Moments 10 23 :: Week 04

More Flight Team photos. 

Don't Hudson and his instructor look alike? Too funny. The Flying Bilikens ended up coming in 3rd which means they are headed to Nationals in the spring. He and one of his teammates ended up coming in 1st for Traditional Navigation, he came in 10th for Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigations and he got 10th (out of 104) overall -- the highest of his group. What a great week for him.

On Saturday, he and his roommates drove to Bloomington, IL to watch Cole's team. 

On Wednesday, the NCC Cardinals cinched the CCIW conference regular season title. First place!

Just some pretty fall colors. It's actually been very rainy this season, but pretty.

It's Hudson's fall break, so he has a couple days at home. First he stopped in Naperville to have lunch with Cole. He's so good about that. Cole sent me this photo. 

Then Hudson sent me this one. Haha. These guys.

Donuts means Hudson is home. Per tradition, he picked up some yummy ones for his visit. He gave one to Cole. The rest are gone now too though. 

Moments 10 23 :: Week 03

Stole this from Cole's coach's instagram page. Cute photo of the NCC soccer team. 

On Saturday, NCC played in Waukesha. It was a tad chilly, but this crew braved it to watch the team in action. Since it was Fall Break, Cole also got to come home for a couple days, which was absolutely fantastic. 

The dogs found this little baby woodpecker who was hanging out, low on the tree. Fortunately, it hopped across the invisible fence so they didn't get it. But it hung around for awhile. Silly bird.

Hudson has had flight team all week. In fact, SLU is hosting, so it's kind of a big deal. He's having a blast and even made the local news. 

CrossFit 100 celebrated 12 years this week. On the actually anniversary day, we did a crazy workout. We had a 30 minute cap, and most of us only finished 3.5 rounds. But the idea was cute. 

We were given goodies all week. On the actual anniversary, we got these delicious treats. I tried the green (pistachio) one and I'm still thinking about it. So good. 

Horrible photo (not sure what was gong on with NCC's recording that evening), but NCC faced up against Milliken, where Cole's friend Nico plays. It was fun seeing them on the pitch together. 

I seriously cannot deal with how cute this dog is. 

Moments 10 23 :: Week 02

It was Family Weekend at NCC. We met Leif + Mel at Cole's soccer game, then went out for dinner before catching the #1 Ranked D3 football team in the nation in action. Fun day with our Cardinal. 

In other exciting news, Hudson passed his Multi-Engine Add On. His final check ride for awhile. It's a big deal. Next up? His CFI.

Speaking of Hudson, visit slu.edu and check him out in action. Love it. 

On Wednesday, NCC battled North Park. We weren't going to go (we just got back from Door County the day before), but it's a big match up. Zoe brought five of her friends to the game too (she goes to school nearby). Brave girls. It was cold and rainy and the game ended up tied. 

Another book finished. 

Door County Fall 23 :: Day 03

It's crazy how much sleep I got this trip. Since it was colder out, we wouldn't hang out by the campfire quite as long as normal. I was probably in bed by 10pm reading. The van is pitch black, and again, because you don't necessarily want to rush out to hang outside, before you knew it, it would be 8am. The last night I slept 9 hours! I can't remember the last time I did that, but it sure felt great. After packing up camp, we drove to Whitefish Dunes State Park. We haven't been here since we went kayaking with the boys in 2020, and I forget how spectacular this area is. Again, totally different from the other two we visited the day before. Just check out those rock formations and gorgeous water. It's unbelievable. Unfortunately, it was time to head home. But first, a quick stop at Il Ritrovo in Sheboygan for some delicious pizza. Luck was on our site, because we just made it. What a great trip. It felt so good to get away for those few days. 

Door County Fall 23 :: Day 02

We started our second day by walking from the campsite to the trail that took us to the Eagle Trail. We've done this hike before with the boys, back in 2020. It's not long, but considered "difficult." Lots of rocks and roots. It's beautiful. The trees, water and rock formations are spectacular. Afterwards, we made lunch at the site, then ventured out to another, new to us, state park - Newport. It's completely different from Peninsula, and is a Dark Sky Park, which is super cool. It started raining, so we didn't venture too far in. Afterwards, we drove around Door County a bit, ending Twelve Eleven Wine Bar. After a glass of wine, and more rain and cold weather, we decided to keep things easy and walk next door for dinner at Thyme, where we shared a whitefish spread and Brian had curry and cumin chicken thighs and I had risotto with grilled shrimp. It was perfect. When we got back, we walked around the campground again, admiring more of the Halloween decorations. 

Door County Fall 23 :: Day 01

Brian and I just got back from a couple days camping in Door County. It's my first time ever fall camping. I definitely was chilled to the bone on a couple different occassions, but for the most part, it was absolutely lovely. The first day we arrived was sunny and bright. We drove to Al Johnson's Stabbur Beer Garden for a bloody mary and quick bite, then walked around Sister Bay. We missed out on seeing the goats on the roof. It was just too cold and windy all weekend. But they are always fun to look for. Afterwards, we stopped by The Prince of Pierogi. Lucky, us, it happened to be National Pierogi Day! Can you believe it? I asked the the owner, who is awesome by the way, if every day was National Pierogi Day, and his response, is that it should be! But yes, I googled it, and it really was the national holiday. If you ever find yourself in Ephraim, be sure to check it out. Next it was time to check into our site. Brian scored a campsite right on Lake Michigan in Peninsula State Park. The imagine of the water and rock beach was a few steps from our site. Surprisingly, the campground was pretty full. During Summer, it's basically impossible to get into, so we felt pretty lucky. We walked around a bit, checking out everyone's Halloween decorations. That's right, decorations. So many of the sites decorated for the holiday. We need to up our camping game I guess. Evening was spent listening to the waves and staring at the stars. It was lovely. 

Moments 10 23 :: Week 01

Brian and I saw Mapache at The Back Room at Colectivo on Friday. That's two concerts the past two weekends. So fun. 

On Saturday we went to Oktoberfest. We used to live at that place when the boys were younger, but haven't been since 2020. Even had a couple Feiglings. 

We met up with our friends Craig & Emily. Such a fun night. 

Sunday morning Ali invited me to an event at an apple orchard. I had never been to Peck & Bushel before but heard great things about it. 

They had some varieties I've never heard of before, and all of them are organic. And amazing apple cider donuts. 

It was such a lovely day. Maybe even a little too warm? So much fun. 

Pretty girl lounging on the porch. Our backyard seemed particularly green this year. I love it. 

Hudson sent this photo. He's on flight team so has been waking up bright and early for practice. 

After my workout on Friday, the weather had gotten a little cooler and I felt the need to be outside a little longer. Took Van on a 5.5 mile walk along the river. 

Terri introduced me to this trail a few weeks ago. Van and I had a great time. His little tail didn't stop wagging. We saw ducks, geese, tons of squirrels and even a deer.