October, 2023

October found us finishing out our Universal Studios passes by going a few times on a Tuesday after school, watching Cha's amazing mullett take form, and preparing for our 6th annual Halloween Party.

Mullett in full effect

The kids found their stride in Friday Night Lights flag football, and I completed my 16th full marathon: Long Beach. It was my first full marathon since having children and my slowest to date, partly because it was 83 degrees at the finish line. The kids made me the sweetest signs and were there for me at the finish line. Although slow, I still had an hour and a half left before the cut-off time. The Athens marathon has a longer window, meaning I would have had an additional two hours to finish that one. This fact gives me the confidence to know that I will definitely finish even if I'm slow. My friend Christian, a much faster runner than me, ran Athens a few years ago and said it was her most challenging marathon to date, even tougher than Boston. This intimidated me, especially because a lot of it is uphill! But I know I can finish hills and all.

For our Halloween party, this year's theme was our most terrifying to date: clowns. Capitalizing on the fact that all of our furniture is still gone due to the slab leak and re-piping, our amazing prop guy created a haunted maze in our formal living room that people could walk through in small groups. We had scare performers in there, dressed as clowns who seemed like mannequins until they came to life. 

Also noteworthy this month, Cha upgraded to a bigger bike and lost an additional tooth! This time, he lost his tooth at school, so he was given a really cool necklace to bring home.