"This time I'll be better I want you to know"

Big doings! Wanted to fill you readers in on our happenings... Oktoberfests that run out of beer, Hurricanes, air-sickness on flights, and a big month of challenges.

Addressing the above in order:

Oktoberfest was so much fun this year. I did not get blotto and managed to avoid all shots of any kind. Jaeger. is. evil. You'll never have me believe otherwise. The food was amazing, especially the hunter's stew and apple dumplings. Seeing friends... it's just so nice. We miss you guys so much and it's so strange trying to squeeze in months of updates in such a short time. If only there were more time. :-/ They did indeed run out of beer, but we all managed to survive somehow! The day after Ed took me on a tour of Roanoke and his old stomping grounds. We drove by his old schools, his old home, and Texas Tavern. He had some incredible hills around his home with some amazing views of the changing fall colors, along with some hilarious sledding stories. I think seeing where people spent their lives really helps you see them a bit better.

Our view of the Oompah Band. Blocked by Michelle's wine bottle - no, no glasses needed thank you!

Glad we caught the leaves still on the trees on the drive down to Blacksburg!

You know you want a giant plate of hot, freshly pulled pork... right off the carcass :) Even got some cheek this time!

A little taste of the views from Ed's old neighborhood and it's craaaazypants sledding hills!

An how about that hurricane? MD was spared a bunch of the damage but obviously not everyone was so lucky. It was very sobering and surreal hiding out at home with family, knowing full well that a giant tree could come crashing down in those crazy gusts. I couldn't get over how loud the gusts were even through closed doors and windows. All the family is fine on our part. Our flight was delayed a couple days. The con: the poor kitties were left home alone, (thankfully taken care of by our very sweet pet-sitter Carol at the last minute), and Ed missed some work. Pro: Got to spend some much appreciated time with my Mom and Ken and even managed a quick trip to Omi's house! Knowing that we will not be home again until January, (even then it'll be a very quick trip), we enjoyed the extra time. It was the first visit spent just hanging around with family instead of running from place to place to see everyone. Of course we missed seeing friends that were not at Oktoberfest, but I know we'll catch up with you all soon. :)

Man, good thing I bought this boots and the coat for the possiblity of rain on my wedding day... who knew a hurricane was in my future?

I forced him out into the aftermath on Tuesday :)

Probably the fullest I have ever seen Sligo Creek in my entire life.

Air sickness. Ok so I'm gonna blame Chipotle at Dulles for this one. Suffice it to say, I've been ill on 3 flights in my life and every time, it is the worst. You're trapped in those tiny seats with bad air flow, you feel guilty every time you force the person in the aisle out of the way, and there's no good way to interact with the flight attendants as you turn green waiting for the bathroom. Although after being ill in the bathroom the attendant sweetly complimented my skirt saying I 'looked really cute for a sick person.' Well, thank you miss.

Challenges! Remember my challenges post? Today is day one of the first week of 'as much as I can' challenges, specifically walking and running. After being so sick yesterday, I did not run today but I did walk 1 mile so I'm putting that in the win column. November 5th marks the start of the Chopra meditation challenge. I think Ed is doing the Movember 'challenge.' And just in case I didn't find enough to challenge myself with this month, check this out:

National Novel Writing Month!

A friend of mine just posted her finished book on amazon, which I of course bought because if any of you out there write a book you know I'd be behind it all the way! Unless it's about spiders... then we'll see... Anyways, her post had me feeling anxious to actually write something less tangent-y and more coherent. Then today I found out it's National Novel Writing Month? I mean, I don't need a bigger sign. I don't promise a finished novel at the end of the month, but I'm sure gonna try!

Side note: the new Robbie Williams album comes out in two weeks and I cannot wait. Everyone in the U.S. should get on liking him as much as I do so he'll finally come tour here, save Ed the plane tickets to Europe to see him :)

His current single that is doing stellar across the Atlantic:

An acoustic version of his next single: