Bucket List Check Up Check In

If you're here looking for the Hodgepodge questions you'll find them one post back. 

Just before my mid-September birthday I made a fall-ish bucket list. I gave myself an end date of November 21st so it's time to check in and see what I did and didn't do. 

1. I was a teensy bit ambitious thinking I'd host an actual party in the new space. I forgot we didn't have furniture, but oh well. I did host some of my family for a BBQ-regular burgers as opposed to smashburgers, but there was some Cornhole played so calling it a win. We set up a folding table and made do, and that's fun too. 

2. Decorate for fall. I didn't go all out but there were pumpkins on the porch, fall colors on the mantles, and autumn spice candles burned throughout so yes. Done.

3. Vote. Yep. 

4. Visit a state new to me. We spent a long weekend in Minnesota for a friend's daughter's wedding, which was my first time in the North Star State. We were in Minneapolis and had a great time. Check. 

5. Attend a football game. Sadly no. We wanted to go to a big game and were invited to two different Clemson games by some neighbors, but neither date worked with our travel schedule. We like to get to at least one VOL game each season, but that didn't happen this year either. We watched and sweated and paced and wrung our hands and cheered a lot via the TV, but no in person games this fall. 

6. Make a new fall recipe from a cookbook I own. Question-what constitutes a fall recipe? I'm going to put a checkmark beside this one because I did pull out several cookbooks and ended up making. a recipe I hadn't tried before. 

It's from Amy Hannon's Love, Welcome, Serve: Recipes That Gather And Give cookbook, and I made her chili and brown sugar pork chops with pan gravy. I don't have a picture because it wasn't exactly picture worthy, but hubs and I both agreed it was delicious. This kind of comfort food says fall to me. 

7. Pay for a soldier or veterans meal. I didn't get to do this, but am still on the lookout for the opportunity. I did thank several veterans we encountered as we waited in line to vote, and I try to always do that when I see the hat or jacket on someone. 

8. Shop for outdoor furniture. Yes times ten. We shopped and we bought and we're excited to see it all in place, probably sometime in February. 

9. Leaf peep and lunch in the nearby mountain town. Hubs and I drove up to the nearby mountain town of Highlands NC in late October on a beautiful Friday afternoon. We enjoyed the autumn colors, browsing the shops, and lunch at Wild Thyme Gourmet.  

10. Make a Christmas list and buy at least four gifts. Check. Actually check check because I managed to purchase more than four. 

11. Hike a trail new to me. Hmmm...we did quite a few 'walks' that were new to us when we were in the UK. I wouldn't call them hikes, but we were out in the countryside so I guess it might count? 

We haven't hiked any new to us trails at home. Helene made hiking a bit of a challenge in our area this fall, with many trails blocked or deemed unsafe due to fallen/falling trees and water hazards. We'll get back to it though. 

12. Attend a fall fair. Does Oktoberfest count? I'm going to say yes, because it was a fair, it was fall, and vendors were present. 

13. Memorize a Bible Verse- "The Lord Almighty has sworn, "Surely as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen." Isaiah 14:24 

I wanted a verse to remind me during the contentious election cycle that God knows the end from the beginning. 

14. Sort out the guest room windows. I found what I want but haven't pulled the trigger yet. We've been consumed by the outdoor project this fall and this little project won't be super cheap so it's on hold until the new year. My response whenever hubs says he wants to buy something...anything...could be a new toothbrush or could be a new car is 'we got a waterfall'. 

15. Book a summer beach house. Not yet. My daughter asked me about it recently and we agreed to chat about dates when we're together for Thanksgiving. 

16. S'mores in the firepit. Nope. We intended to do this one weekend then got busy doing other things. We might still make this happen sometime before year's end. 

17. Write ten gratitude cards to people I'm grateful for. Check. I bought a package of Thanksgiving cards and sent them with a handwritten note to ten different friends/family members. It felt good to put into words what they mean to me. 

18. Visit a pumpkin patch. I bought pumpkins from the big bin at the grocery store but we never made it to an actual pumpkin patch. There's always next year. 

