10/12.
Outside of, yunno, getting married (more on that later!) and my Havasupai trip, October was full of incredible moments.
Ryan and I took Krissy to her first NFL game! If you know me (I hope you do at this point), I’m a huge Detroit Lions fan. I saw them at State Farm Stadium last time they played the Cardinals, and Ryan got us all tickets to see them again this year for my birthday. It was an awesome game. Aside from Detroit taking home the win, it was also really fun to watch Ryan explain football to Krissy.
Which, speaking of my birthday… I turned 37 last month. It was a pretty great day. Ryan got me flowers, Krissy gifted me a necklace, and I packed up to leave for my backpacking trip on the Havasupai reservation.
I started volunteering at our local animal shelter. As part of her exchange program, Krissy is required to spend 30 hours volunteering for local organizations. She was interested in volunteering at the animal shelter, so the two of us attended orientation together earlier in the month.
Earlier in the month, some of my friends from the old studio and I went out for a girls night at Monte V. Despite the fact that I, for some reason, thought tequila shots were a good idea — and definitely felt the effects of that the next day — it was a decent night.
Ryan and I braved a rainy fall Friday under the lights to watch the Flagstaff High School vs. Coconino High School rivalry game. We took Krissy to the game so she could spend time with her friends, and we stuck around to watch the game from the stands with hot cocoa and blankets. I think this is the first time I’ve been to a high school football game since, well… high school.
We dogsat earlier in the month for our friend Alphie. She and Ochi got along really well, and Och enjoyed having a friend to play with during the day.
I was able to take my Peace Corps bestie Danae down to Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona for a day while she was in town for our wedding! Sh’s also an outdoors girlie, and it was fun to show her my home.
My second Peace Corps host mom, Natasha, gifted me a beautiful present for my bachelorette party/ wedding. She makes wedding decor and accessories as a full-time job, and she was thrilled to gift me a few garters to choose from for my wedding day, in addition to a few other adorable gifts. Seeing the package postmarked from Khmelnytskyi definitely gave me all the feels and made me tear up quite a bit.
Ryan and I had a little day date down in Sedona. We wandered around Uptown Sedona on our way down to Phoenix, and played tourists for a few hours.
I snuck away from wedding planning responsibilities long enough to treat myself to a solo beer at Wanderlust Brewing, which was much needed while entertaining family, friends and wedding guests that were all in town.
Three cheers for early voting (while we have it). Ryan and I both voted using our mailed ballots and the downtown drop box.
Krissy made us all syrniki for breakfast on Halloween. Syrniki is my absolute favorite Ukrainian food and (of course) Krissy’s were absolutely delicious. We had them with huckleberry jam, cherry syrup and sour cream. Смачного!
I upgraded my backpacking sleeping pad from my trusty Klymit Static V to a Nemo Tensor. I still love my Static V for warm summer trips (and it exceeded my expectations as a great introductory, budget-friendly sleeping pad for beginners), but I think the increased R-value on my new Tensor will be much welcomed during our fall and winter trips.
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