A Few Extra

I forgot about these videos. Caroline was really big into talking to Pattie and treating her like a friend. She would look at Pattie and say, "You wanna play Pattie?". One of the nights, she wanted Pattie and me to play dolls. She gave a doll to me and one for Pattie. After we had our dolls, she wanted to read them books. The other videos are performances by Sawyer and Caroline.

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Caroline's Parade

Friday night, Jammie and Sawyer went to a parade at the shops near the house. Mom couldn't get Caroline's mind off going, so after suggesting at least 50 things they could paint, she said you want to make a parade? Caroline cheered and we all ran downstairs. Here are a few clips of the parades we created:

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Lights Before Christmas

Wednesday night, we all bundled up and heading for the Toledo Zoo. We went to see The Lights Before Christmas. Most animals were in hiding, but the zoo was lit up in beautiful displays. The lights coupled with the freezing temperatures created a warm holiday feeling. We walked around, saw the lights, rode the carousel, and got into the car just before the rain and sleet came. Thanksgiving day was rainy and Friday was bitterly cold so this was the perfect night for being outside...well after you layerd yourself up of course!

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A Northern Thanksgiving

We were mixin it up for Thanksgiving this year. Thankfully the Petty family was able to spend time together at the beach this year so Thanksgiving was spent closer to home...for some. I took the day off Tuesday and left my house at 5:30 in the morning to travel up to Ohio. Pattie and I arrived around 2:30 ready to spend time with the Gribbles! Mom, Dad, and Grandma Gribble also left Tuesday morning. By late afternoon, we were all in Ohio! Tuesday was the "warmest" day, so Sawyer and I played with Pattie outside and played a game of football. Caroline helped me walk Pattie while she rode her tricycle. Wednesday was spent inside preparing for Thanksgiving. That evening, we all bundled up and ventured out to the Zoo for "Lights Before Christmas". We debated all day becauase of the weather but decided to take a chance. By the time we got back to the car and were almost home, rain and sleet started to fall. Thanksgiving was spent inside playing and waiting for guests to arrive. Tom and Kate, their friends and co-workers, arrived early afternoon. We enjoyed appetizers, a Thanksgiving meal, football watching, and Wii tournaments. Friday morning, there was a little shopping done by the ladies. We only went to one store and were home within the hour. There was no waking at 4 am to go shopping for us! We spent most of the day relaxing downstairs watching football and playing with the kids. Saturday morning, Pattie and I loaded up and left at 6:00 for the drive back down south. Thanks to Jammie for ALL the food she prepared while we were there and to the Ohio Gribbles for hosting this event!

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Taz-A-Pawlooza

Jennifer and Eugene live down a windy, gravel road surrounded by woods. Eugene, with the help of their dog Taz, has been creating trails beside their house. A few months ago, Eugene started sharing his idea of getting us together to trail run and mountain bike. He wanted to name it Taz-A-Pawlooza in honor of sweet, 12 year old Taz. We were all game and said bring it on! Little did we know! I showed up yesterday thinking all I had to do was run. Ha! This was a full competition with handmade trophies given to the lucky winners. We competed in the following events: a mile and a half trail run, a bike trail ride, bb gun shooting, axe throwing, an obstacle course, minature golf, and rock em sock em robots! We all began arriving around 10:30 and left the house a little after 9:00. The competition began around 12:00 and all competitions were finally finished around 8:30. We did break for dinner just after dark and competed in the golf and robot competitions before enjoying smores. Bonus points were given throughout the day for tequila shots, various dangerous moves on the trails, and drawing blood. I did earn 5 bonus points for blood, but steered clear of the shots. The obstacle course involved running straight up a hill, running across a 2 x 4, under a sawhorse, rolling a log, taking a shot, then carrying 4 heavy pieces of wood up a hill and stacking them! Whew, it makes me tired just thinking about all we did! It wore me out and I think I won't have to work out for at least a week! Being with old friends and new friends was just what I needed!

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40 years??!!!

On November 8th, these two wonderful people celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary! Can you believe it?! Congratulations to my parents!

Baby Shower #3 and Lunch

I started my morning Saturday attending a baby shower for my neighbor. This is the 3rd baby shower I have attended in the past 3 months! My neighbors are also expecting a baby girl in December! After only getting to stay for a short while, I headed off to meet my team. We tried last December to venture down to Donna's house for lunch. She has a fabulous log cabin down the mountain a bit. Last December, the snow stopped us and we haven't been able to get together since. So, this was the first weekend we could get together since school started! We met around 11 and headed down the mountain. Five hours later, we traveled back up! It was nice to get together with these friends away from school and share in peaceful lunch together! We were missing 3 of our team members for last minute reasons but enjoyed our time with the people that could make it.

Book Club...for real this time!

It came up in conversation there was interest in beginning a book club. Four weeks ago, the book was chosen, the date was set, and it was time to begin reading. We started our club reading Let the Great World Spin. It was not a favorite or the best book we had read, however we finished the book and came ready to discuss. We gathered at 7:00, mentioned the book a few different times and spent the rest of the time enjoying food, wine, and each other's company! It did bring across the point we really do live in a small world and it amazes you at how people are connected. Now on to read Art of Racing in the Rain before gathering at my house in December. I will choose the book for the next time in January so send me your suggestions!

First Snow?!!!

I took the recycling and trash today in 28 degree weather and it was spitting snow. By the time I got home, the snow was falling a bit harder. I let Pattie out to run around and tried to capture the moment since I figured no one would really believe me! It has been too warm lately so of course nothing stuck to the ground...thank goodness! The last time I checked Fall had just recently started right?! No, Pattie does not have dandruff! Those are snowflakes that fell on her!

Halloween Happenings

Saturday afternoon, Pattie and I headed over to Ann's house to get ready! Pattie and Chloe enjoyed running around the nicely fenced in yard while we tried on costumes inside. We settled on our get-ups and headed out to hear some music. Brushfire Stankgrass was putting on a free show at one of the local breweries. So we stopped by for a beer and a few tunes before their mini break. Many people were dressed up and my favorite was a turkey dinner. A guy had a turkey on his head, a silver "platter" around his neck, and a white sheet over his body. Clever I thought! We headed over to our friends Amanda and Jeremiah's house for cocktails and appetizers. A few of us walked up the road to see what was happening. Instead of paying the $5 cover, we walked across the street for more food!
Sunday, I met the Hogg's for lunch! My friends in-laws (well, Ben's parents) were traveling from Michigan to Florida for a wedding and making the most of the roadtrip! We met in downtown for a lovely lunch. It was the next best thing to Ben, Victoria, and their girls! That evening I anxiously awaited the arrival of trick-or-treaters only to be visited by 2 children. Oh well, now I have a bowl full of candy to enjoy right!

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