Ahoy, Matey!

And Happy Halloween!

Disney World

We rode, we splashed, we ran, we flew, (some of us took Dramamine), we spun, we coasted, we explored, we drove, we ate, we got up early, we stayed up late, we watched, we met, we high-fived, aaaaaaand we're home. Phew! I'm too exhausted for many more words than that.








Ok, a few more words. When Kristin and I were at Disney World as kids, the Dumbo ride was broken. Kristin was crushed. 30 years later, she finally got to ride Dumbo. It was our first stop when we got to the park. :)

Chicken update

It's been quite a while since the last time I reported on the chickens. They are now almost three months old and they are getting so BIG! They certainly aren't chicks anymore. 

The ladies (yes, they all turned out to be ladies. Phew!) have been spending a lot of time outside. They wander through the woods and return to the coop each evening to roost. I love pulling into the driveway after work to see chickens in the yard, welcoming me home.


Molly has been getting along well with them, but she occasionally needs a stern talking to.

Walter is the only one of us that has any luck catching them. His favorite is still Love, and it's obvious why. He tucks her under his arm and she snuggles right up to him.


We think we are only a month or two away from our first eggs. You can be sure I'll be reporting on that big event as soon as it happens. Walter already has plans to scramble the first egg and split it three ways.

At it again

Can I just tell you how much easier apples are than tomatoes? Granted, we only had 28 pounds of apples, compared to the 75 pounds of tomatoes we had a few weeks ago. But STILL! Apples are a breeze. Of course that's mostly because of this fabulous apple gadget. If you ever plan on making applesauce, pick one up. So totally worth it. Oh, and let's not forget the immersion blender. Another applesauce-making, must-have item.


My mom helped me out with the canning again today and we very quickly turned those 28 pounds of apples into 13 pints of sauce and three pie fillings. Easy peasy.

The sauce turned out great. But you don't have to take my word for it.

He did it!

Nate's first marathon experience was not ideal. A disorganized race, a lot of pain, and he swore he'd never do it again. It only took about a week for him to change his mind. He had hoped to finish that race in less than 4 hours, but it took closer to five. He had a score to settle. He joined a local racing team and put in countless hours of training. He ran over 1000 miles (and went through a few pairs of shoes) gearing up for the Chicago marathon. Sunday morning he met his goal. No, wait. He didn't just meet his goal – he flew right past it! 26.2 miles in 3:27:45! His brother, Jess, and I were his early-morning cheering section. He sped past us so fast that this is the only photo I got of him:

The rest of the family met us to cheer him on towards the end. We saw him at mile 25 and as he ran past he shouted, "This is my last one!" Should we believe him this time?

Above: The view from the top of the Hancock Building, a handful of the 40,000 runners on Sunday morning, and my sign, so he could spot us in the crowd.

We're proud of you, Nate!