October-Part 3

Finally time to wrap up October and get ready for November.

Mid October was time for the annual Optimist Golf Scramble. Every year Mike and I somehow psych ourselves up that we have a chance to win, or at a minimum be competitive. Of course when its over, we always remind ourselves that we aren't very good at golf and should remember that fact next year. This year's winner shot 20 under par. Not bad for a few people that played on the Nationwide Tour. Mom, Dad, Casey, and Jeff also fielded a team this year. I think they had a great time, with Casey and Mom carrying the team most of the way...they might want to drop Dad and Jeff and pick up Janet and Steph next year!

The following week Steph finally had her Grand Opening for Fidelity. It was a few months after her office actually opened, but it was very well put together. For those of you that have visited, it was held in Franklin (The Factory). The big headline of the event was that Emerson Drive played a short set and did a meet and greet. We got to talk with them before the show. They were all really nice and very down to earth. Steph had a lot of interaction with her clients and I think it was a great event for her branch to get started on the right foot. It was interesting to see some of the people that live in all those big houses down here...surprisingly most of them look like us, with the exception of the $1,000,000 house that they have.

For me, the best thing that happened this month was our Family Reunion for the Brown's. We had finally put the finishing touches on the "Farm" and Momzes felt comfortable enough to have the family over. You know how Grandmas can be, nothing is ever clean enough for company to come over, but we finally talked her in to it. The turnout was amazing! Over 100 family members came out of the wood work! Unfortunately it seemed like each person brought something to eat. Boy, there so much food to eat! We had to have a trailer to hold it all, and this being a Brown Family reunion, most of that food disappeared!

I want to thank Momzes and Papa for deciding to repair the farm. They have invested a lot of time and money to make sure it remains standing for hopefully another 100 years. Of course, Jeff and I did a lot of work on it, so maybe like 10 more years and we will re-evaluate. But seriously, without them none of this would have been possible. I today's rapid pace, it was nice to sit outside on the porch and hear stories about how Momzes had to walk uphill both ways to school in the snow, and how Papa killed a bear with his loose-leaf notebook. Family members are investigating both stories for accuracy, but you get the idea. It was a great time and I look forward to the Reunion for many more years.

The end of October found us making a trip to the lake, carving a pumpkin, Parents visiting and stupid Steeler fans.

We made a quick trip to the lake and got to visit with Steph's parents and the Vicarels. I was hoping to land some big fish, but I had to settle for just one. As always, we had a great time. Larry fixed a great dinner Saturday night, while Carol and Janet got the bonfire started. Steph made S'mores. Steve and I relaxed and enjoyed it all. Steph and I can't thank the Vicarels and Jackups enough. It made our move to Tennessee a little easier knowing that we can jump in the truck and see friends and family in about 2 hours, not to mention fish, ski and relax at the lake!

Steph wanted to make sure we carved a pumpkin for our first Halloween in the new house. So the night before, Steph designed it and I carved it and set it outside. She was excited to see all of the kids in their costumes. A quick trip to Costco and we were stocked up with candy and ready for the little monsters. The next night (Halloween), a grand total of 8 kids came to the door. A little bit of a downer, but on the upside more candy for us!

Steeler's Fans...hate em. Hate is such a strong word...but sometimes appropriate. We went to the local bar for lunch so we could watch the Bungals game. We sit down, order, grab a beer and then it happens. Right here in Nashville. To this bar. In walk 2 people with their Steeler uniforms. Of course they decided to sit right next to us to watch the game. I know the Bungals are terrible, but sitting next to these 2 made it that much worse. Even when the Steelers were dominating, these 2 felt it necessary to complain about the Refs, chest bump in public, and talk about how great it was to be a Steelers fan. We lost our appetite, finished what we could and headed for home. Just goes to show you not everyone in Nashville is normal, their are still some crazy's down here that are "Steeler Brainwashed".

Well that's it for October. Thanks to those of you that made it to the end of this!

November is coming up soon. Things to look forward to: Jason's parents visit, Steph's girlfriends come to visit, a trip home for the Bungals, Steph's family visits for Thanksgiving and much more!