Annual fall retreat with the husband

Every fall, the husband's company hosts a strategic planning retreat for the corporate officers as well as board members, and spouses are included. In the past we've been to several different islands on the southeast coast. A few years it was held at a ranch. Last year we trekked to the southern Blue Ridge area of Virginia. And this year we traveled to Colorado.

I've gotta say, I was really looking forward to Colorado because I knew it would actually look and feel like autumn up there. I was able to pack some sweaters and enjoy wearing them without running the AC. We left Texas in the 80s for 60s in Colorado, and then the temps really took a nosedive the next day. Our accommodations were lovely and it was a breath of cool mountain air, literally. We had someone come stay with Finn and Pepper to house and dog sit, so I was able to really relax and enjoy the beautiful setting and amenities. 

 

 

 

Lizard patrol

Our terriers are ever so resourceful. If they can't find any deer or squirrels to chase, they move on to even smaller critters. Lizards, in particular, have been their target lately. Our resident lizards like to use the pool fencing as their highway, of sorts, to get from the yard onto the patio in pursuit of a buggy meal. Now it's a death road for the unlucky ones.

Since master hunter Finn the Fierce discovered the lizard path, he's always on the lookout for them. As you can see below, he's quite vocal when he locates one. Most of the time the lizards are wily enough to freeze and wait him out in order to make an escape. However, a couple times they've gotten caught and paid the price. We've had to toss a few lifeless lizards over the side fence after Finn was finished with them. This usually involves bribing our great cairn hunter with a treat to make him drop his victim. If a zombie lizard apocalypse ever happens, y'all, I'm all set with my terrier protection.

Footwear and a wedding dress

Even though the temps aren't really fall-like these days, it's just too late in the year to be wearing sandals. Mostly. And so I hauled out the stepladder to do the biannual shoe swap last week. I took all of my spring/summer shoes off the shelves and gave them a good dust. Then I brought down all of the boxes stacked above my hanging clothes to place the fall/winter footwear on the shelves. Now I'm ready for cooler temps if they ever decide to show up and stick around.

In other clothes news, I went to Austin on Monday to attend the final wedding dress fitting for the CPA daughter. The alterations ladies did an excellent job and it looked beautiful on her. The bride-to-be had her hair done by the wedding day stylist once again to be certain of the look she wants with the veil on her big day. After leaving the bridal salon, we had a working lunch with the wedding planner. Who knew there were so many last minute details to nail down?! Things like seating charts, signage, shuttle buses and the big wedding day timeline we'll all be following, just to name a few. The stationer was a busy lady, with the menu taking a lot of time to perfect. First we had to confirm all of the final food selects with the caterer. Next it was all about the look. Font type and size, plus regular, bold, italics, all caps, all lowercase, etc. Then we contemplated spacing. Good news is we got it all figured out after multiple mock-ups and it looks fabulous.

 

Fun weekend in Big D

After the younger daughter was accepted to SMU law school a couple years ago, we discovered this ginormous Christmas store located in Arlington. Last fall we intended to take a look, but never got there. This year we were committed to a visit, so I made the five hour drive to spend the weekend with the law student.

We set out bright and early Saturday morning, making a Target run before heading over to Decorator's Warehouse in Arlington. Boy oh boy, did it live up to the hype. All of the employees were super friendly and helpful. Their themed tree displays were awe-inspiring, even to somebody like me who has collected santas from around the world for 33 years. 

Needless to say, I could have dropped a pretty penny on all of the beautiful holiday decorations. I was especially proud of myself that I escaped with spending a mere $120 in a store that specializes in all things Christmas, which is absolutely the most wonderful (decorating) time of the year. 

After over an hour of oohing and aahing my way through their gorgeous displays, not to mention the ribbon room and naked trees for sale in every shape and size, I'm already plotting a trip back to check out their wares next fall. The law student found a well-reviewed Tex Mex restaurant nearby where we enjoyed a tasty lunch afterwards. Come to find out, the restaurant's founders are San Antonio and San Marcos natives who also devised the first frozen margarita machine. I seriously think this Christmas store and Tex-Mex food outing needs to become an annual October tradition. Maybe we can get the CPA daughter to join us in 2025.

Fall this and that

Well, fall isn't listening and just continues to race past in a blur. Hold on, y'all, it will be wedding time in the blink of an eye. We've enjoyed a couple shots of cool weather this month, but the higher temps always creep back in. I recently noticed this guy on bug patrol at our dining table beneath the pool pavilion, even though flying pests seem to be on the wane lately. Mr. Spider is kinda halloween cool.

I've finally gotten my fill of baking homemade chocolate chip cookies to munch on while we watch Saturday football games on the telly. I swear I was on a roll for over a month, making a batch every weekend. It's rather surprising I've continued to lose a few pounds with fresh baked cookies tempting me.

The husband went on a business trip earlier this fall and returned with a swag box of fancy chocolates from Memphis. Thankfully for my hips, chocolate in concentrated form like that just doesn't tempt my taste buds anymore. Isn't it crazy how your tastes evolve over the course of your life? Things I wouldn't touch in my younger years are now some of my favorite foods. Go figure!

This month I've been intrigued by new and interesting potato chip flavors at our local grocery store, especially the southern and Tex-Mex twists. Both were pretty good, but not so tasty that I'd feel the need to buy them again. It reminded me of how I always marveled at the interesting crisp (UK for potato chips) flavors found in our local Sainsbury's or Tesco when we lived in the 'burbs of London. I recall enjoying the sweet Thai chili, while the duck and hoisin sauce flavor got a hard pass.

October volunteering

To celebrate October, I went with the obvious halloween theme for the girls at the group home where I spend the first Saturday of each month. A lovely woman on our local school board came in to lead the girls in a shrinky dinks arts and craft activity, which they really enjoyed. In addition to snacks, I made a BOO! bag for each of the girls. I think the Bath & Body Works fall scented body sprays and the pumpkin socks were their favorite items. Plus The Nightmare Before Christmas themed ring pops I found. I have no clue why, but they always enjoy a ring pop!

Wedding countdown has commenced

We're less than six weeks from the wedding, and the last of the design decisions have been made for the big event. I spent the day in Austin recently, working with our bride, her planner and a couple of her vendors - the florist and stationer - to nail down final details. I also took my mother-in-law shopping for her wedding shoes. She settled on a lovely pair of low heeled sparklers that caught her eye. That's next on my list, figuring out my shoes and jewelry now that I've finally settled on a dress. I swear this fall is rolling downhill like a snowball, gathering speed, and I need it to slow down so I can enjoy every little thing.