Birthday Fun

Since we went to dinner with my family on my actual birthday, we celebrated on Saturday with the kdis by taking them to the scarecrow festival. Casey and I know some of the people who work there so we were able to get in for free which is always nice.

Jace loved all the huge inflatable slides, and the big bouncy trampoline thingy.

And Camden loved sitting on this airplane. Seriously, he sat on that thing for a good 20 minutes. I'm so glad we got in for free. If I had paid ten bucks for him to get in so he could sit on that airplane I might have been a little annoyed.

The kids also went through the little kids spook alley.
Afterward we got caramel apples and kettle corn. Then we sent the kids to play with their cousins so Casey and I could go out that evening.

We went to dinner and then to a concert. The concert was a band called Thriving Ivory. They are my new favorite band. There were only about five or six people between us and the stage. It was great to be so close to the stage. Here are a couple of pictures from the concert.

Night Out

Casey's political post reminded me of a night out we had recently so I thought I'd share. Actually, our date nights tend to be pretty memorable since they occur so infrequently. But a couple of weeks ago my parents agreed to watch the boys for us so we could go out to dinner. There was no special occasion for this night out which, in a way, made it more fun than if it had been a dinner out for a birthday or anniversary.

We had dinner at Ruby River Steakhouse which was SO good. It was nice to be able to eat my meal while the salad was still cold and the steak was still warm. And I didn't even have to cut up food for or give bites to anyone but myself. But I think the best part of the evening was the company and the conversation. Casey and I chatted about politics ad the upcoming election throughout our meal. It was refreshing to discuss topics that I don't usually talk about during the day. I know, it's shocking that the kids and I don't have political discussions over lunch.

It was so nice to have an intellectually stimulating conversation. While the subject of politics isn't typically one that I gravitate toward, I found the conversation to be thought provoking. And I left with a feeling of satisfaction that I was able to participate in a real, adult conversation related to such an overwhelming subject. I just wanted Casey to know how much I enjoyed our night out and how much an uninterrupted adult conversation means to me. Thanks!

Nine Happy Years

I can't believe Casey and I have been married for nine years. It's gone by so fast. Yet in some ways it feels like we've known each other forever.

It was funny. I came across our wedding album yesterday by accident. If I had been looking for it I'm sure I wouldn't have found it. But while trying to get some of our last few boxes unpacked, I found it. It was fun to look at it with the kids and reminisce. And it was fitting to look at the pictures on our anniversary. Here are a couple of pictures that I scanned into the computer.






We had a fun anniversary. We went out to dinner and then to Fastkart Speedway and had a 40lap race. I was a little hesitant at first while I got a feel for the car but Casey just took off. He passed me when I was only a few laps into the race but after that I did a little better. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. And it was nice to have an evening out with Casey without the kids. Hopefully we don't wait until our next anniversary to do it again.