One busy day!

This morning I got the long run in early so I could go to Alex's tennis tournament in Lawrence. This was his first USTA tournament, and while he didn't get the Ws, he learned a lot and knows playing better players makes him better. He left with his head down, but a couple of hours later he was ready to sign up again and he knew things he wanted to do differently. I thought he played really well. Match 1 and 3 were close and could have easily gone his way, his second match was a level of player he rarely sees and he still got some points. 

While our family is busy with everything else, our back deck is also being replaced. We thought it would be done in September but some wrong materials showed up, so it put us back a couple of weeks. I'm really hoping it gets done this week. I am missing our backyard! 

Bring on weather cool enough so we can sit and enjoy our new deck! 

The before picture, hard to tell but there is a lot of rot in this deck.

The in-process picture, hopefully an after picture is coming soon! 

September Goal Check-In and Clint Black!?

I was lucky enough to finish September and start October in Nashville, TN! Jeff had a work trip there, and I tagged along, meaning I got to add another state to my map. I think I only have six left to go before I’ve seen all 50!

Before the conference began, we packed in a little sightseeing. We toured the Country Music Hall of Fame, checked out the Parthenon replica (with its full-size Athena inside), and strolled down Broadway where live music poured out of every building. Nashville really is an experience.

One morning, I even talked Jeff into joining me on a running trail. I logged close to 8 miles under shady trees and along the river. It was busy, but I loved seeing so many people out moving and enjoying the outdoors.

The last evening of the conference was something special—we were treated to a performance by CLINT BLACK after dinner. As a 90s kid, this felt like such a big deal. It was like being back in my childhood car with the radio on, and I surprised myself by knowing almost every word to his songs. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

Now we’re heading back to the airport, and while I’ve loved our Nashville adventure, I’ll be glad to be home. It's always good to be home.

Thanks, Mom, for holding down the fort while we were away!

Read 24 Books 16/24

Finished two book in September and they were both good fiction reads. 

The Perfect Divorce, by Jeneva Rose was a great sequel to her book A Perfect Marriage. I read that book last year and thought I may have waited too long to read the second but the story came back to me. Since I knew the twist from the first book I thought I had the second one figured out, not really. It still kept me guessing till the end. A very fun read. 

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams covered many themes. It was a great read about a woman's experience in the 1880's to the 1920's. The main character grows up in and around the creation of the dictionary. Her father worked with men at Oxford as they crated the books letter by letter. She figures out from her view that many words are not "fit" for the publication. Those are the words that the working class used and that women used. The book was very layered and meaningful. While also fiction it was a great balance to my other book of the month that was a fun ride that didn't require a lot of thought. I thought a lot about this book when I wasn't reading it. Highly recommend! 

Run 650 Miles 468/650

I ran 75 miles in September making it my best month of the year! I enlisted help for my weekend long runs and it turned a weekly chore into something I looked forward to. I've also been getting a 4 mile run in during the week and that has helped not only with the monthly mileage but with my weekend long run more bearable. Gearing up for the next race in Salina on November 8th. If I run 60 miles a month the rest of the year I will hit my yearly goal!  

Money Goals

Fund 3-6 month ER Fund- Done April 2025! Yay for selling my house! 

Pay off Car - Done April 2025! Yay for selling my house! 

UFOs (unfinished objects) that need Finished 

T-Shirt Quilt (have the shirts)

Alpaca Quilt I didn't snap a picture before we left for Nashville but I finished the first row of the quilt this month. Yay! Progress! 

Placemats - Done April 2025 

Alex and Daryl Photo Books 2021-2023 Just missing 2023 at this point. 

No big deal, just a little Clint Black concert. 

Got a tour of they Ryman Auditorium

For some scale Nike that is in her hand is 6 foot tall.

Build a full size Parthenon in Nashville, Sure, why not?

Of course we had great food while we were here. That's half the fun of traveling!