Happy Halloween!!!

 

Have a great day and night everyone...and be safe! 

Halloween...Here we come!

There is a lot that goes on at our house in order to get ready for Halloween...but we're ready!  Well there are a few final touches but we always have to take care of those right before our little guests arrive!  Hurricane Sandy did set us back a little.  But we should be able to get the outdoor stuff back outside tonight.  I'm excited.  How about you?

Weekend Love

The weather around here is just a tad crazy....we've been suffering the effects of Hurricane Sandy and boy is it windy!

The weekend was marvelous with lots of pre-Halloween events taking place.  We even added a few things to our yard to give the trick-or-treaters an extra scare...sadly we had to take most of it down so it doesn't blow AWAY.  We're hoping that by Wednesday all of this will have died down and we can get back into the celebrating.  Until then we're going to hunker down and hope the power stays ON!  Hope to be back tomorrow with some pictures of the weekend festivities!

Point of Rocks Park

It's just a small county park...but it makes me so happy.  Point of Rocks park, in Chesterfield, has ball fields, a playground, picnic areas and my favorite part....a ton of walking trails.  I usually visit this park when I want to get in a run outdoors.  I will pop in my ear plugs and just take off.  This time I opted to leave the ear plugs out...and walk...just to take in everything on my journey.

On this visit I ran into 2 snakes, a pack of Cubs (scouts), a man with his three boys and more bugs than a person can count.  But it was one of the most relaxing walks ever.  The smell of autumn is in the air, a hurricane is on the way and snakes are all out to play!  Haha. 

The 2012 American Heart Walk

On Saturday this past weekend, I met up with some co-workers and friends to walk in the 2012 American Heart Walk in Richmond.  Of course I talked Mark into coming with me and that meant Ms. Emma got to tag along.  I walked in honor of my dad...he's suffered his fair share from heart disease plus some!  Being my first time walking in this walk I wasn't sure how it would go down.  But the walk was very well organized, the weather was wonderful and getting to walk with my family and friends was icing on the cake.  Emma chilled in her wagan most of the time, minus an incident that involved her hitting pavement for a split second before Super Dad swooped in to rescue her :)  Great time and look forward to future walks.  It should be noted we did this walk on Saturday right before going to the wine festival....it made for a LONG day!






I think Mark will refer to these ladies the Honeywell Hotties :)





Emma was a little shy around Bonnie



 

Glad I saw this before we went to the wine festival,
would have thought I was seeing stuff!





Finish line never looked so good! 

The 2012 Powhatan Festival of the Grapes

I had never been to Powhatan...And never been to their wine festival...but after this visit I'll be putting this one on the calendar for next year!  The 10th annual Powhatan Festival of the Grape, held at Powhatan's Historic Courthouse Square, turned out to be the perfect blend of sunny weather and beautiful location.

AmRhein's Winery



Yes that does say Well Hung Winery....should of heard the jokes
I heard while waiting in line



This is one of my favorite wineries to visit!



Four Seasons Restaurant




I didn't ask him to walk the line....he just rolls that way





We visited this winery as part of the Boat/Winery tour in May



And this was the best seat in the house...or festival!

There were 30 wineries, what seemed like dozens of craft vendors, food vendors and music to entertain the crowds while they sipped their wine.  We did have to park about a mile away from the festival and walk in but for those that couldn't handle (or didn't want to handle) the walk there were golf carts taking people back and forth if you gave them a "tip".   The festival was scheduled from 11-6 and we got there just after 12.  It was very crowded when we got there but by 3:30 the crowds were leaving.  I think I'll wait until about 3 next time....and save myself from the masses!  It was a fun afternoon and I'm glad we were able to be a part of the 10th annual festival!

Monday Love

This weekend was filled with lots of time with friends, family, walking and wine.  We crammed in so much that the time just flew by!  Good thing I took some pictures so I can go back and enjoy it! There was The NO BS Brass at the Camel Club, The American Heart Walk, and The 10th Annual Powhatan Festival of the Grapes.  We also managed to seal our own driveway....totally learned something new :)

Note to self...learn how to make one of these!

Whew I'm kinda tired just thinking back on it.  I just might go get some coffee right now and relax.....SIKE!  Hope the weekend treated you right too....

The Great October Adventure III

In years past our family has dedicated some special time to get together and go on The Great October Adventure. OEventually our adventures somehow spilt over into the other months of the year but October still holds a special place in our hearts.  This year we knew we wanted a place with great views, that didn't involve hours and hours of driving and preferably a place with a winery or two near by.   (Hello!  It's Virginia Wine Month people)  After some discussion we decided on the Charlotsville area!

There are a number of reasons to visit Charlotsville but since this was an adventure we wanted something that got us outside and free to roam around.  Carter Mountain Orchard was our pick for the day.  I did a little research on the orchard and Saturday morning my parents, the kids, Mark and myself set off on the 3rd Great October Adventure.  Less than two hours from the house and right off of I-64 at exit 121, Carter Mountain is not hard to find.

Word of advise....get here EARLY if you are going this time of year.  Usually the 2th and 3rd weekend of October are prime times for the leaves (not this year sadly) so hotels book up fast, wineries get swamped and apprently orchards fill to capacity.  There is a mile long road going up the mountain before getting to the orchard.  When we arrived, about 9:45 am, we were able to get a parking spot without too much effort....but when we left, around noon, there were cars all the way down that mile long road!  

 There are apples already picked, apples for you to pick, pumpkins to buy, hay rides to ride (for $3), apple cider donuts to eat, wine shops to browse and a backery to shop in. 



I asked for smiles here......





And silly faces here.....I don't really see a difference.  LOL.



More advise....try the donuts!  Even if you try just one....they are AWESOME!  We got a dozen....they disappeared fast!



Can anyone tell me what these are...I have no clue



One of those great views





Yo dad...what are you looking at?

We tried the donuts, picked our own apples, went on the hey ride and got lots of good old country fresh air.  We enjoyed the visit.  I do think next time I will go when it's NOT supposed to be peak leaf turning time.  Far too many people for me!  If you want to read about past October Adventures you can do so here and here.