Catching up to Fall

Fall so far has been busy but fun.  The girls are well into their school year, and Nina, especially, has been busy with three AP classes this year and extra curricular activities.  It’s hard to believe she’s in her junior year already!  

It’s been a beautiful fall so far.  I love this season, but I always wish it lasted longer.  I miss the long sunlight days and warm weather, but I enjoy so many fall things like sitting outside enjoying a winery date with Mark, a nice night sky, soccer games, fire pits, pumpkin donuts, and watching the leaves changing colors.

  

  

 

Another big highlight of the fall so far was The Killers concert in DC.  Mark and I have long time been fans and have wanted to see them live, but when tickets went on sale we asked the girls if they wanted to come with us, and they did, so the four of us had a blast heading down to DC, getting dinner and walking around on a beautiful evening, then catching the concert which was amazing!!  It was such a fun night.

  

Coming off the concert, the girls had a busy week at school leading up to Homecoming.  It was Spirit Week, and every day had themes, events, etc, one of which was the Juniors vs. Seniors Powder Puff game which Nina was a part of.  This was no “show up and play” type of thing.  Both teams practiced reguarly in the few weeks leading up to the game, and while the Seniors prevailed (which the Juniors were told would happen regardless), the Juniors gave them a good run for their money!

 

  

The culmination of the week was the Homecoming football game on Friday night and the dance on Saturday night.  The day could not have been more beautiful, and the girls both got together with friends first then went to the dance.  Nina’s group had 5 girls and 5 guys, but only 4 of the 10 were couples, and Lyla went with a group of 4 girls and met up with other friends just before the dance started.  Both girls looked beautiful, had a lot of fun, and came home exhausted!

 

 

 

 

Virginia Beach and Soccer

Two weekends ago, Lyla’s team had a state cup game in Virginia Beach on a Saturday afternoon.  While we certainly could have driven down and back in the same day, we really wanted the chance to hang at the beach at least for a little bit, so we got down to VA Beach on Friday evening and after checking into our hotel and grabbin a quick dinner we got to the beach to walk in the sand and enjoy the peaceful sound of the waves.

 

The next morning we went back down to the beach and were treated to an absolutely beautiful morning.  You could tell it as goin to be a beautiful day, and while I would have loved to spend all day there, we enjoyed some time before we had to head back to the hotel to check out and head over to the soccer fields.

The game was quite a physical one, but the team won, so they at least rode home happy!

 

There’s been quite a bit of soccer these days as the girls are in the middle of their fall season, and it’s been a lot of fun to watch them.  Last week, unfortunately, Lyla sprained her ankle badly enough that it kept her out doing much for the week, but as the bruising is starting to subside and the ankle is feeling better, we’re hoping that with continued treatment (and a good tape job) she’ll be back out there and playing as soon as she can.

 

 

 

Sky Meadows Day

We had a free Saturday on a beautiful day in September, so we decided to head out to Sky Meadows for a quick hike.

  

We took a nice 5+ mile loop with some great views of the valley (including walking up to the top of the overlook through a field of cows), that lead us up to the Appalachian Trail and then across to another overlook then back down through the cow pasture.  

 

During this time of year, the vegetation was in full growth, so the path was a little overgrown in spots, but when we got to the clearnings, all the vegetation was really nice.

  

     

The dog who will do anything for treats…including a quick pose for the camera!

 

 

  

  

 

 

After the second overlook, we could take a trail that brought us back to the first overlook so we could walk back down through the field to our starting postition.  The cows were clustered around the trail area where we needed to walk to get back down to our car, and they weren’t that intent on moving.  Thankfully, Cayenne stayed quiet and calm and Mark made loud noises and they moved off (LOL!) but we definitely had to pass through a large portion of the herd before we were clear of them.

 

 

Typically after a hike, we like to find somewhere fun to stop afterwards, and this time we decided to try Lost Barrel Brewery as we had heard good things about it from friends.  We got there and found a table, listened to some live music, ate dinner and had a beverage then headed back home.  It’s always one of my favorite types of days where we’re outside together doing fun/active things! 

   

Doggone Wild Pool Party

The weekend after the pools closed, one of the pools in our neighborhood hosts a Doggone Wild Pool Party.  Dogs are allowed to come to the pool and swim (since the chlorine has faded out of the water) in shifts, get dog treats, and play on the pool deck.  Nina was working the event, so Cayenne got to come and hang out during one of the sessions, and she had a blast!  It was her first time at the pool party, and she ran, swam, got plenty of dog treats, and had such a good time.  It’s a great idea for the dogs and a lot of fun for their owners also.  I’m so glad Cayenne got to go!