Cause for celebration

This picture was taken late afternoon, from our bedroom window.  More fall loveliness than my eye can hold.

Yesterday morning, like every morning, I walked out of my bedroom and looked out the windows towards the valley and was amazed by the beauty.  October.  The weather is perfect.  Anytime I remember to look out the windows and soak in the landscape and consider the blessing it is to be able to see such a sight every single morning, I know it will be a good day.

Then we signed over our old house.  It is bittersweet because it's our house!  But now it isn't.  It's also a huge relief.  Two mortgages don't do anyone any good.  It felt wonderful to be able to check that off our list.

When Braeden got home, he did his homework outside on the trampoline in the glorious afternoon.  Who needs a desk?

Last night Emma had a choir concert at school.  Wowzers.  There are a lot of talented choir kids at that school!  There were five choirs--three audition choirs--and each choir had at least 40 people in it and the biggest one had over 100.  Emma is in the lowest audition choir and they sounded great.

In this picture one of Braeden's friends, Andrea, is conducting the choir.  She's a senior and is the intern for the Advanced Women's Choir because she wants to be a choir teacher someday.  How great is that?

Here's Emma after the concert.  Notice the expertly hemmed dress.  No don't.  I didn't do that great of a job on it.  Luckily I'm not a perfectionist and it isn't that noticeable.  Also, why didn't we turn on some lights before snapping the picture? 

Clarissa was with us for the concert and joined us for some celebratory pumpkin cake that evening.  It was that sort of day.

Pretty great.