Today's is Jeff's 49th birthday! Think we'll have to celebrate this weekend though — so tough during the work week.

We're very excited for an email update we expect tomorrow about a new couch we ordered for the basement. When we first ordered the couch, we were told not to look for delivery until after Thanksgiving, but last Wednesday we got word that it may be coming as soon as this weekend! Ah! We will have gained back our basement finally after the flood took it out last April.

We went downtown with Bob & Deb Klimko for Gallery Night Friday night. We each had time restraints, but we made the most of what we had. Perfect weather for it. I got to see some fellow Guild member's art on display, but unfortunately the artists themselves weren't there to chat with.

Paige was supposed to head to Carroll to visit Bryn last weekend, but Bryn's cross country coach had other ideas. He scheduled a full-day practice in Ripon Saturday (where their next meet will be held), which pretty much cancelled out Paige's visit. With time back on her side, Paige was able to go to a haunted house up in Hubertus Friday night and then to a haunted corn maze in West Allis Saturday night. Perfect weekend for all these outdoor activities.

We hosted a chili dump Sunday during the Packers/Vikings game and it was a lot of fun. Many guests were a little leary about the whole idea, but all agreed that the chili turned out delicious. Loved talking to friends that we hadn't seen for months. Jeff, Paige and I will be eating leftover chili and cornbread muffins for quite a while as everyone was too generous with bringing side dishes.

Backing up a bit, Bryn did recover from her ankle injury to run in Oshkosh on Oct 15th. Jeff, Terry and I came to watch her run against the wind that day. Then we were invited to a teammate's home in Neenah for lunch after the meet. Drove to Menasha to get in a quick visit with Jeff's Dad. And finally went to see how Maggie and Tom were doing since Maggie's foot surgery. Finally we drove back to Waukesha to get Bryn as Carroll had a couple days off for a Fall Break. Bryn had the house to herself and did her laundry and kept up with her running.

So I'm going to try smaller, bite-size posts. That way, I'm hoping to ease my way back in to blogging.

So I'm currently working full-time at Readers Digest (formerly Reiman Publications) in Greendale. It's a beautiful building and I love the neighborhood. Everyday, weather permitting, I walk the endless sidewalks of the village during my 30-minute lunch. I treasure that time to get away from my desk and computer. My job consists of designing and programming emails that get blasted to Taste of Home subscribers. I have free reign on the creative and I get to do digital work – bonus! My assignment here is through November 18, then I intend to take that next week off. Who knows after that.

Paige just wrapped up Homecoming week, having a blast playing in the Powerpuff game and joining 14 other girls to the dance. Pics are on Facebook, of course. She just got a card in the mail from Shelley, the owner of Hallmark, welcoming her to the store. Paige has a good job.

Jeff hasn't had to go to Virginia for a while which is nice. He helped coach the junior girls for Powderpuff. Jeff's almost finished with the wood trim in the basement after replacing the flooring this summer thanks to our flood. We just purchased a couch/sectional for the basement which will be delivered in November. Really looking forward to having another spot for TV watching. Teen Mom is not my favorite.

Bryn took charge and got herself back to running this summer so she could join the Carroll Cross Country team this fall. She's doing great. Abby and I went to watch her run Labor Day weekend at St. Norberts. Bryn recently "rolled" her ankle which put her on injured reserve for a week, but she hopes to compete this weekend.


Drove out to La Crosse the last weekend in September to visit Abby and check out Octoberfest. The parade seemed the most civil thing about it. We brought Theo along and he stayed with Paige and Abby at her house overnight. He loved it. Abby and Amy took us on a really cool bluff hike and we found a new dining spot.