Good bye Summer, Hello Fall

 

Last week we officially said good bye to summer and welcomed fall! It never really feels like fall around here for the first couple of weeks because the weather is still so warm, which I will never complain about!

We did close our pool earlier than normal this year.

 We usually have it opened through the entire month of September, but there has been a leak somewhere in the liner that has been undetected, even though we've had repair men out to check it several times. Instead of constantly putting more water in it, we shut it down. I have since purchased a new liner and it will be installed in the Spring.

I am not sad to welcome fall because I feel like my summer was very fulfilling and I'm ready to see what this last part of the year has to offer.  But first, let us give thanks for the wonderful summer we had. Here are some of the highlights! 

The most AMAZING thing I did this summer was taking a trip to the Haven, Big Cat Bungalows! 

My husband took me here for my birthday.  Our  bungalow overlooked a yard with 4 lions. We had large picture windows ( and a window in the shower) so we could watch them interact all day and night! 

I did a blog post on this experience, but I wish I would have shared more about it on my Instagram because it was so cool. You can read all about our experience and see more about the resort HERE.

We of course visited Disney which we always enjoy and had a few new experiences there which we will share in the upcoming weeks.

We also sailed on our second Disney cruise!  Our first cruise was on the Disney Wish and this one was on the Disney Magic!  More posts on that to follow as well.

I soaked in all the time I could with my sweet girls and my family.

                              We did some boating. The girls always like going out on the boat.

My grandpappy enjoys going on the boat too. We took him out for a fireworks cruise.

My family had a family reunion this summer and it was nice to connect with family from out of state.

Some of us went on a hike and  were surprised to see there were bear tracks on the trail we were on! 

                                                       We did some fishing with our dad.

                                       I spent some time at an amusement park with my Pappy. 

                                    And then at 92 years old, I treated him to his first Frozen Coke! 

I painted some trim in my house, which felt like such an accomplishment.  The girls sat on the couch while I painted and literally watched the paint dry! Sybie also had two vet appointments with two different specialists this summer and both appointments went well. I was very happy about that and this contributed to me having a great summer! 

I went to a wedding weekend in Pittsburgh. Sorry, no photos.

                                    We saw my Pap be the saluting veteran at a local parade.

I also saw my sister win first place in her age group ( and 2nd female overall) at a 5k race.

My sister, our aunt, and I went to Sight and Sound to see the story of Noah! This was an amazing show! They had live animals walk down the isles and make their way on to the ark. Even the animatronic animals looked real.

Oh, and I  finished The Summer I Turned Pretty series.  Last year I had read all the books, so I was waiting for this third season to premiere on Prime. It did not disappoint.  I felt seasons 1 and 2 were pretty accurate to the book, but there were some parts of season 3 where the book was better. 

My sister and I are so thankful for the fun and family time we were able to have this summer.  I am hopeful that we continue to make more memories with our family as we go into the fall and the rest of the year. 

Till next time M & L