Fall Life

 Wow, we packed a lot into the month of October.  Briley had EKL's and did really well.  That weekend we also had a day to try out a new trail that I had wanted to do.  I thought it would be a nice adventure for us to do something together, but we had some complainers in the group, and the walk didn't last long.  We then went to try out a new ice cream shop in the City Market.  It was ok, but not as good as some of the others we have tried over the summer. 

The next day, we had a wedding celebration for Erik Rimmer.  It was in downtown Lee's Summit with the wedding on the rooftop followed by the reception inside.  As the wedding was beginning to start, the rain began.  They kept it short, but I felt bad for the bride who had a wet train.  The reception was so much fun as we got to catch up with so many friends, and the kids enjoyed dancing.  The best part was watching our friend Erika dance with her son.  There wasn't a dry eye in the house as we watched her do something that we didn't know if it would be possible after her brain aneurysm last year.  

 Regionals for Briley was that next weekend!  My Mom, Jeff, and Lissy were in town to cheer her on as she placed 4th in her region.  Not only is she going to state, but her whole team qualified!  So excited for the girls to be able to go together.  On to Rim Rock next week!

We also went to Deanna Rose that weekend for Night of the Living Farm with the Brawner crew.  I didn't get tickets for this last year because I thought the kids were old enough that they wouldn't want to go, but I was wrong at least for the younger two.  They were happy to go, and it was a beautiful night at the farm.  These are the moments that you don't know how many more you will get.

We then had some fun on that Thursday when we had a girl's night plus Papa to go see Lauren Daigle in concert.  We headed down a little early to grab some dinner, and then went on to the show from there.  Briley was stressed about it being on a Thursday, and all the homework that she had to do, but I think she thought it was worth it in the end.  She has such a beautiful voice, and I love her music.  Finley has been talking about this show for months, and was so excited to go to her first concert.  It was definitely a night to remember for us all.

"You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing.

You say I am strong when I think I am weak.

And you say I am held when I am falling short,

And when I don't belong, oh You say I am yours

And I believe

Oh, I believe

What you say to me."

On Saturday, we were off to Lawerence to cheer Briley on as she ran her State Cross Country meet.  It was a cold one, but she did well considering the course and the weather.  Rim Rock is one of the top ten hardest courses in the U.S.  She finished 39th out of 109 girls, and had the time 20:22.  I'm so proud of her hard work throughout this season, and what an accomplishment to make it to State!

The following Tuesday was Halloween.  Andy went to the parade at school since I had to go to radiation that morning.  The parade was held inside since it was so cold outside.  It ended up being the second coldest Halloween in Kansas City history.  That evening, Finley went to Trick or Treat with a friend, Atticus's class had a party at a friend's house, and then on to going around the neighborhood.  Baylor had a friend over to our house, and they passed out candy.  Briley went to a friend's house to watch a movie.  It was the first year that they didn't all want to dress up, and trick or treat.  Atticus ended the night pretty early.  He was cold, and wanted to go home.  Andy and I were good with that.

This past weekend, ended our year of outdoor soccer.  We went to Wichita for Briley and Baylor to compete in the Stryker tournament.  The kids were excited to run around the hotel with their friends playing hide and seek, and swimming in the pool on Friday night.  We had four games on Saturday.  Briley won the first game, and lost their second game.  Baylor's team lost the first game, and then tied the second game.  It was a long day of games, but we did squeeze in some time to hit up Nifty's Nuthouse for some candy.  Andy got me some dark chocolate amoretto pecans last year, and I have craved them since then.  We loaded up on all different kids of candy, fudge, and nuts.  We also went to lunch with the teams at Chicken and Pickle, and that is always a good time.  After the games that night, we had pizza back at the hotel.

The next morning was Briley's last game.  She has decided to quit playing soccer to focus on track for her last year of high school.  Ugh, that is still hard for me to believe that she is that old.  She is ready to be done with soccer, but I have enjoyed watching her for the last 12 years.  

Baylor's team ended up winning their first game on Sunday, and that means we got to stay a little longer in Wichita.  We went to Top Golf that afternoon while we burned some time before his 5:30 game.  In the end his team lost, but I think we all agreed it was a win.  They played a tough team that did not have the best sportsmanship, and took some dirty shots.  Our boys played them well, and did not stoop to their level.  They lost in a shootout at the end.  You would not have known they lost because they were cheering for how well they played against them.  The boys had a blast, and it was so good for them after the rough season that they had.  It makes them all look forward to next season.