What an October!

We have had quite the whirlwind of activities this October. It is hard to believe the month is almost over, the election is less than a week away, and we managed to pack so much into the past 20+ days!

The craziness started with Mark flying to Boston for an Alumni Board meeting for our Alma Mater. While he was up north, I drove to PA, with a stop to visit my friend Shannon on the way. Mark met me in PA where we got to see Noah and Faith. Noah has gotten so big in the past 4 months, it is hard to believe. We wish we could see them more often so we could see Noah grow each step of the way. Faith and Kyle make such wonderful parents - it is truly awesome!

Later that day, we celebrated Mark's mom's birthday with a surprise party at one of her favorite restaurants, The William Penn Inn. It was a fun night with lots of family. We stayed over with Mark's Aunt and Uncle so we could wake up early and help get ready for a brunch for the whole crew! We got to see a bunch of the cousins and spend more time with family we don't see often enough. It was great to have Columbus Day off from work so that we could pack in more family time over the three day weekend and still feel rested for the work week.

The second weekend of October was tons of fun! Mike and Kelsey drove to DC to visit us. It was great to spend time with them and stroll around DC. We went everywhere from the Supreme Court and the Capitol Building, to the Botanical Gardens and the Constitution Gardens where we hung on on the island for a while. They are an awesome couple! We love entertaining and having people over so it was great to show Mike and Kelsey where we live and what our neighborhood is like. It was such a blast, we can't wait until they visit again! Here is a picture of us on the North side of the Capitol Building.

The next weekend, things got crazy and our apartment turned into a zoo! Karlene, Katie, and Julie came down for a girls weekend like no other! We hadn't all been able to hang out for an extended period of time since my sophmore year of college. It was nuts! We explored the typical tourist sites and spend afternoons in Old Town and Georgetown.

We did a whole lot of catching up and even more laughing. Julie brought her VitaMix to make whole fruit margaritas and Mark went out and bought us a firepit so we could sit outside in the cool evening. We had so much fun, there is really no way to explain it! We ate a lot of food, took over 300 pictures, and created memories that are still making us laugh, even while we are apart. These are great girls, and I am so blessed to have them as friends.

We drove back to PA with the girls to attend the Easter Seals Golf Outting my parents run. This year was the 12th Annual, and their last year. We couldn't miss the opportunity to share in the fun. Mike and Kelsey were able to attend the outting as well - Mark and Mike were golf partners. Here is a picture of us (with my brother too!)

The guys didn't win, but it sounded like they had a good time. Kelsey and I enjoyed hanging out in the sun and catching up on life. She is a great girl, and I am so happy that she is dating Mike.

And just when you thought we had a crazy month, we spend this past weekend driving over 20 hour, corssing the 100,000 mile marker on our car to visit Cape Cod for Sara's wedding. We stayed with friends in Connecticut who graciously open their house for us every time we drive up North. All in all it was a great weekend and an incredible wedding, but you will have to check out my calligraphy blog to hear more about it!

And now, with Halloween and the end of October around the corner, I am looking forward to hibernating for the month of November.