October: Out & About

October 10-20: Mr. E to Chicago/Madison
Given his recent travel difficulties with Friday flights on United, Mr. E opted to head to the Midwest on Thursday this time around for his Badger game-day weekend. I kept occupied with the Paws to Party fundraiser for the City o' Sac Front Street Animal Shelter (both our kitties came from there), an architecture talk at the Crocker, the Mimosas & Mixed Media class at the Crocker with T, and M's show "Northanger Abbey" at STC as a substitute for monthly Book Club.

October 18-20: Pop's 90th Birthday Party in Chicago
I joined Mr. E for the second weekend of his trip to celebrate his Dad's 90th birthday party. Unfortunately, I started to come down with a really nasty cold the day before I left, so I wasn't feeling quite my usual self during the visit. But we still had a lovely time with the many Smestad and Westgor family members as well as some friends, including G & G from Texas. We spent Saturday morning watching the Badgers [lose] with Pop and then headed off to the party in the afternoon. I was able to swim in the awesome indoor pool both days, and our return trip on Sunday evening was uneventful.

October 24-27: A Visits Sac
Instead of my usual Halloween time visit to Denver to see A, R, F, and C, this year we changed things up and A came out solo to visit Sac. Woo-hoo! It was her first time here, which is hard to believe since we've been in Sac since 2004. She was supposed to arrive late on Thursday, October 24, but her flight kept getting delayed, so eventually we all agreed it would be better for her to reschedule for early Friday morning. She was able to get a room at a hotel near the Denver airport overnight, and I then picked her up just after 8am on Friday morning, which worked perfectly with my swim workout and our plans to meet up with S at our local Starbucks at 9:15am. We hung out with S and met puppy Otis, and Mr. E wandered over eventually as well. Then A and I went to 12pm yoga at the CAC followed by massages at 1:45pm. Our evening was a meet-up with her Knudsen cousins at Bailarin Cellars on K Street.

On Saturday morning, A slept in late while I did my long swim and had brunch with Mr. E. Then A and I headed off to the Glass Ornaments class, which we unexpectedly discovered was off-site in West Sac. Oops! Luckily, Mr. E was home and could bring us the car, and the location was less than 10 minutes from the Crocker, so we didn't miss out on much. A made three ornaments during the class, and I made two. We finished up in mid-afternoon and had plenty of time to relax a bit and get ready for the Disco InFURno fundraiser at the SSPCA. A had borrowed appropriate attire from a friend, and we saw at least half a dozen other guests (both men and women) who were wearing outfits in the same sequined fabric. (I've also been finding shedded sequins around the house ever since!!!)

We had planned to do a Jump bike tour of the 2019 Wide Open Walls murals on Sunday, but it was extremely windy, so we opted instead to just walk to the Crocker gift shop and then on to Old Sac and the library, which was plenty of external exposure with all of the dust and leaves and grit in the air. A had decided to change her departure to later in the evening, so we got to go to the 2pm gentle yoga class at the CAC, and then Mr. E joined us for an early dinner at Mas Taco on R Street before we headed to the airport to drop A off for her 7:05pm departure. Such a great visit, and so fun to show her around our 'hood!

Mahalo Moment: Blanket of Clouds

Window seat on late

night flight. As dawn starts to break,

a blanket of clouds

appears below. At

the edge, city lights blink through.

New York approaches.

Catching Up: September Happenings

Mr. E had a work trip to Hillsboro for several days right after we returned from our Labor Day adventure in Canada. And the start of College Football Season signaled Mr. E's travel-busy season as well! But we did manage to fit in a family visit here in Sac with J & C before Mr. E began his frequent Midwest trips.

September 13-16: J & C Visit Sac
J & C arrived on Friday in the mid-afternoon, and I went directly from my CalSAE program to pick them up at the airport. We had thought about going to one of the local playgrounds for a bit, but the very hot weather changed our plans, so instead we stopped at home and made a trip to Market 515 for snacks before going up to the Marriott Residence Inn near the Capitol to get J & C settled in. The three of us headed to the pool, where Mr. E joined us later. When J went off to find some dinner options, Mr. E and I entertained C in the room. Then we headed home so that J & C could wrap up their evening and go to bed.

I did my usual long swim on Saturday morning, and J & C made a visit to the playground at Fremont Park, within easy walking distance of their hotel. Mr. E and I had our weekend brunch at home, where J & C met up with us, and then we all drove to Old Sac for the 11:45am Hornblower Historic River Cruise. We ended up at Steamers for lunch afterwards (very slow service -- boo!!!), and then J & C went back to the hotel for a bit in the afternoon. Our evening activity was an Open House at Sac Ballet at 5:15pm, where the company performed parts of its upcoming Modern Masters program. C wasn't too impressed with some of the explanatory remarks, but he was totally engaged once the dancing began. The evening wrapped with a yummy dinner at Hot Italian, and we then walked home (Mr. E & me) and to the hotel (J & C) from there.

On Sunday, Mr. E headed to the hotel in the morning to pick up C and give J a ride to yoga. Then we got some quality aunt and uncle time with C, beginning with a docent-led kids tour at the Crocker. After the formal tour, I led C around other parts of the museum to share with him some of my favorite pieces, and he was much more engaged with the more informal wandering. We then walked back to the house where J met up with us so that she and I could go to our 1pm pedicure appointments at Nature Love Salon while Mr. E and C had some boys time. Once we got back from the pedicures, we grabbed a few things at Market 515 for our grilling-out dinner at home. C watched a movie in the afternoon while J did some work and kept Mr. E and me company as we prepped the food. The weather was nice enough to sit out on the patio. Yay! We then took J & C back to the hotel and said our goodbyes, since they were planning to Uber to the airport in the morning for their 7:10am departure. Such a fun weekend!!!

September 20-24: Mr. E to Chicago/Madison + Miami
Mr. E combined a Midwest Badgers weekend with a quick work trip to Miami. My weekend included my annual volunteering at the Sacramento Brewers Fest for WEAVE, monthly Book Club, and meeting up with B at Selland's. I also worked on job-related stuff to prepare for my second interview at FCCC.

September 27-30: Mr. E to Chicago/Madison
Another Badgers trip for Mr. E, while I kept busy with monthly brunch, "Rent" at the Harris Center with E, and volunteering at the Reptile Show for the SSPCA.

September 30-October 1: J to SoCal for CalSAE Site Visits
Mr. E and I did one of our "overlapping" trip arrangements, as I headed down to SoCal for CalSAE site visits on Monday morning and he didn't return from his trip until Monday evening. At least the kitties weren't left alone! And the usual car-swap-at-the-airport worked out just fine.