Witching Hour

Jen had her annual Hunter's Widow Sleepover earlier this month. Every year there is a theme and this year was witches. Oddly enough we ran into another group of witches.

Fall's Fading Fast

I don't know if it is the fact that it gets dark so early now or that there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees but winter is coming and with it days of being stuck inside. A perfect time to hunker down with dossier paperwork! Yep, we have decided to begin the adoption process again. We are more than a little scared but finally at a point where we can be excited too. In some ways it might be easier because we have some stuff behind us, our home study will only need some updating, we may be able to get an extension on our 171 H, and we are pros at dossier paperwork having done it twice already. In some ways harder, we have the fear of things going horribly wrong again, we need a new agency and possibly a new country, and we have done the dossier paperwork twice before so we know how challenging it can be. Wish us luck......

Welcome Sammy

The Waldorf gang got together to celebrate a new member, Samuel Joseph. I wonder if the thought of meeting each other's grandchildren ever crossed their minds during life in Johnson Hall?

Fall Favorite

A fall favorite for me is a trip to The Pine Tree Apple Orchard. I can't believe it has already been a year since the last trip. Not quite the year we were expecting..... But I guess that's life, so back to the apple orchard. It actually snowed the morning we planned to go. Not a good sign for this winter since it is only October 10th but the first snow is always pretty and somehow a novelty so I couldn't resist getting a few pictures.

Maren and Ken got their professional pictures back which are great but we couldn't resist making fun of some of the silly poses.

Then it was off to the apple orchard for a hay ride, corn maze, pumpkin patch and shopping.


A trip to the apple orchard wouldn't be complete without an afternoon of apple baking. I made Dad's (great-grandma Lydia's) apple crisp. Maren made an apple butter pie. Mom made an apple spice cake, an apple custard pie, and apple butter chocolate chip cookies. YUM!!

On Being a Lap Dog

There are only a couple months during the year that Abby can join us on our state park walks. Most months are either too hot for her or too cold for us. This afternoon we went to William O'Brien State Park. It was beautiful! I know you are all thinking we should get back on the adoption wagon because you are sick of pictures of the dog. However, every time I think about it I have anxiety attacks about how horrible the process was for us. I guess it is probably like having a miscarriage and not wanting to try again right away. So until we are ready, Abby will have to do!

Laughlin, NV

We celebrated Brian's birthday in Laughlin. No, he did not turn 70. His birthday dinner was at The Gourmet Room. It felt like we were eating on a cruise ship because it was right on the Colorado River.
We were lucky enough to join Terry, Dorla, Dave, Renee, Ali, Tony and Matt using comps from Terry and Dorla. Our entire trip including flight, hotel, food and drinks was free and we even came out $50 ahead gambling. Thanks T+D! We spent at lot of time in the casino.

Some didn't even see the light of day for 3 days. I was not one of them. I convinced Brian to walk the strip and the river walk and lounged by the pool soaking in all the 90 degree weather I could. I'm glad I did when I got home it was COLD!

It is strange to be in the middle of the desert overlooking a large body of water. Our hotel room looked out onto the river and across the river at Bull Head City, Arizona.

This picture is sooooo Laughlin! A tiny old lady playing 2 machines at once as fast as she can, with an extra chair for her oxygen tank and motorized scooter near by.

A Walk in the Woods

Brian and I are close enough to several state parks to go for an evening hike. The fall colors were just starting to show along the St. Croix in Taylors Falls a few weeks ago.