Hello Monday ~ October 12, 2026/Richmond

 Good morning!  I hope you all had a good weekend.  I am sharing some highlights of my unusual weekend below.   It was sad to see all the destruction from the hurricane on the Florida coast and see pictures of 30A.   I am sure these locals will come together with so many who love this area and re-build.

A friend of mine came over Friday morning and took me to the airport.  I met my sister there and we boarded a plane for Charlotte, NC.

I had a 2 1/2 hour layover there so I had reached out to one of my best friends who lives there. She picked me up and we sat in the cell phone lot for an hour visiting before she dropped me back off at the terminal.  I have TSA pre-check, so it was easy to go back through security again. I don't see this friend very often, so it was good to see her and hug her neck again.

It is crazy when I think back that I lived in the Charlotte area for 5 years of my life.  This is where I moved after I got married and I had my first daughter there. I still have fond memories of this time and loved living in North Carolina, but it also seems like a lifetime ago.  It is such a beautiful state.

My final destination was Richmond, Virginia.  My brother picked us up at the airport and we met my sister in law and nephew at a Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Saturday morning, we drove over to the Shenandoah Mountains for a hike.  It was a lot of uphill on the way up and lots of rocks to climb at the overlook.  We did see some pretty views and fall colors though! Along with my brother and sister, my sister-in-law, nephew, niece, niece's husband and my great niece also went on the hike.

The crew!

My siblings

We saw some blood on the trail at one point that looked like it was pretty fresh.  I had my nephew pose by it!

We went to a brewery restaurant afterwards and was able to sit outside.  We ordered a pizza for the table as an appetizer.

I ordered the chicken/sausage gumbo as my meal.

Sunday morning we woke up to rain and had a lazy morning.  Well, other than my brother who still went out and ran in the rain.  We went to my niece's house for lunch and was able to meet my new great-niece who is 2 weeks old.  It was fun to see her and her big sister too of course.  My niece had stayed home with the new baby from the hike on Saturday.

Afterwards, we happened to see a frozen yogurt shop so we got some then I took a walk later in the day.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Everyday Images ~ October 8, 2026

Good morning!  I have a few random Everyday Images to share today with some prompts.

Friday Focus

This was my favorite FRIDAY of 2026.  July 24, 2026, I departed on my 2 week vacation of a lifetime.  I was focused and little did I know just how amazing the next 14 days would be. 

Rocky

My first thought goes to one of my favorite movies, ROCKY.

Another ROCKY picture to share is one I don't think I included on my trip recap, but this was taken at one of the waterfall walks I went on while on my drive from Whistler back to Vancouver. I remember thinking how uniquely pretty this was.  Again, even the rocks were  prettier up there!

Two

I will say it again and say it forever, these TWO are my favorites in the world.  

At My Feet

This week, my dance shoes were at my feet.  I had a dance lesson Monday and it is so much fun!

Orange

I made my own little fall scent that I put under my candle warmer.  I added cinnamon sticks, cloves, a dash of vanilla, water and a few ORANGE slices in a bowl.  There is also some orange in the fall picture from Central Park that I have always loved and my coaster from Bainbridge Island.

New and/or Used

It has been a few years now, but there was a day when I had new car with a red bow on it and it was such a fun day.

Books

These are the 2 BOOKS I am studying in a bible study with ladies from my church.  Both are 3 week studies, so they are very short and doable.  Even If is a study of the book Habukkak and is all about going from the "what if" to "Even If" when life is hard and doesn't seem fair.  It is Well is a book on anxiety. These are both so applicable to everyday life.

Happy Thursday friends!

Currently Hodgepodging ~ October 7, 2026

 Happy Wednesday!  It is always good when we make it to the mid-week point.  I am linking up with Joyce today for Hodgepodge and Amy for Currently.  Love these blog ladies/friends!

1. Let's embrace it shall we? What's something you recently forgot to do? Is your memory these days more like a sieve or an elephant? 

Ha, my first thought is I can't remember what I forgot!  I guess I don't have the memory of an elephant.  I do repeat myself a lot to friends/family, so I forget what I have told someone on a regular basis.

2. Share a trick/strategy you have to help you remember things you need to remember. 

For anything I need to do/buy, etc., I write it down on my phone calendar for the most part.  This can be anything from a text/call reminder, a grocery list, to a household chore I need to accomplish.  I do keep a running grocery list on a magnetic paper notepad that hangs on the side of my refrigerator. 

3. What's your favorite fall vegetable to cook with? Do you prefer your fall veggies roasted, blended into a warm soup, or fresh in a crisp autumn salad? 

I like roasted broccoli as my favorite veggie.  I like grilled/roasted veggies on a salad too.  

4. October 5th is/was National Do Something Nice Day. Did you? If so tell us about it. Or maybe someone did something nice for you, and if that's the case please share. 

