Weekend

It was another great Fall weekend filled with soccer, friends and fun. Brian had early morning grill duty at Oktoberfest again on Saturday. Both of C's games were at home, so we got to stop by the grills and watch Brian in action. My parents came out to cheer C on at his first game as well, which was pretty awesome. His team ended up winning both games. That evening, we came out to the last night of Oktoberfest, and ended up sitting next to one of our Tae Kwon Do instructors and hanging out with a family from C's team for most of the night. Sunday morning, H had his soccer game, which was also at home. (I love home games.) His team ended up winning too, and H scored another goal. It's been such a fun season for him so far. Happy.

Inspiration Files :: Coastal House

Here's one I saved awhile ago. It's an actual house that was for sale last year in Australia (it sold February 2013). I absolutely love the rough wood and how open and comfortable it is. The view isn't bad either. (via Desire to Inspire)

Bug

Check out this crazy bug C found! It's head reminds me of an owl. We had to move it since it was on a patch of plants that C likes to stomp around on. 

Soccer Tournament Weekend

H&C were both in a soccer tournament this weekend. They each had two games on Saturday and one game on Sunday. Fortunately, it turned out to be a beautiful fall weekend, so being a spectator wasn't too tough. H is having so much fun this year playing. His team is meshing more and more each day, and it's super fun to watch. They lost two games, and won one, with H scoring two goals this weekend (including the only goal against the team that made it to the playoffs). C's team did great too, winning two of their games and losing one. He's loving playing the goalie position, and also scored a bunch of goals for his team too. Super fun weekend.

Friday Night

>>>>> Borrowed Indian from work, and a little night ride.


>>>>> Amazing Sunset


>>>>> Soaking it in.

Pablove Across America

You may remember a couple years ago when Brian participated in his second Pablove Across America. It's a ride that Brian has been involved with in some way or another since it started in 2009. This is the third ride he personally will be participating in. This year is an epic one week journey -- San Francisco to LA (500 miles and 23,000 feet of climbing) -- to raise awareness for pediatric cancer, and support The Pablove Foundation. What is The Pablove Foundation? Here's some information:

The mission of The Pablove Foundation is to fund pediatric cancer research and advances in treatment, educate and empower cancer families, and improve the quality of life for children living with cancer through hospital play, music and arts programs. 

The Pablove Foundation is named after Pablo Thrailkill Castelaz, the son of Jo Ann Thrailkill and Jeff Castelaz and the little brother of Grady Gallagher. Pablo was six years old when he lost his valiant yearlong battle with bilateral Wilms Tumor, a rare form of childhood cancer. Imbued with his spirit and inspired by his strength, Pablove is dedicated to the daily, global fight against childhood cancer and the suffering that comes in its wake.

Whether you have $5 burning a hole in your pocket or are looking for a nice tax write-off, please consider supporting Brian's ride. www.stayclassy.org/bpettit13

Oktoberfest Day Zwei

It was a weekend filled with pig roasting (at Oktoberfest -- Brian's volunteer hours for the soccer club), bike rides (for Brian), soccer games (for the boys) and fun (for all of us). C had two games in the morning, and H had one in the afternoon. Brian's mom met me at one of C's games (along with his sister) and H's in the afternoon. Since H's was a home game and Oktoberfest was going on, we decided to go again for dinner. It was completely packed, but it's really a ton a fun and the kids love it -- they just run around with their friends and we all have a great time. We'll need to take an Oktoberfest break next weekend, but thankfully, there's still another weekend left!

Oktoberfest

Every Friday and Saturday during the month of September, the boy's soccer club hosts Oktoberfest. It's always such a great time, and I'm pretty sure we'll be visiting more than once. Tonight, we met Ali and the kids for dinner, then ended up running into a bunch of friends and staying a little later than expected. The kids had blast running around with their friends and playing soccer on the turf while the U40 team (that some of our friends play on) played on the field next to them. Such a fun night.

