Spooky season kick off

We continued our journey through October with more fall adventures this week.  The week started with unseasonably warm weather and beautiful fall colors.  I was happy to still be able to be out in shorts and my Teva sandals!  That would come to an end later in the week.

We stayed closer to home on Monday with a trip to Frances Park.

We especially enjoyed our walk along Moore's River Drive and the Grand River.  The crew team was out on the water practicing and lots of people were out enjoying the gorgeous day.

After our walk along the river, we headed back into Frances Park to finish our walk.

I reallt enjoy the colors here every October.  It is the best time to visit Frances Park in my opinion. 

After a busy day of work, I was really ready to get the girls out for our evening walk on Tuesday.  With sunsets now happening before 7pm, we have been leaving the house immediately after work to maximize our time.

I made the decision to get in the car for a trip to campus for our walk, but as we drove along Mt. Hope, I made a last minute change of plans, deciding to park at Evergreen Cemetery to.get out on the South Lansing Pathway instead.

I was not disappointed with this decision.  With the nice weather, there were more bikers than I am used to seeing here, but we still enjoyed this part of the trail and all of it's beautiful trees.

We walked as far as the Bear Lake Pathway before turning around to head back to the car.  

We did a quick loop around the cemetery because the trees were beautiful there and I'm trying to make sure we are walking around 3 miles daily. 

 

The three mile walks are not difficult for us, but they are getting a little slower with Peaches' age. Our first mile now averages about 25 minutes because she needs to sniff, potty, and wander a bit more. Thankfully the second mile of our walk tends to move a little faster, but a 3 mile walk usually takes us about an hour and 10 minutes. Not the speed we've been used to over the years, but we're just happy to still be moving and getting outside together.

 

After our short loop in the cemetery, it is was back into the car for the drive home.

Wednesday morning, I had to make a trip to Livonia for work.  It was supposed to be a quick trip to ensure the room was set-up for a meeting we were holding that afternoon.  Since I thought I was going to be there less than two hours, I decided to bring the girls along for the ride with the plan of taking my lunch and getting them out for a walk on the drive home.

I ended up staying longer than I had originally planned, but that wasn't a big deal because when I checked on the girls, they were comfy, cozy, and sound asleep.  Then, as I was leaving, I ran into one of my team members who was just arriving, and she convinced me to stay for the dinner we had planned for the evening.  

I'm so lucky that the girls travel so well and are completely comfortable hanging out in the car, but I knew that I needed to get them out for a potty break and to stretch their legs.  So we headed out for an afternoon walk around the mall next to the hotel and got in a nice 2 1/4 mile walk.  When we got back to the car, I gave them a nice big drink of cold water and headed back inside to finish some work before dinner.  They had dinner in the car before my dinner. The girls had dinner in the car and then settled in for a nap while I had dinner.

My quick trip had turned into a full day away from home, but I'm glad I got to spend some quality time with this amazing group of people. 

I treated myself to lunch from the taco truck on Thursday,  and Peaches joined me for the drive to pick up my food.  

Then, after I ate, I got the girls out for a lunchtime walk around the neighborhood.  The forecast called for rain later in the day, and I wanted to make sure we got in a good walk before the rain arrived.  This led to a very quiet afternoon. 

Rain moved through the area late in the afternoon,  and then there was a small break in the rain shortly after 5pm, so we headed out for a quick visit to the South Lansing Farmer's market. 

We started with a trip into Feeder's before walking around the Farmer's Market and making a couple of small purchases.  Then the rain started again, and we headed home for the night.

Friday arrived and I was looking forward to all of the fun we had planned for our weekend.

I finished my work day early to attend our favorite Halloween event of the year- Preuss Pets Howloween trick or treating for dogs.   There was rain in the forecast, but other than a few sprinkles,  we had nearly perfect fall weather for this event.

The girls loved trick-or-treating through Old Town and I enjoyed seeing just how much they were enjoying themselves. 

We got to see friends, enjoyed a nice walk, and came away with so many goodies!  We had the best time!  

On the way home, we made a quick stop for a walk at Fenner Nature Center.  It was the perfect start to our weekend. 

Saturday afternoon we took part in a fun Doggy Trunk or Treat event put on by Paw City Pets.

It was officially a Bark and Brew event which was held at Sanctuary Spirits in Grand Ledge.  

In addition to the Trunk or Treat, there was a fun paw painting activity, bobbing for apples, pup cups, and then some time on the patio to enjoy lunch and a drink.

The weather was beautiful to sit on the patio and just enjoy the day. Such a fun event!

After the event, I wanted to get the girls out for a walk.  But first, I decided to take a drive to enjoy some of the beauty of Fall.

There was some beautiful color along our drive through the farm lands and I savored all of the amazing views. 

Finally we arrived in Marshall for our walk around town to enjoy Skeletonfest.  This is a favorite spooky seaon stop for us every year.

We enjoyed seeing all of the skeletons and even got a little silly trying to get a picture together. 

There are so many clever skeleton decorations!

By the time we finsihed our walk, the sun had set so we walked down the street to check out the Holiday House. 

I think she out did herself this year with several new additions.  Such a cool place to visit every holiday, but I think Halloween is my favorite.

After we made the drive home from Marshall, I looked through all of the goodies the girls had gotten from Howloween and the Trunk or Treat.  I think they made out pretty well!

After a busy couple of days, we were happy to spend most of our Sunday at home. 

After a quiet morning, we got out for a mid-day walk, and I decided to check out a new random neighborhood.  We walked along thr Grand River and even found a couple of new parks.

I was surprised to see this monument that I had never seen before and had no idea even existed.  What a cool piece of  Lansing Automotive history. 

After our walk, we ran a few quick errands, ate lunch, and then spent the rest of the day quietly at home.  It was the perfect end to our beautiful fall weekend.  

We have more spooky season fun in the coming week and I'm looking forward to all of it.  We will make the most of every minute before the long dark days of November arrive.