Still kickin'

My blog has been showing the signs of neglect lately, but we're back, baby! Fall semester at UNC has taken off at a sprinter's pace and it is only now, after mid-term already, that I can breathe a bit and get back to things I enjoy like blogging. Jon, Dewey, and I have been up to all kinds of new adventures since Labor Day. Here's the short update.

As is the life of a student affairs professional at the beginning of a new academic year, most of my weekends in late August/early September were spent away on retreats with my students. This picture is of a group of students working with our office to launch a brand-new leadership program in the spring. We all went on a planning retreat to Emerald Isle in September. Rough job, huh?! :)

Later on in September, Jon's parents came down for a visit. We took them around to a few more of our favorite places in Durham, such as Guglhupf Bakery and Duke Forest. We also made good use of Handydad time by installing new wood blinds in our bedroom. They look great!

In early October, we went camping at Carolina Beach with Liz, Michael, and Daisy. We enjoyed some hot August-like weather in October, saw dueling Copperheads off the side of a road, roasted marshmallows over an open fire, and watched 54 lb. Dewey wrestle with 7 lb. Daisy. All in all, a great weekend.

The next fall excursion was our annual voyage to the Mecca of Bobcat-ness, Ohio University! We had a WONDERFUL time as usual at this traditional celebration of all things OHIO. This year's visit was especially fun because my cousin Jennifer is now continuing the family tradition as a student there. We all watched the parade, swindled free food from the College of Business alumni tailgate tent, cheered the football team to a victory against Eastern Michigan, and explored the new mammoth-sized student center. It's just amazing how rejuvenating it is to spend a few days back home in Athens!

Most recently, my mom came to stay with us for a few days. I was able to take a couple days off work and we took off for Wilmington, NC. We stayed in a Bed & Breakfast that Jon and I discovered last year. It was a fun time of year to explore the historic district as everything is all decked out for Halloween. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour through the city and even stumbled upon a live filming of the TV show "One Tree Hill" along the riverfront. We also visited Wrightsville Beach and enjoyed the fabulously-warm October water!

In other news, we also bought a new car. It wasn't necessarily in the short-term plan, but my sweet Saturn was begging for retirement after more than 9 years of loyal service. We're already enjoying the new wheels and we've realized that this nearly completes the financial merging of our lives. Now we share joint responsibility for a house, a child (Dewey), and a car.

That's it in a nutshell!