October Review

Wow! October was the longest month of my entire life. For some reason I was really looking forward to it all year. And: it didn't disappoint!

Stuff we did:

• Had a family get together. It was so fun to see my family! 

• Drove to Spokane to visit our friends. It was so fun! We left on a Wednesday and came home on Saturday. Even though it was short, we had a great time. The drive was perfect - the trees all along the Clark Fork had started to turn and they were gorgeous for hundreds of miles. We ate dinner in downtown Spokane near a waterfall and breakfast at Frank's Diner. We went running on Melanie and John's beautiful running route. My kids ran wild for 3 days - I hardly saw them except for at mealtimes. The most amazing thing: we saw a bald eagle sitting in a tree next to the road on our way home. I couldn't get a picture of it, but me and the boys saw it. It was beautiful! Can't wait to go and visit again.

• Ran 75 miles, including two 10 mile training runs, an 11 mile training run, and a half marathon.

• Got a little change of duties at work. I've been in the same position at work for more than 13 years. Pretty cool to start focusing on the stuff I really enjoy doing and am (quite frankly) good at.

• Entertained kids for 3 weeks while they were off track. I am not a very creative mom and we didn't do anything very exciting. But they did see their friends almost every day, which is a pretty good way to spend 3 weeks, right?

• Sang in Stake Conference. I'm not saying I'm going to volunteer next time around, but it was pretty cool.

• Halloween. My kids were Hawkeye from The Avengers. Easiest costume ever! They looked pretty good. We went trick-or-treating with their friends. They got a lot of candy and it was beautiful weather with a giant harvest moon hanging over it all.

So, that is what we did. Some other things I want to remember;

• At the family dinner, right before the prayer someone said "You picked a fine time." Without missing a single beat, Amy said "to leave me Lucille." I giggled the whole way through the prayer. Then the next morning NPR did a little story on Kenny Rogers which ended with them playing the song The Gambler. It was just too much for my raised-on-Kenny-Rogers heart to bear (not saying I like being raised that way, but it's what my dad played while we drove for hours on the boat from Moki Canyon to Rainbow bridge and back. My childhood was steeped in KR, Roger Whittaker, Dan Fogleberg, and Paint your Wagon.) So, I naturally downloaded The Gambler one afternoon and listened to it on my run. It stayed with me all month. I've been humming it incessantly ever since. It is something that is a little embarrassing and not very cool to like, but somehow it fits into a spot that says "Dad." That's a good spot.

• Other songs I downloaded: 

1. The Cave, Mumford and Sons (I hated M&S until just recently. Now I can't stop listening to this song.)
2. I will Wait, Mumford and Sons
3. Little Lion Man, Mumford and Sons
4. Unchained Melody, U2 (head a live rendition of this mixed with One that was soooo good, but can't find a download of it.)
5. Reflections, Diana Ross and the Supremes (heard this at Frank's Diner with Mel and John. Good memories!)
6. Paradise, Cold Play (the kids wanted this one.)

• Books I tried to read/and or finished:

1. The Orchardist - so beautiful. I was about 2/3 of the way done and it was a week late at the library so I took it back. But the landscape is so close to the one we drove through on our way to Spokane that the story made it's way into my memory of the trip. It didn't help that I started reading it on the way home as I sprawled in the back seat of our rented Buick Enclave. Good times.
2. The Casual Vacancy - read 1 chapter, said "meh" and took it back to the library.
3. Tell the Wolves I'm Home - I actually didn't even crack this one open but I want to check it out again later.
4. Slaughterhouse 5 - started it, didn't get at all far.
5. Rainwater - almost finished this in October (actually finished it just today!) Enjoyed it.

Well there it is. October was a really beautiful month and I enjoyed it immensely. I love when the seasons change and they bring a new perspective to everything.