thank you, Mr. Squirrel

... for carving my pumpkin for me.

the big reveal...

OK, so I meant to post this on Tuesday but my internet has been down all week. Le sigh.

The good news is this: my house has a brand spankin' new roof!

Taking before and after pictures wasn't really worth it, since it looks exactly the same (luckily). But here are some of the in-between mess:

It all started last spring, with a hailstorm that led my insurance company to declaring the roof "totaled." And then a summer of back-and-forth with the roofing company. And then a long line of other roofs for them to fix. But finally, it was my turn. And two days after they arrived, waking me up at sunrise with ladders against my window, they pulled the last pile of shingles and tarps off the front lawn and I have a new roof on my house.

Ta-da. Major "someday" project = checked off the list.

summer travels, lonely house

These days when someone asks me "how is the house," the answer is usually "I haven't seen it in a while." Not to mention working on house or garden projects. Since mid-May, I've:

• been to 10 weddings
• changed jobs (yeah, I probably forgot to mention that)
• traveled (for work or for weddings) to Omaha, Northern California, Atlanta, New York City (twice), North Carolina and Washington D.C.

Truth: Fun for me but not so fun for keeping up with this place.

October is turning out to be just as hectic as the summer was, but I'm finding more efficient ways to keep up with the cleaning and lawn care on the days in between trips. It's a challenge, but I do like having this place to come home to ... so I think I'll keep it :)

In honor of a truly amazing summer, and to give you a glimpse of my life outside the house, here are some of my favorite moments from the last four months:

The stunning sunset at the wedding of this amazing lady and her fantastic husband

A rare photo-op with 12 of the 17 cousins at Rachel and Mark's wedding in Omaha (the first of three cousin weddings this summer!)

Grade-school girlfriends at Carolyn's wedding in Half Moon Bay, California

One of many Lake Minnetonka days with my family

Reminiscing with Kelli about our childhood days in Texas on one of my two trips to New York City, where she now lives (and blogs!)

College roommates! Nancy was the first of the Plum House girls to tie the knot

Catching up with more college friends in Washington D.C. in September

Dancing with Stephen, my like-a-brother friend that I've known since 5th grade, at his wedding in Napa Valley in May

Nate, Care, Sugi, me and Newman at, you guessed it, another wedding

Johnny and Maria's wedding in Minneapolis (more cousins!)

Twins win! One of the best comebacks in baseball history.

Celebrating mom's 20th anniversary with PartyLite at their National Conference in Minneapolis in July, alongside two of her best friends (amazing women, all of them)

Getting my Michael Cuddyer home run ball signed (I caught it during a game two summers ago) -- definitely a top highlight :)

A weekend at Newman's lake cabin in Wisconsin

An Agnes a Cappella reunion at Kelin's bridal shower

 

And, the most surreal moment: standing next to Alison, my best friend since we were born, during her beautiful wedding in Atlanta.

My southern roots are showing a little bit more than usual, eh? Did I mention there were hats?

Yes. An amazing, blessed summer. 

It's okay if I hibernate in the house all winter, though, right?

xoxo

PS -- I'm back home for a few weeks before a jaunt to Boston ... and tomorrow I'll have photos from a major house upgrade. One where I didn't have to lift a finger. Hooray :)

autumn morning

It does not feel like fall when it is 80 degrees outside. But it looks like fall...

light change for loose change

Just a quickie post here ... I did this a few weeks ago, and every time I come home I'm reminded how much easier it makes my life. No more fumbling for keys in the dark (especially now that the days are getting shorter). No more agonizing about whether or not to leave the porch light on.

Because now I have a motion-sensitive light by my front door -- no rewiring required!

We found this at the hardware store for about $10 (pocket change compared to most of my other hardware store trips). It goes between the light socket and the lightbulb, and any time someone enters the front porch or opens the front door, it turns on. It goes off in about two minutes. Perfect!

The downside is that I can't use the covering that was previously on the light:

I'm still on the lookout for a replacement, but in this case, I happily traded function over form and haven't had any regrets.