Yesterday was the coldest day of the season thus far (a whopping 2 degrees celsius), so what better way to celebrate than with some Autumn fun! Our friends, Dave & Lisa, came over for the evening. We indulged in some amazing Sweet Potato soup that Derek made (recipe courtesy of Michelle Hand), Halloween candy and mulled wine. But more importantly, we carved pumpkins! Though we didn’t get to go to a pumpkin patch and hand pick our pumpkins (quite the opposite – they were delivered in our bi-monthly grocery order) we still had our share of pumpkin fun.
[Click here for the sweet potato soup recipe]
Dave & Derek scoopin out the guts!
The buddies
Derek, Dave & Lisa concetrating hard on their masterpieces
And she said she wasn’t good at this….perfect!
with my ‘cute ghost’
And the finished products!
From L-R: Lisa’s jack-o-lantern, Katie’s ghost, Derek’s Tottenham Hotspur & Dave’s 007
We realise that we have been pretty MIA in the blog world…honestly, there is not too much to report. Which is not bad really, because things are good.
Derek is back in full swing beginning year number 2 of his PhD, which means he is a third of the way through! He is still loving every minute, enjoying the friendships he has made with his fellow PhDers and making very good use of his wee study space.
Work is going well for me. There was a stint in the summer that I was not so sure about this whole thing, but it seems to have picked up and I am finding joy in the job once again. On 1 October I celebrated (quietly) my 1 year anniversary of working there and am pleased to say that I now have my very own office! The walls are white and bare and I am anxious to get something up on them. When I do, I promise to take some pictures of my new space. Anyone have any ideas of what one should hang on an office wall in a sports facility? Hmmm…
I am also thrilled that my ‘hot wives‘ group has started meeting again. Patrice moved away last year, but we now have a new member, Ashli, who is wonderful. We are glad to have her and think she is a great addition to the group. These are all amazing women and I feel blessed to be a part of their journey.
The weather here is already turning to winter. We seem to have skipped summer and autumn completely. In September I was still holding onto hope that summer might still show up, but once October hit I gave up. I told Derek that we’re moving to Hawaii next, I need my sunshine and Scotland is just not producing enough for my liking!
Derek and I each have some exciting trips coming up in the next couple of months. In November Derek is going to Boston for the SBL conference. Neither of us has ever been to Boston so he is arriving a few days early to enjoy the city a bit before the conference starts (I am quite jealous that I can’t go). And in early December I will be jetting off to New York City! I will be meeting my older sisters, Annie & Mandy, for 5 days of NYC fun. I will also be staying a couple of extra days so that I can go to New Jersery and visit my good friends Lucas & Shannon. I am so excited that I can hardly stand it! It’s going to be such a great trip.
