you.  It was a great weekend!

The following week we celebrated our friend Jill's birthday.  I love having a reason to celebrate friends and dine out at one of our favorite restaurants!  Jill chose Eleven Eleven Mississippi.  So good!

We had an opportunity to spy the northern lights mid-month.  This was the second time we had luck seeing them through our phone cameras.  Someday I'd still like to be in a location to see them with the naked eye.

The second weekend of the month, we visited my friend Sherri in Monticello, Illinois. Monticello is a charming city with a beautiful town square. On Friday night, we enjoyed an outdoor dinner at one of the restaurants on the square. Saturday, we explored Allerton Park and Recreation Center—a true hidden gem!

The grounds of Allerton are fascinating, with magnificent sculptures scattered throughout. I’d love to visit again in the spring when all the flowers are in bloom.

We attempted to catch a glimpse of the comet but couldn’t see it. Instead, we enjoyed a lovely sunset picnic with friends and took in a fantastic view as the sunset.

Our porch has been transformed with fall decor, and I shared all the details on my blog HERE.

Our son and daughter-in-law joined us for the Alzheimer's Walk.  Thanks to all my friends who donated to this amazing cause.  If you'd like to contribute to finding a cure, you can donate HERE.  

Now that October is behind us, we are embracing November!  The holiday season is quickly going to be upon us and I'm trying to get as organized as possible so we can truly enjoy the season.  Keep your eyes out for some fun gift list ideas I'll be sharing on the blog soon.

What We Did in August 2024

August was packed with fun activities! We kicked off the month by meeting our friends' new Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, Teddy.  He is adorable!  We wanted to see him right away because we knew he wouldn't stay little for long.

Next up we celebrated our daughter-in-law’s birthday. I always let the birthday person pick what I fix and Kayla chose Chicken Enchiladas and Mungo Salad.  For dessert, I whipped up a made-from-scratch funfetti cake. Using my Silhouette machine, I made a pattern to lay on top of the cake of her name and filled in the space with sprinkles. I must admit, I was pretty proud of the way it turned out!

Way back in December, my friend Jodie and I bought tickets to see P!nk. The date finally arrived for the concert on September 10! P!nk was a bucket list entertainer for both of us and she didn’t disappoint. That lady has talent! We met up with some other friends who were also going to the concert for dinner and then went to the show. The opener was Missouri native Sheryl Crow. She was fantastic also! The whole evening was a blast!

The week after the concert I flew out on Thursday to spend the day with my family on their beach vacation. They were in the Rosemary Beach area, which is a spot I had not been to before. The water was crystal clear and so, so blue!  A highlight was seeing our niece and nephews playing in the sand.  Aren't beach days the best!

It was fun spending a bit of time with them on the beach before picking up my friend Debbie from the airport on Friday. We were spending a few days in Orange Beach at a condo, Regency Isle, that I had been to several times before.

 We relaxed on the huge balcony and took in the surf and sun. Any stress I had in my body melted away laying there listening to the waves crash to shore while reading my book. We did a little retail therapy at the nearby outlet mall, Door Dashed, and took an awesome dolphin cruise with Surfs Up.

My love for sunrises drew me outside every day to watch the show in the sky as the day began. Sunsets are a favorite of mine too. But on this trip, the moon put on a show as good as the sun. My pictures really don’t do justice to the beauty of the moon reflecting off the ocean.

Our window area got a makeover into the Sunshine Shroomscape.  I blogged about the new design HERE.

The weekend after I got back from the beach we hosted our friends TW and Mary at our house. We planned an antique weekend where we went to an estate sale and to several antique stores in the area. By the end of our day, the car was loaded with all our found treasures.

September is shaping up to be a busy month! We're off to London for vacation and can't wait to explore a new city. While I'm a bit sad to say goodbye to summer, I'm excited for the fall ahead!

What We Did in July 2024

Hello!  Thanks for stopping by Thinking Out Loud Thursday.  It's a day I share something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm recapping our July activities.

The month kicked off with a 4th of July celebration at our friends' house.  Dave and Penny host an annual party and we were lucky to be able to attend this year.  Their neighborhood puts on an amazing fireworks show!  The evening was beautiful and a treat to sit around their pool and watch the show in the sky.

Eric and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary in the middle of the month.  Looking back, the years have truly flown by!  We celebrated by going to one of our favorite restaurants, 801 Chophouse.  

We picked up our niece and nephews to spend a few days with us.  You can read all about their visit HERE.  Hosting three eight-year-olds and a five-year-old was fun, tiring, challenging, and wonderful!  They definitely kept us on our toes and it was way too quiet after they went home.

I met my friend Sharyn for dinner to celebrate her birthday.  We've been friends for over 50 years!  It was a joy honoring her special day!  

Barry Manilow was in St. Louis and a group of my friends and I couldn't miss seeing him!  We met for dinner then headed to the concert.  Listening to him sing his hits brought back so many memories!  

We wrapped up the month by visiting Eric's sister and her family in Memphis.  They were fabulous hosts!  While in Memphis, I was hoping to visit the shop of John Mark Enterprises.  I follow him on Instagram and geeked out a bit being in his shop!

Every week, John Mark hosts a bow-making tutorial.  Stepping inside his ribbon room was pretty exciting for me!

We also shopped at the most adorable bookstore - novel.  Besides all the books, this shop has a bar and many, many awesome gifts.  

We were so excited to meet the newest member of the family!  Our great niece is as cute as can be and we soaked up all the cuddles we could get!

For dinner, we visited The Lookout at the Pyramid.  Coolest place!  They have an observation deck where you can see the river and beyond.  It had been overcast and rainy most of the day.  Just before sunset, the clouds broke and we experienced the most beautiful sunset!

On Sunday before heading home, we played a few games of Quixx.  Our great nephew was the best little helper!

It was a weekend full of memories!  On the way home, we added one more activity to the weekend.  Chester, Illinois is the hometown of Popeye.  We've driven by several times but never stopped to look at the statue of the famous icon.  Cross that off the list!

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

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