As seems to be my “norm” these days I have mentally blogged a lot of things in the last couple of weeks & then they never make it to the blog ‘for real.’ As autumn has kicked into full swing around here, it’s easy to keep looking ahead to what’s next between now and the end of the year. As I have apples simmering down to apple butter this morning, it’s time to take a few moments to look back on some highlights from my busy September.

The third weekend of the month meant a trip “home” to Kansas to celebrate the wedding of Ryan & Kristy. Rebecca & I met up at the Wichita airport on Friday morning and before we headed up to Kristy’s hometown we made a few Wichita detours. First up was a chance to meet a longtime blog friend, Laura. We met up at Twist and then enjoyed a delightful lunch at a cafe down the street. It was a wonderful time “catching up” with a friend!

After saying goodbye to Laura & Lila Pearl, we headed to the river front and the Keeper of the Plains. The Artisan family moved away from Wichita when we were both very young – Rebecca was too young to have memories of our time there and one of my memories is this statue.

The rest of the weekend was spent celebrating Ryan & Kristy. Friday evening was the rehearsal at the arboretum and the evening ended with a bit of a bachelorette celebration. On Saturday morning everyone was up & at it early as we headed back to the arboretum to continue setting up for the ceremony & reception. After a quick trip back to the hotel to get “gussied up” we were all back on site for the festivities to begin. Rebecca & I were the wedding day coordinators so we were able to enjoy many “behind the scenes” moments in addition to attending a beautiful ceremony & reception. As is the case with all weddings, once the ceremony started the evening seemed to speed by and before long we were gathered outside with sparklers as Ryan & Kristy left in a vintage car to begin their new life together. It was a bit of a whirlwind of a weekend; however, Rebecca & I had fun being “home” in Kansas and celebrating such a wonderful day with our Kansas sister!

The last weekend in September was our third annual Picture Perfect weekend of scrapbooking & more over in Michigan City. It was a beautiful fall weekend filled with crafting, friends and fun. Instead of traditional scrapbooking, I started to dip my toes into digital scrapbooking and also made a lot of cards (for a great cause to be highlighted in a future post). In addition to the craft time at the house, several of us enjoyed a few fun excursions – the farmer’s market on Saturday morning and a trip to my favorite winery on Saturday afternoon. We once again toasted Saturday’s sunset on the dunes – just breathtaking!

What fun ways to spend time with friends and family!