All things Fall!

This Fall has been a whirlwind, wonderful and hard. I love being able to look back on a season and see how God moved...the gifts that he gave and the way He has grown (and stretched me!). Here's a bit of a round-up of what this season has been like so far:

- I was a part of planning 2 huge events...one in September and one in October! The first was a huge fundraising dinner for the counseling center I work for. It was so neat to see it come together after so much planning. The second was a handmade market gathering at our church. Not only was I a vendor (my mom and I made candles, pillows, bunting, wreaths and blanket ladders), but I was also the Emcee and shared about the home in Nepal that Kevin and I worked at in 2013. The event was so much fun, and a childhood friend of mine shared her testimony which was so powerful.

- I got pneumonia! Man...it was rough, I had it for 8 weeks, and had to take some time off work. I coughed so hard I thought I broke a rib, spent 3 separate days in the prompt care, and generally felt crummy. The silver lining was that through it all, Avonlea didn't get sick! Praise God!!

- I got to spend a weekend with both my sisters. Lena and I went to Apple Hill (here) where we literally frolicked in all things Fall. And then the next weekend Polly and I spent a weekend in Nevada City, perusing the adorable old mining town, taking hikes, sitting by fires and walking in the rain. My sisters are such lovely people, so it was very refreshing being with them.

- Avonlea turned 6 months in October, and then 7 months in November! She's sitting up, chatting up a storm, sprouted 2 teeth, and is just a JOY. We adore this sweet girl.

- Kevin made it through another harvest season! For about 6 weeks he was gone ALL THE TIME (which was hard)! We went out and visited him a few times on the farm, Avonlea was fascinated by the huge tractors. I found some John Deer boots for her at a yard sale, so she looked a legit farmers daughter, ha! It really is so beautiful out in the rice this time of year. I spent quite a few days visiting with my grandparents as they live out on the farm. My grandpa is 92 and my grandma in her late 80's, and they are just a delight. They adore Avonlea, so it's pretty fun to bring her out there.

- I hosted a Halloween party at my house! We ate soup and salad, handed out candy, and just hung out. Avonlea was a little lamb, so I decided to be Heidi (the little swiss shepherd girl, haha). My grandma lived in Germany in the 1950's and bought a few dirndl's from Salzburg in Austria, and I fit into them, so I used one for my costume. I felt very authentic, hehe! And…my mom came as a pirate, which was awesome. I get my love of dress-up from her…if you can't tell from the pictures below, hehe!

- Our good friend Matt from England came to visit us!! While he was out, we headed to the pumpkin patch to find ourselves a pumpkin! We had a great time with him- he's hilarious! He thinks the batting cages are very American, so we made sure to hit them up when he was here. I even got out there and batted..I now remember why I hate baseball (ha!).

- The Fall colors this year are off the charts beautiful. I'm so grateful to live in Northern California where the changing of the seasons do wonders for the soul:)

Much love to all of you wherever you are. Hope your Fall has been lovely. Here's to the coming of the holidays and winter!!