New Colors and Fall Colors

Well, it has been a busy couple of weeks for us!  My first yoga intensive weekend was just fabulous!  Everything I was hoping it would be!!  My parents were here the week before I left and stayed until last Sunday.  It was SO nice to have them here, both while I was here and while I was gone as Matt has been working 5am-8:30pm.  Poor guy is going to wear out!  Luckily those hours wont last forever.

One of the things we got accomplished was painting the outside of our house.  It looks so much better!  I love pulling up to it.  When we first started putting the tan over the green, we panicked a bit as the color was looking very, well, peach...But after all the green was covered and we got the darker brown on the shutters and things, it looks great!  Thanks Mom and Dad!

Between school, sports and friends the kids are very busy.  And happy! :)  It is homecoming this week so lots going on.

Fall is starting to show its colors around here.  When I run, I go past these vines that grow up other trees and they are among the first to turn so there are these gorgeous red ropes up into the canopy.  Its really cool.  Some mornings are foggy on the meadow and as the sun burns it off it is just beautiful!  Hope fall is treating everyone well!

Relaxin' with Relations-or-Don't let Anyone tell you all of Iowa is flat!

This weekend we got to meet about 60 people that Matt is related to and see several we already know.  We went to gorgeous Southwest Iowa where the hills are rolling and the fields are wavy to Imogene for the annual O'Connor family reunion.  That would be Matts great grandmother.  

It was the first annual for us but they have been doing it for several years.  It is held at a cousin of Pats (Matts dad) farm and there is great food, horse rides, hayrides, stick pony rodeo (complete with a queen,cowboys and trophies!) and ladder golf tourney!  It was quite a warm day but the fun out weighed the heat!  

Mik and Zane gave Ashton and Cameron (Matts cousins kids that we have had fun with before) their first ever horse rides and continued to ride about 4 more times each!  Matt and Tony gave their best in the ladder golf tournament while Dawn (Ashton and Cams mom-Tonys wife) and I gave our best on the side lines.  Best cheers and jeers that is.

After the reunion we went to see St. Patricks Catholic Church were Matts family bought a stained glass window for the church when it was built in the 1800s, the house where Pat was born and the house his grandfather built in the 1800s (a big beautiful 4 square house that is still being lovingly cared for) and then camped by Pat and Joanne on another cousins farm.  Mik and I woke up to an unreal sunrise!

We finished the trip by exploring the town Matt spent his first 5 years in-really a great little town with the coolest park I have ever been to!  That is where Zane took the family pic by climbing the rocket, setting the timer and displaying his super skills, dashing back down into place before the timer went off!

We all really enjoyed the weekend and will return next year.  I gotta spend some serious time brushing up on my stick pony skills before then.