Eleven years have come and gone faster than I could have imagined. It seems like just yesterday we were waking up to our first day as a married couple. Like any marriage, there have been a few ups and downs and bumps in the road here and there, but overall I think we both know we have a wonderful relationship, a great friendship, and these things have kept us happy (and together!) for the past 11 years.

Enough with the mushy stuff! You want to know what's been happening lately! Well, obviously we just celebrated our anniversary. As usual, we took the day off of work. Laura went to day care, and we hit the road for a day in Herrmann, Missouri. After too much breakfast at IHOP, we headed South to Jefferson City to take the scenic route (Missouri Highway 100) to Herrmann on the South side of the river. Unfortunately we discovered that 100 was totally closed down for repairs to the railroad crossing approaching Chamois, Missouri. We didn't really have enough gas at the time to get back to Linn and go all the way around, so thankfully one of the workers gave us directions to a gravel county road to get around. We couldn't go more than about 20 on the road since it was one lane the whole way, hilly, winding, and gravel. It added about half an hour or so to the trip, but it was worth the dirt on the car because it was beautiful. Central Missouri is just barely past peak fall color for the year. With the dry summer I was expecting nothing but brown but it turned out to be really pretty.

Once we finally got to Herrmann, we visited a few wineries (Adam Puchta, Stone Hill and Hermannhoff) for some leisurely tastings, as well as relaxing outdoors to enjoy a bottle or two. At the end of the day, we came home, picked up Laura, and proceeded to get ready for a night out. John and Mindy were kind enough to sit for Laura after she was in bed, and we went out for a nice dinner and a few drinks. Unfortunately the place we went for drinks has live jazz on Saturday evenings, and not on Fridays, so that part of the plan fell apart. But it was a nice romantic evening nonetheless.

Of course, our anniversary is on November 2nd, and I skipped right over Halloween! This being the first Halloween Laura was able to trick-or-treat on (well, sort of - she had a LOT of help from Daddy!) it was kind of a big deal. She dressed up as the cutest dragon anywhere, and we went out to pillage the neighborhood for sweets. Or at least knock on a few nearby doors of neighbors we know. First we went to visit B and Rachel, and Laura showed off her skills at taking candy from the bowl and putting it in her bag. Then across the street to Jordan and Kasey (congratulations on the baby!) followed by a few houses on the way home. On the way to the 5th and final house, Laura was worn out and decided to lay her head down on my shoulder and relax. She didn't even stand up at the last house - she sat on my leg instead! I guess being a dragon can take a lot out of you at that age!

After Laura went to bed, B and Rachel sat while we went to Otto's to help Julie and Christian Els celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. They always have a costume party for their anniversary (Julie wanted to get married on Halloween so she would have an excuse to get dressed up every year) and this year they dressed as bride and groom. They also took the opportunity to renew their wedding vows in a touching but fun ceremony officiated by their friend Dave, who was dressed as Friar Tuck.

One final bit of news, and this is sad news. Please keep Rachel and her family in your prayers, as her father passed away the week before Halloween. She's doing OK, but she still needs support (even if she doesn't think so - hear that, Rachel?) so knowing her family is in people's prayers will help.