The past 6 Monday mornings, I have been leaving my house before sunrise to go help my mom while my dad has to be out of the house.  Due to her health, someone needs to be with her in the mornings when she wakes up, so I have been the caretaker on Monday mornings.  I also treated a friend to yogurt Monday because this is her birthday month.

5.  Nathaniel Hawthorne is credited with the quote "I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."  

Do you tend to spend more time outside this time of year? 

Absolutely!  I would much rather be outside this time of year than any other time of year.  I love fall outside whether that is a walk, a sporting event, a town festival, a fire pit or just sitting on my patio doing Duolingo :).

Do you actively pause to soak in fleeting moments of beauty in your daily routine? Elaborate.

I am definitely trying to do that more and more while my daughter is still living with me.  I don't want the beauty of this time with her lost on me.  I also want to soak in the continued gratefulness I have for such a cozy, nice place to live.   

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Falling for

Fall weather.....Yes to fall weather!  We are still having some mid 80's weather, but the mornings and evenings are so pleasant and I love that.  I am just thankful to not have temperatures in the 90's anymore. That just doesn't go with October.  Saying that it is October makes me realize how fast this year has flown. 

Scaring (me)

Being alone...Being a little vulnerable here probably for the rest of these questions!  There are things about being alone that do scare me.  I know I will be okay, but that doesn't mean I don't get scared.  I am just not letting the scaring take over me when the feeling comes.

Working on

Myself...I am always trying to work on myself as I have healed so much in my alone time.  This is ongoing, the healing and the alone time :).

 Loving

Any time with my daughters and greats....This goes without saying I feel like if you have read my blog for any amount of time.  Time with my daughters is the best medicine and so are hugs and hearing little voices call my name when they see me!

 Entertaining (me)

Ted Lasso....The last episode of the newest season drops today.  There have been multiple scenes from this season that have made me shed some tears.  This show has the best one liners.

Leanne....I enjoyed season 2 of this show on Netflix.  It was reality of a divorced woman who is also helping care for her aging parents.  

The Voice....I haven't watched this in a few seasons, but I am enjoying the newest season, especially Riley Green as a new coach.  

Dancing With the Stars....I haven't watched all the episodes, but I have watched a little more this current season.  Y'all know I love dancing and Brook and Wade watch each week, so this an opportunity to hang out with them each week.

That wraps up today's post. Thanks for reading and hope you are currently having a good hodgepodge week!

Fall Decor ~ October 6, 2026

 Good morning. Today I am sharing my fall decor.  Last year, I was in the midst of selling my house during the fall, so I did not decorate.  I was happy to decorate this fall, especially in a new place!

I bought a new welcome sign for my front door from Hobby Lobby.

I have this picture of me and my daughters on my kitchen counter.

I have a simple towel hanging that says "Gather" & some pumpkin hand soap at my kitchen sink.

My TV console

I am still loving my photo wall of pictures from my vacation!

This is a new fall pillow I purchased for the season.  I sold a few others I had from previous years.

I love having blankets draped along the chair and sofa for the fall and winter months.

This is my back patio door with a new simple fall wreath.

I am loving my simplified, clean fall decor in a new place!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hello Monday ~ October 5, 2026

 Happy Monday friends!  Well, I have been in a blog trend the last few weeks of not blogging on Fridays.  I feel like life has been so busy on Wednesday/Thursdays for me, the blog has taken a back seat to real life.  Here are a few pictures from last week and my weekend.  

Thursday morning at work, I was excited to watch the live launch from Florida of the Space X to the International Space Station.  I am so fascinated by all things space and use to watch all of the launches.

Friday morning, I went on a walk before work and Brook sent me this picture on her way to work of this amazing full rainbow!

After a day of working at home, I decided to go to the local high school football game.  There was a light drizzle the first 15 minutes, but then it stopped and it was a lovely evening to sit outside.  I am so glad I did this as I wanted to go to a football game this fall.  I sat with some friends from my church.  After the game, I stopped by to visit with Jen for about an hour.

Saturday morning, I cooked breakfast and made my first loaf of pumpkin bread this season. I used my new measurement spoons from Alaska.

I used a new recipe and used oat flour.  My original recipe calls for a little orange juice and this one did not.  This one did taste good, but it wasn't as sweet either, even with the chocolate chips.

After eating a full breakfast of bread, bacon and scrambled eggs, I met a friend of mine at a park for a walk.  She and I walked 5 miles and it felt great outside to do this.

I went grocery shopping, had a little time at home, then I walked to dinner to meet up with Jen, Mallory and Meredith.  We love hanging out with these ladies!  The restaurant is close to where I live, but they did bring me home afterwards.

Sunday, I walked to church and kept the nursery.  That afternoon, we turned my bathroom into a makeup counter and my daughter did my makeup and it was fun to try some new products.  

Now for a new week!  Hope you have a great day and thanks for reading!