Miniature Plant

When Jen & Samir visited us a few weeks ago, they brought us a little plant that their daughter assembled. It is planted in a shell Jennifer found on a beach in Michigan. The rock it sits on was found by them this summer. And I was told that it would even flower. I have to admit, I didn't believe it. Sure enough! This morning I found a miniature pink flower. It's absolutely adorable. I love it.

(Update: Jen let me know that my facts were a little wrong. Shell was found at Thatcher Woods in River Forest, Illinois. The plants are from her own vertical garden, and the rock was from the beach at Union Pier, Michigan.)

Inspiration Files :: House on the Baltic Sea

It's been awhile, and because we are back in school-homework-soccer mode -- meaning I don't have much to say -- I thought an inspiration file was in order. I'm still feeling the last bits of summer lingering, which may be why I'm drawn to this Danish home on the Baltic Sea. Simple, pure and raw. What a great summer home. (by Algreen Arkitekter via Desire to Inspire)

Fourteen

Guess what! Today is our 14th anniversary. That means, Brian and I been together for nearly 20 years. Crazy stuff. It's amazing how fast time files. I am just so glad we have both decided to put up with each other for all of these years because I really can't imagine a better person to share this journey with. (Photo of us taken when we were really young -- mid-90s, perhaps?).

Awards

Over the summer, the boys were lucky enough to go out to my parent's house once a week and play golf. They had a blast, and really improved a great deal. Tonight was the summer tennis and golf awards dinner. We met up with my entire family -- we sure had some big winners. My sister and niece each won an award in tennis. My mom and H won golf awards (H came in 2nd place in the 6-hole short category). And my mom won Aces & Aces, which is a combination tennis and golf award. All night long I got to hear about what a great athlete she is. I know people! She's a hall of famer, after all. Anyhow, the kids had a great time playing this summer. The pros were really good with with them -- especially Joe, who made it fun every week. H was super proud of his accomplishment. It was a fun night, for sure.

Birthday

So, yesterday was my birthday. I decided to start the day by running for the first time in weeks and bra shopping. Nothing like saying "hello 44!" than that. Actually, the run was pretty good. It was the other part that is never ok. But whatever. The rest of the day was pretty mellow. At night, my boys surprised me by taking me out to dinner at Wolf Peach. I think the other people dining were pretty impressed. We had Zucchini Fritters, Summer Vegetable Pizza, Ricotta Cavatelli, Seared Sea Scallops, Charred Octopus and Roasted Sweetbreads. It was absolutely perfect.

Fall Break

School may have just started two days ago, but already H&C had a day off today for Fall Break (which coincides with Rosh Hashanah). We decided visit my mom for one last hurrah. Our day started at the skate park. H&C are still too nervous to try their boards there, but had a blast zooming around on their scooters. There was one other guy there the entire time we were. He was really good, and quite amazing to watch. I love that stuff. Afterwards, we went to the club. I really wanted to go swimming, but it was too cold for me. It sure didn't stop the boys though. Of course, they also had a blast fishing. Such a fun day.

First Day of School

Yesterday when we got home from our trip -- the last summer hurrah -- I felt a bit strange. On one hand, I felt an overwhelming sense of contentment, happiness and pride. On the other hand, I was so sad. You see, this is going down as one of the best summers ever and I was just bummed to see it come to and end. Even though my kids make me absolutely crazy at times, I really missed them as they headed off to their first day of school today. It's all going by way too fast. This morning, H started 6th grade, and C 3rd. That's crazy. When the end of the school day finally came and we were reunited, both couldn't stop talking about what great days they had. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a great year for them.

Epic Camping Weekend - Day 4

Epic Camping Weekend ended with another epic day. I'm just so ticked I didn't get a photo of our final family -- the Frigs! Oh well. After packing up the sites (no small feat by the way), we stopped by Cave of the Mounds. I've never been before, and I've got to say, it was really incredible. Millions of years old, it was accidentally discovered when a limestone quarry worker blasted a section of the cave and uncovered it. Can you imagine? It was pretty awesome. After our tour, it was time to part ways. We came home happy and exhausted. I'm so happy we got to see our friends, and frankly, we miss them already.