The Little Things

My afternoon walk led me to John's Table where Marshall met me for happy hour. There was a beautiful sunset and it was to have a little outing to kick off the weekend. I was sporting some original Snapdocs swag - hard to believe I just celebrated four years there last month. 

Gratitude Month

November is gratitude month and today I am thankful for a coworking day with folks from my team. I left early and caught the express bus which was great. A few of us went out to lunch and we enjoyed happy hour as the day wrapped up. The holidays are in full swing downtown which got me in the holiday spirit. I'm thankful for wonderful coworkers and the ability for us all to get together - in person connection really is something you can't replicate. 

CSU Day

Tanner and I took the day off to go tour CSU. We enjoyed official tours as well as informal tours thanks to the Williams twins (local Louisville kids who go to CSU). 

We arrived on campus a little before 9:00. There were four students on our general campus tour. Tanner cut out of the tour a little early to attend a class while I walked around the south part of campus. We then met up at one of the dining halls where we also ran into another kid from Monarch. 

Aiden then took us through the library and showed us some study spots on our way to the engineering building. We got an in depth tour of the mechanical engineering labs as well as the 3D printer lab. It was great for Tanner to get such a personal glimpse of the school. 

We chilled out a bit in the student center before we headed to the official engineering tour that started in the other engineering building. We saw some of the same labs, but also learned about the career center and advising program. 

We made a drive through old town Fort Collins before heading home. What a great day and an exciting time for Tanner. 

Birthday Celebrations

Marshall celebrated his birthday this year in Virginia during a work trip. They ensured he had a card and a cake to celebrate. Back home, we celebrated on Saturday night with the Wrights at a Mexican restaurant we hadn't been to before and then some pool in the basement. On Sunday, we planned a last minute gathering at a brewery and enjoyed some beers in the sun. We wrapped up the weekend with a few small gifts to celebrate the wonderful man in our world. 

Future Hawkeye?

We found out today that Tanner got into Iowa and Missouri! His comment, "I'm going to college!"  I'm proud of all the hard work he has put in over the last 3.5 years and am excited to see where he ends up! 

AKPsi Retreat

Drake went on a retreat with his business fraternity in eastern Ohio over the weekend. It was near Hocking Hills Park which looked pretty beautiful and some great weather as well. New experiences with new people - what college is all about. 

Stalker?

My BIL is in Colorado for work and is staying in a hotel a few blocks away. Last night, we had a Target order and ended up behind Sean on our way (he was picking up snacks for his meetings). Pretty funny his work is so close to our house. 

Friendsgiving

 A fun Mediterranean themed Friendsgiving at the Moore's on ash day night. We made a fun quinoa dish and enjoyed sampling some yummy dishes and catching up with friends we hadn't spent time with in awhile. Friends are certainly something we are thankful for. 

The Wild Robot

 A family movie outing on Saturday afternoon to see The Wild Robot - or as Marshall said - Bird Launcher. No wonder the tears were a flowing. A good message on love and community. A good reminder for us all. 

And a Crumbl Cookie delivery this weekend which is a reminder of the community we have here. ❤️

Hamilton

A nice suspension of reality on Wednesday night as we ventured to Denver to see Hamilton. We grabbed dinner at Rock Bottom Brewing and then walked over to the theatre in the snow. The show was wonderful and I'm glad we finally got to go! 

Hope over Hate

I didn't think (or maybe I had hoped) that I would not wake up anxious this morning, but I did. So I put on my "serenity" necklace and just told myself that I wish for hope to win over hate. And, I remind myself what a privilege it is to be able to be able to vote in an election. We can get very caught up in everything and forget the simple fact that many across the globe are denied this voting freedom. May we continue to be thankful for this freedom as we move forward. And for fun, a couple signs from our neighborhood and my flower bed that continued to bloom through the end of October - beauty can bloom even in harsh conditions. 

Three ballots this year! 

Coed Season Wrap Up

This weekend Tanner wrapped up his Monarch Coed season at Aurora Sports Park. The team ended up seeded 1st o their side of the bracket on Saturday with a 3-1 record. They played really well as a team and had a great day of Ultimate. 

Sunday did not go as hoped, but the team pulled out a victory on the last game of the day. It was a bit disappointing for the team, but it was good to see them rally and end the day on a high note. 

We wrapped up the weekend with the potluck celebration at the local church. Of all the coed teams that Tanner played on, it was evident that this one was the most fun and had the best chemistry. And as you can imagine, also played the best together. Many parents talked to us about how great a leader Tanner had been this year and how inclusive he has been. What a testament to the young man Tanner is becoming. 

Messing around after the banquet - nice to see so many kids participating 

The senior line 

Halloween

A casual Hallloween evening on St. Andrew's. A few trick or treaters. An easy dinner. An "orange" drink - Negronis. And then a walk over to the neighbors for a glass of wine. 

Tanner had dinner with us and then went to the volleyball game before hanging with friends a bit. 

We incorporated the cougar we were "gifted" to our Halloween decor - seemed a good use!