Fall Fun

Fall is by far one of my favorite times of year. I love the leaves changing, apple and pumpkin everything, and the coziness that comes with the slight chill. Though our weather has been a little off this fall (crazy warm!) we are still taking advantage of getting our fall fix while we can. Here's a little bit of what we've been up to:

1. Purdue Visit: I went with my sister-in-law, niece, nephew, mom, and aunt to Purdue to visit my youngest brother for the day. Everyone got to see his dorm and we were able to take him out to lunch and walk around campus. I always look forward to a visit with Nate and enjoyed exploring the campus a little more with him.

The whole crew

2. Brown County Camping: I know I already talked about this in another blog post but I thought I would share some snapshots of our weekend (and the cutest pup around!).

Ali fluffed from the weekend

3. Thomas Rhett: Tim may deserve best husband ever award for taking me to the Thomas Rhett concert in Louisville (and especially for enduring the screaming teenage [girl] fans we had behind us). We explored a historic district and had dinner before the concert on Friday. Then, on Saturday we walked down by the river to where we got engaged and sat and drank our coffee for awhile. It was nice to have some alone time and to be able to go back to where it all began...and I think Tim enjoyed Thomas Rhett more than he'll readily admit. :)

Coffee with a view 

Where it all began

Waterfront Park in Louisville

4. Pumpkin Patching: Every year we always go to Beasley's in Danville for our pumpkins. This year I convinced Tim to bring Ali along! And of course in her costume :) My brother joined us and we went back home later to paint our pumpkins. It was a great time relaxing with everyone and we were pleasantly surprised at how well Ali did out and about - especially on the hay ride! We thought she would be scared but she loved it!

Happy pup on the hayride

Hayride

Ali the Lion

Pickin' our pumpkin with the cutest lion around

5. Arkansas Halloween: I went for a quick visit around Halloween to visit my brother and sister in law in Arkansas. The drive was a bit of an adventure - I drove it by myself but brought along our pup, Ali, with me (who has car anxiety). We typically keep her seat belted in with a special seatbelt but it was misplaced at the time. On the drive there, I left after work around 5-6 pm and drove until I got there (about 8.5-9 hours). The drive itself was great because the roads weren't crowded (and I prefer to drive later at night than midday or early morning). Ali, however, was not having it. She climbed over the seats and tried to sit with me (at one point sitting on my back, all 55-60 pounds of her). She also knocked the car into neutral multiple times. I had to get very creative at finding ways to try to keep her in the back but was very excited when we finally got there around 2-3 am (as I was not always successful at keeping her out). I spent the next couple days enjoying time with Kara, Ryan, and the kids. I accompanied Kara to take Kinsie to school one day and got to see her preschool classroom and friends and meet her teacher. While Kinsie was at school, Kara and I spent time together and I enjoyed 1:1 time with Brax which included lots of reading and Mickey. When Kinsie got home and Brax was down for his nap, I was able to get lots of time with her as well - we usually watched movies and hung out/rested in the living room. My favorite part of the trip was getting to go trick or treating with the kids! They were the cutest Lilo and Stitch ever! It slightly drizzled for much of the first part of the trick or treating but let up 1/4 to halfway through. I LOVED getting some one on one time with Kara, Ryan, and the kids and it was the perfect short getaway.

My sweet lion

Lilo & Stitch

Sweet sibling kisses

Going through their stash

Auntie love

Mickey Mouse Cuddles

No place I'd rather be

My reading buddy and our cuddle buddy

6. Thanksgiving Festivities: This was Tim and I's second year hosting Thanksgiving and I loved every second of it. I hosted for my dad's side, which was around 20 people, so it was a full house in our little ranch but so much fun. My favorite part of hosting is getting the table all set. This year I was able to use my fine china I inherited from my grandma and silver ware I had inherited from my other grandma. I also made centerpieces especially for the occasion. Tim also built me custom corbels and floating shelves as well as a "Little Houses" sign and his mom helped me re-do some of our table chairs into benches, which I have been wanting to do for awhile. Unfortunately, we were only able to get the benches done in time for Thanksgiving and the other things were done shortly afterward. Unfortunate also, I completely spaced getting pictures of the house all set up for Thanksgiving as I was so busy with other things! As far as food, thankfully it was a team effort. My uncle and aunt made the meat, a couple sides, and cookies/brownies. My grandma made a sweet potato casserole, and my mom and I covered the other sides and desserts. It was truly a family affair! The food was delicious but the company was even better. Afterward, we also went over to my aunt's for Thanksgiving for my mom's side. My grandma was placed on hospice shortly ago and we were thankful she got to join us at my aunt's. We have truly been cherishing the time we have had with her until she gets to go meet her Jesus.

My main centerpiece

Graves Family Christmas 2017

Now we look forward to winter and Christmas! The house is decorated and our hearts are excited to come and adore our savior.