I can’t believe we find ourselves nearing the end of the September! The first half of the month was a bit of a whirlwind. The second half of the month has been much quieter, but not without a few highlights to share. Our busy schedule gave way to hunting season. My husband does archery elk hunting and is usually out in the woods quite a few days in September. I hold down the fort at home while Jeremy wanders in the woods. Owen joined Jeremy for a few hunting adventures. Owen always hopes to find elk, but really he goes out to find owls. He was able to spot many owls, elk, and even a black bear this season. Graham tagged along one evening and saw nothing. Sometimes the animals are active, sometimes… not so much. While they saw many elk this season, Jeremy wasn’t able to take a shot this year. Poor guy!
After early elk season ended, a major windstorm ripped through SW Washington. I got up on Friday morning and did all the things I hoped to do with power – take a shower, make a blackberry crisp, vacuum… I had about two hours of productivity before the house went dark. Thankfully, my parents have a generator that kicks on automatically when the the power goes out. The boys hopped between houses to pass the powerless hours. Our cell reception at home is terrible without internet support. We had pickleball in the afternoon and no way to know if it was still on. We left our house and drove down the hill to get the text that pickleball was indeed canceled. The courts had no power (like a great deal of our county). While we were out of the house, we got more gas for our generator. We fired it up when we got home to save the food in the fridge and freezer. After 9 hours, the power did come back on before bedtime. I may have danced and sang in celebration! What a crazy day!
Saturday morning, Jeremy and the boys helped my parents fill potholes in the driveway. While Owen helped my parents clean up the borrowed trailer, Graham helped Jeremy collect branches that had blown down in our yard. To keep the good times going, the boys also assisted in building a cat tree for my parents’ cat, Tipper. They were very excited to be included in this project. My highlights from Saturday were the sunshine after the storm, running to the library, and making a yummy turkey meal for dinner! I was extra thankful for sunshine and electricity. It was a lovely calm after the storm.
This brings to me Sunday… I wish I had a different update to share. Our day went a bit sideways. Isn’t that life? Church in the morning went well. We have started practicing for our Christmas Musical, Back to the Manger. The kids are having fun learning the new songs and Owen has his heart set on getting a drama part again this year. Once Jeremy got home from church in the afternoon, we loaded up and took a beautiful autumn drive to Seattle. We got to the area with time do a little shopping and eat an early dinner. Our final destination was WAMU Theater to see For King + Country in their The Most Beautiful Colours Tour. Before we reached the theater, Graham mentioned not feeling 100%. We were hopeful the experience would provide a distraction. It was very apparent that his discomfort was growing, not fading, as the concerted started. Owen and I enjoyed the first half of the concert. Poor Graham (and Jeremy as a result) did not. At intermission, we decided the kind thing to do was head home. We were all disappointed this long awaited event didn’t go as planned. Both boys mentioned they enjoyed seeing the band play live. It’s a novelty to hear songs you know from around the house or in the car being performed live. They both mentioned wanting to try again if the opportunity came about… So… Their first concert experience was a bust, but here’s hoping for the future!
Now we have a few days to recover before the calendar flips to October. It’s birthday month for the boys! We’ll have family celebrations and birthday adventure outings. We have hang outs and dinners with friends all over the calendar. October is my favorite month! Praying it will be filled with family, friends, and fun (and also a good amount of pizza, cake, and ice cream). Can’t wait!
