Time speeds up in the fall.

The surprise arrival of our four-year anniversary has stopped me in my tracks and reminded me to take a breath. It is, after all, my most favorite ever time of year-- time for brisk, hay-scented fall breezes and light corduroy jackets; the trees flaunting their parting love affair with summer and making me yearn to learn real photography; freshly-fallen leaves crunching underfoot, though I know I should rake them before they turn to crumbs and elude all attempts to get them into a yard bag. Time for meeting new friends in new favorite bars with new favorite drinks, or sitting with old ones to plan tradition-honored festivities; time for cool nights of open windows and soft breaths of wind on my face in bed. It's fall, has so fully been fall that I have been eating up every day and leaving no appetite for blogging.

We kept busy in October with our friends' annual Hayrack Ride, pumpkin carving, the zombie walk, and our own Halloween party. This past weekend boasted a house packed to the hilt with pretty well everyone we know, a bigger party than any we've ever had before. Just for this one time a year, we embraced the chaos and added to it with an overly ambitious menu (many thanks to the Magnusons for saving us...again!) and probably too many drinks than was wise. We actually floated the keg before midnight.

Just this once....til next year.

New ink

Oktoberfest

The Omaha Fashion Show

Successful broiler pizzas

2nd annual Zombie Walk

Los Artes Día de los Muertos art show...

and the house band, The Prairie Gators. The guy in the middle, Buffalo, is something of an Omaha urban myth.

The Duggars and Johnny Depp enjoy our Halloween party.

A bar straight out of the Sopranos-- Josephine's.

Our wedding photographers' Halloween party

the long-awaited bachelorette party!

**Featuring pictures borrowed from one of Sara's best friends, Denise.

Can I just say how much fun this party was? Granted, I arrived late because someone didn't mail me an invitation and then told me the wrong time, *coughBETHcough* (I'm not bitter) but the games and drinks at Sara's house had everyone happily loosened up and laughing by the time I got there. And the rest of the time I WAS there was thoroughly awesome.


Pin the Junk on the Hunk!


After games, Sara opened gifts--hilarious, pretty, frilly and sweet ones.

I wish I had taken a picture of the food! There was a funny penis cake that was actually quite tasty, and tortilla rolls, and really cute little cheesecakes.

Following gifts, we all sat around with drinks and waited for the party bus Beth had booked. This reconstituted school bus was supposed to be awesome--all leather couches, sweet party lights, and-- a POLE! The fact that the "leather" couches turned out to be recycled college couches and the party lights were Christmas lights, just endeared the company to me, and if I ever get to plan another bachelorette I am totally calling this place.

Everybody wanted in on that pole action!

Our first stop was the Underground, in the Old Market beneath the French Cafe. It was a little subdued in there, but there was plenty of room to move around, sit, chat, and down shots. After about an hour there, Sue and Kath split and the rest of us hoofed it to Billy Frogg's down the street. There, Mandy and I were regrettably ensnared into a conversation with a guy pretending to be a French TA at Creighton.

(minus the daylight)


(actual photo of "French" kid)

But Beth rescued us, and were off to our third and final destination--Boondocker's, for Thursday night karaoke! Of course, I loved that. I sang Hotel California because I LOVE THAT SONG.

I don't remember how many rounds of shots we ordered here. I do remember it was enough that some of the girls actually started refusing to take them...holy cow. At last call, we all piled back into the bus for more pole dancing, and disembarked at Sara and Dustin's house, where we promptly awoke all the neighbors.


So, FABULOUS night! Seriously, one of the best bachelorettes I've ever been to, and not only because this time I didn't slip on beer at the Max and bust up my elbow. This was a great last hurrah for Sara, and it looks like everyone had a fabulous time.