September! All the rain... ALL.The.Rain.

September was a "getting into the groove" month for us. Damion was well into school, (and the work, tests, papers, and studying!) and we were both learning to adjust to the schedule. He works full time, of course, and going to school 4 nights a week sure gets laborsome for him, but he's handling it so well! Our time at home together in the evenings has decreased, but we try to make up for it on his days off, especially when those coincide with weekend days when he doesn't have school! Yay! I've also snuck away from the house a couple of times to bring him lunch during the day. :o)

(a long day of grass cutting, with a quick break to have lunch with me!)

One day, we decided that our day off from obligations would lead to trying another yummy place for lunch. Cotten's Famous Hamburgers! Oh.My.Word. I still think about that burger and their fries! We grabbed our food and headed down to the park by the lake to sit outside and enjoy each other, the yummies, and the pretty day - leaving our phones in his truck. That was pretty liberating! There are some great little round picnic tables, and since it was in the middle of the week, it was pretty quiet out there. It's something we want to do again since it's feeling so much nicer outside these days. (I grabbed this photo once we were back to the truck.)

(that's the I-10 bridge that goes over the lake)

We also got some delicious treats in the mail from my friend, Amie! She's awesome! We met through Twitter several years ago and have just stayed in touch sporadically through the years. But now, she's an essential oil freak like me, so we get to talk much more often! ;o) She was a GEM and sent us some famous original homemade whoopie pies from Maine! Oh man, those things are so good!

(mmm... delicious!)

Since we got a break from the rain and the heat, we spent one afternoon working out in our yard a little bit. Grass cutting, trimming rose bushes, sweeping walkways, etc. It was a really pretty day! We have a total of 11 huge oak trees in our yard, and I love thinking about the history of this home and how they've grown over the years to tower over this place were so many of his family have lived.

(such a pretty day outside!)

Part of that side of the family includes Damion's cousin, Sheila. Her mom and his grandma are sisters. She lives about 20 minutes away, and she invited me to a Saturday women's event at a local church where she has friends that attend. It was for the Beth Moore simulcast of the Living Proof Live Ministries event in Kansas City. I've been to lots of women's conferences like that, but never one on screen. (I did do if:Gathering by myself in our apartment in Houston this past February, which was amazing, but being with a big group of women who love Jesus makes it better!) I really enjoyed it! I've done several Beth Moore bible studies with other women through the years, but haven't really followed her for a while. I think we do have a few different ideas about some things, but I was definitely encouraged and blessed by her speaking! The main idea was to live a life of audacity - one that is bold, fearless, seeking the face of God, and knowing that He can and WILL do big things! I've gone back over the notes from that day a couple of times, and I'm always encouraged. Thanks, Sheila for letting me tag along with you! (here's the only photo I ended up taking that day .. at the very end of the day, the bulb went out on the main projector, so we had to turn around in the church pews to finish up on the back of the church wall. :o))

And speaking of family... At the end of the month, my Aunt decided to make another quick trip down to Louisiana to visit her daughter and family, so I headed up to see everyone, too! We haven't gotten to go as much as I would have liked during their time living this close to me, but I sure am thankful for the visits we have had! Especially since now they include this squishy.faced.beauty. She's so cute! Ah, I can't stand it!!! The next night, we all went out for dinner at yummy Steamboat Bill's. I love their stuffed shrimp.

 

(such a sweet, smiley girl! i love her little laugh!)

 

(a quick family photo when we were waiting on our food; and Aunt Lora with the gator!)

(that girl loves her Nana!)

This month with my oils, my friends and I hosted a smaller online class. We focused on preparing for winter months and getting ourselves ready for the yucky sicknesses that usually accompany the chilly months, making sure we stock up on great oils for help before they run out during the busy season. I also finally ordered some labels for my oil bottles, and really love how pretty it made them! So much easier to find what I need, too! :o)

(all the pretties!)

The last few days of September had us preparing for a quick trip to the mountains in Tennessee to see my family, which we've just returned from. More on that in the next post, though!