Catching up!

Woooo-weee!  It's been a minute!  How's everything?
Let's grab some coffee & settle in for the long haul!

I swear the last month + has just flown by since I last posted!

Let's see what I got without making this post crazy long. 

Miss Angela's birthday was 9/28.  22!   She had to work in the morning (so I started setting up my cemetery for Halloween), that evening we met Randy for dinner up in Frankenmuth where he was playing radio for the Bike MS150,
But of course, first we had to stop at the outlet mall in Birch Run and look for some maternity tops for her.  She's been fortunate that she'd been getting away with her regular t-shirts so far.

10/3/19 - the official start of her third trimester!

I finally got my official certificate & patches from NASAR proclaiming me to be a certified search & rescue technician.

Daisy, because she's adorable.

10/12/19 was the annual Polly Ann Trail Ride fundraiser.  This is a fun event!  For $15 that goes toward upgrades & maintenance on the rail trail, we got coffee/hot chocolate & bagels/donuts before heading out.  We could ride as far as we wanted on the trail, then had chili & hotdogs when we got back.

It was chilly, but ended up being an awesome day to be out riding. 

We ride into a nearby little town and took a little break at the trailhead there before heading back.   We were out for close to 4 hours, I think.  It felt like longer!  When your knees hurt, any time in the saddle feels like forever!  But on the other hand, when you enjoy being in the saddle -  you suck it up and try to ignore the hurty knees.

We had a giggle when we passed another group of riders on the trail - they were all in jeans & sweatshirts & ball caps.  Then here's me & Laurie wearing our SAR jackets (because they're light but warm!!) and wearing helmets.  Helmets are a SAR team requirement when you're on a horse.  It's just gotten to be habit for us so we don't think twice about wearing them. 

Chuck went along for his very first ride!  The bag that my helmet goes in fit him perfectly.  And Kisses wasn't bothered at all by it hanging off the saddle.

We'd just gotten back to Laurie's after the ride, when I got a call from one of the officers from the VFW.  There is a retired USAF Brigadier General who decided to run for US Congress and he wanted some Veterans to be in his video announcing his running - specifically a female Vet!  So Mike called me!

Just a disclaimer - I don't get political EVER on my blog - but I most definitely do NOT vote for either of the main money-hungry, corrupt political parties.  So let's ignore that I am in a commercial for a Republican. 

Purty!

We met at Metro Beach, which is right next to Selfridge Air National Guard Base on Lake St. Clair. 

There were 3 of us from my post and 4 from another VFW post. 

It was really interesting to see how they shoot a "professional" TV commercial. 

Since you can't hear what we're saying - we were chatting about whatever.  As we sat around the table, he was asking us when & how long we were in and what we did.  

Note to self.
If there's ever a chance you're on TV - don't make stupid faces!

Here's the whole video if you really want to see it. 

I can be seen at .52

The following weekend was a "Truck or Treat" put on my the Lapeer Public Library and I volunteered to go with the SAR team.  I thought it was going to be lame, since I mis-read it and thought it was a regular ol' trunk or treat.  Nope!  

This was basically "community helpers" and their trucks in a parking lot!  So there was a cement truck, a couple tow trucks, an ice cream truck, a garbage truck that was oddly popular with the kids, a couple school buses, a police car, first truck, ambulance and then us.  I know Lt wanted a "pony" there but he had to make due with just one K9 who is in training.
And Chuck - LOL!
It might mot have been a big turn out in the number of trucks, but there were no shortage of kids that came by!!

That night was the Clinton Township Neighbor Haunt - I hope they do this every year, since it was a hoot!

I'll just attach links to my other blog's posts about it. 

Part 1

Part 2

We finally got our pumpkins / cider / donuts!

With her "baby" pumpkin.

We made the mistake of telling Angel when she was little she could pick out any pumpkin she wanted, as long as she could carry it to the car.  We didn't require her to carry the huge pumpkin she found, but she had to be at least able to pick it up!

 

Finally, 10/27 was her baby shower.  

We were on the way to Laurie's house (she offered to have it there) and asked if she needed anything from the store.  She said TP or we'd be having to use leaves.  

Of course, Mom suggested we stop and get some leaves as a joke!

It was loosely based on a Nightmare Before Christmas (since she's due 12/26) but was more Halloween-y.  And everyone was invited to dress up!

Some of her male co-workers said they wanted to come, so guys were invited.  Then nobody from work even showed up!  So it was all family.  But we had a good time anyway.   

She was an angel (LOL!) with devil horns poking out of her belly. 

I never thought to get that much use out of that muumuu!  

I had already changed out of it when we decided to take a family pic.  I'm sure it looked "better" with my white crew socks and no gray shirt hanging out of the neckline & sleeves. 

Then Halloween with it's crappy weather happened.  Friday ended up being a nice, but chilly, day and we got the cemetery taken completely down and the flower beds cleaned out.  Saturday was also crappy, so we started rearranging Angel's room to make room for the crib.  That's still a work in progress.  Sunday we got all the Halloween put away and the yard mostly cleaned up & mowed.  We just need to put away the patio furniture and empty the flower pots of the sad annual plants that didn't like the hard frost we got the other night. 

Randy will be leaving this week for his annual November trip to Arkansas.  I really need to get this house purged of all the clutter before the baby comes, so I'm hoping to make a good dent while he's gone.  I just need to get motivated!  I heard a couple comments at the shower about how she didn't register for a whole lot.  Wellllll, where can we put it?????   Baby's not going to be lacking in necessities.   I mean, look what I found today!

 A blankie for the car seat & matching binkie strap. 

Because anchors! 

 Pee-pee Tee-pees!  To hopefully prevent little boy fountains during diaper changes. 

We saw these in the store while browsing for the registry, but I told Angel there was a lady at the craft show we always go to who sells them and I'd rather get them from her.   This lady was very appreciative. 

Adorable bibs. 

Today was the first of the craft shows that I go to with Mom & the sisters.  We always have a good time, even tho the local high school / middle school were packed with people!   I got the stuff above for the grandbaby and I found a pretty ornament and wreath made out of bird food for the mother-in-law.   And some cute earrings for Easter with bunnies and a pair with candy corns, since I can never have enough Halloween earrings!   And a sparkly travel mug that says "Motherhood is a walk in the park" and there's a Jurassic Park emblem behind it and the patterns in the glitter are claw marks & dinosaur footprints.  I thought that was hilarious!

So as far as I can think, that's thoroughly blown the dust off the blog and I'll hopefully get back into the swing of posting again!