This was fun. I managed to complete 11/18 tasks and I'm okay with that. I probably should have revisited the list more often than I did to refresh my memory about what I'd written, and will do that next time. I'm going to make some sort of winter list to start after the calendar flips to the new year. Who's with me? 

linking this post today with Talking About It Tuesdays

You Betcha It's Monday

 Linking with Holly and Sarah for this week's weekend recap -Hello Monday 

We had a fun weekend attending the wedding of the daughter of some of our oldest friends. The bride and groom live in Minnesota, a state I'd never been to before last weekend and it's always fun to go somewhere new. 

We left SC on Thursday morning, then had a ridiculous layover in Charlotte before making our connection on to Minneapolis. So what does one do when they have a three hour layover in the Charlotte airport?

Well they might just buy themself a brand new Brighton watch band. I've been wanting a band for my iWatch that looks less sporty and more like jewelry and I love this one. 

We got to our hotel in Minneapolis around 6 PM. The bride and groom, along with her parents and several friends, were relaxing in the lobby when we arrived so we dumped our bags and joined them. In case you're wondering, I brought my ginormous suitcase because even though it was just a weekend we needed fancy clothes, walking around clothes, shoes, jackets, hubs had a suit plus a sport coat, and all that to say- giant bag for the win! 

We headed to bed before midnight and let me just say right now it does not feel like I gained an hour this weekend. We stayed in the Hilton Canopy situated in the Mill district and it's a very pretty hotel. The design is essentially two towers originally built in 1900 and 1904. It was at one time home to a company that sold farm implements around the midwest, but it's been converted into a hotel that still has a lot of wood, bricks, beams, and detail.  

Friday we had the day free until dinner so hubs and I went on a self-guided walking tour of Minneapolis. Question-do you do the touristy type things in your own city or is it just the tourists who do that? 

There wasn't a live guide. Instead you paid for the tour download on line, then you downloaded an interactive map using a code you're sent via email, then you head to the starting point, which was very near our hotel. We used this company-Viator and the tour was very well done. You could walk as fast or as slow as you wanted, and besides directions the narrator gave lots of fun facts and interesting bits of trivia as you navigated the city. 

Friday was an absolutely beautiful day. Chilly, but bright sunshine and it felt good to walk. We started near the Vikings stadium which coincidentally is built roughly in the shape of a Viking ship. 

We carried on into Gold Medal park, then along beside the river before crossing the bridge over the Mississippi on foot.  

It took us about 2 hours to do the whole thing. When the tour ended we met up with another couple who'd arrived just that morning, to have lunch in a local brewery. We each had a salad and shared some wings which were so good. These had a dill pickle rub and we might try that one at home. 

Fifteen of us went to dinner at Murry's Steakhouse, a Minneapolis institution. The food was fabulous. Hubs and I shared one of their signature dishes called the Silver Butter Knife Steak for two, so named I think because you could literally cut it with a butter knife. 

Also I could have fed a family of six with this steak made for two. 

After dinner we all went back to the hotel for a welcome party hosted  by the bride and groom. The party wrapped up around 10:30 and everyone crashed. We were pooped. 

Saturday the father of the bride along with the bride's brother hosted a breakfast at the hotel and then I talked hubs into taking an uber to see some of the scenes from the old Mary Tyler Moore Show. I know I'm dating myself, but the show was really popular when I was growing up, and I loved it. In the show Mary lived in Minneapolis and there's a statue in her honor downtown.  

"Who can turn the world on with her smile....?" Raise your hand if you're singing the theme song right now. We also went into the mall where you see Mary having lunch in the opening credits. We didn't drive by the house where her super cute apartment was, mostly because we didn't have a car and it was too far to walk. 

Around lunchtime a whole big group of us walked a few blocks over to a local sports bar to watch some college football. 

Our team wasn't playing until later, but we watched some lesser games-ha!, then had lunch before I left to get my hair done. When I attend an out of town wedding I always try to book a hair appointment somewhere nearby so that's done and I can just relax and enjoy getting ready. 

There was a shuttle to get us all to the beautiful wedding venue-Nicollet Island Pavilion, which is situated right beside the river. I'm not posting any wedding pics because I want to let the bride have her moment, but just know she looked lovely and happy and the groom was adorable too. Cheers to the newlyweds! 

We dined and danced and wore silly props while smiling in a photo booth with people we've known since we were 20 years old. We had to be in the hotel lobby at 6 am Sunday morning in order to make our flight, so it was a short night in terms of sleep. 

Really big on fun though! 

So what kind of fun did you have this weekend?