Day 31- Part 1

Happy Halloween!  This greeted me as I was getting ready this morning:

Thought it was the sweetest thing- definitely made my morning!

Since we're doing our FFA #31 tonight, I probably won't be able to blog about it until tomorrow or so.  Just wanted to let you know so you don't wait up for my FINAL post of Fun Fall Activities.  I know how many of you can't stand the anticipation.  You may be disappointed.  ;)

As a follow-up to FFA day #21, here is the final project.  

This is our Thankfulness Jar.  Chuck and I have both been writing different things we're thankful for, and putting them in the jar.  On Thanksgiving Day, we'll go through the jar and read them together.  I hope to be greatly encouraged by how God has blessed us both during the month.  I'm sure we won't be disappointed. 

And now a little taste of what's to come.  This is the BEST fall treat.  Like ever.  (Taylor Swift.) My Mom has been "making" it for years and it carries not only the best mix of sweet and salty, but also nostalgia.  Chuck loves it, too.  He requested it for tonight. 

Stay tuned, y'all!

Day 30

Where did October go? Today is FFA #30!  Somewhere around day 13 I felt like I had so much time left, and now it's only 1 more day of FFA's.  Whew.  What a month.  

FFA's wouldn't be complete without some Halloween candy.  Today we ventured out to Target and Chuck picked out the candy we'll hand out tomorrow night to all the little Trick or Treaters.  It'll be the first time in three years (our whole married life) that kids will actually come to our door.  We're pretty excited.  

Day 29

Dunkin Monday! Today everything and their Grandmother is cancelled because of Sandy and the Frankenstorm.  For our house that means Chuck is working from home and Jovie doesn't get any exercise.  We've been playing ball with her- goodness knows she needs a way to get all that energy out.  I love when Chuck works from home.  It makes everything I'm doing around the house so much more fun and enjoyable.  

Today instead of Dunkin Monday, Chuck asked if I wanted to join him and our friend Austin in surprising our other friend Katie, Austin's wife, at Starbucks where she was working.  Umm...yes.  Actually, I was thinking that a Starbucks trip wasn't going to make the cut for this round of FFA's.  Rest assured, we were able to partake in not only a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and a  Caramel Mocha, but also a pumpkin scone.  Sigh. 

Katie and Austin came back to our house real quick, which made Jovie's day.  She has a major crush on Austin.  ;)

Grande, Tall, and Short- I'm the fatty with the Grande.  At least we all shared the pumpkin scone.

My sweet baby girl

Day 28

My sweet friend and faux "cousin", Rachel (Mikes girlfriend)

Today was the DC Marine Corps Marathon!  Chuck and I went to support our friend and neighbor who was running, and we also had friends in town who were running as well.  The city was jam packed with people, and I mean jam packed.  Thankfully we got to see each of our friends a couple times, and even got to see them near the finish line.  If you have never been to a marathon, it's a really special thing to witness.  I choke up several times every time I see a race.  There are always amazing people doing amazing things.

I've seen a teenaged daughter jump from the sidelines to run next to her Mom for a few miles to encourage her Mom to keep going.  I've seen a Dad push his daughter in a wheel chair the whole race.  I've seen two Marines running while carrying a guy who got injured just so he could finish the race.  I've seen people bleeding, and continue running.  I've seen men without legs pedal a bike with their arms and hands.  It is truly an amazing experience.

The fans on the sidelines cheering and yelling for the runners is super inspirational.  I love cheering for our friends!  Chuck has run the MC Marathon in the past, and today he was motivated to want to run it again.  I loved how he described the race.

"It's like you're running and you feel miserable and awful and you think 'I hate running.  Why am I doing this?' And then when you finally cross that finish line, you forget about how awful it was.  You feel so pumped full  of adrenaline and there's nothing like it."

It encouraged me a lot about my life.  A lot of times life is miserable and awful, and I think "I hate life.  Why am I doing this?"  But today God used Chuck to remind me that when I FINALLY cross that finish line- be it Heaven, or whatever trial it is I'm enduring at the time- I will forget all about the pain.  Hallelujah. 

Here's to our friends who endured all those 26.2 miles today! 

 

 Congrats and amazing job Mike!

I have no idea who that obnoxious woman is cheering in the background...

Congrats and amazing job Marco! 
My sweet husband finished the race with his friend- LOVE him!