Halloween Plans, Family Time, and a Quiet Weekend

This past week was pretty regular, which was probably a good thing because the next one is going to involve quite a bit of travel.

We spent most of the week around Peachtree City, had a nice dinner with family, started getting ready for Halloween, and had a fairly relaxed weekend at home.

There were still a few unexpected moments mixed in, including an elevator problem, Luna deciding to jump into the lake, and the possibility that Holly and I may eventually show up somewhere in matching outfits.

Considering the Matching Outfit Trend

I have been getting advertisements lately showing husbands and wives wearing matching or coordinated outfits.

I have never really been a big fan of that idea.

Still, I have to admit that some of the outfits actually looked pretty good.

I am not saying Holly and I are about to start dressing alike every day, but I could see doing something like that for a party or special event.

We will see how far that idea actually gets.

Sometimes the advertisements work just well enough to make you reconsider something you previously thought you would never do.

Dinner With My Brother and His Wife

On Wednesday night, Holly and I went out to dinner with my brother and his wife.

We went to Curious Kitchen and Bar in Newnan and did a chef’s table experience.

It was one of those dinners where the chef creates the menu, and you get to experience whatever they decide to prepare.

They also incorporated a wine tasting, which made it a little different from a normal dinner out.

We had a really good time.

Sometimes it is nice to go somewhere where you do not have to spend 20 minutes deciding what everyone wants to order. You simply sit down and see what comes next.

More importantly, we got to spend some time with my brother and his wife, which made the evening even better.

Finally Finding Pappy Van Winkle

As we were leaving the restaurant, I noticed they had Pappy Van Winkle.

For anyone who follows bourbon or whiskey, you have probably heard of it.

It is one of those bottles that gets talked about a lot, but it is not always easy to find somewhere that will actually sell you a single pour.

I have wanted to try it for quite a while.

We did not order any that night because we had already been doing the wine tasting with dinner, but I may go back sometime in the next couple of weeks just to try it.

At this point, I am mostly curious whether it lives up to the reputation.

A Regular Week at the Office

The rest of the workweek was fairly normal.

I spent time in the Peachtree City office, talked with our attorneys, worked through some business issues, and did a little business coaching and studying.

It also looks like we are getting close to finishing some of the recruiting we have been doing for our North Carolina office.

That is always a good feeling.

Hiring can take a lot of time because you are not just trying to fill a position. You are trying to find someone who is going to be a good fit for the team and the work.

Hopefully, we are getting close to wrapping that process up.

Halloween Preparation Has Officially Started

Halloween is getting closer, which means our house is starting to shift into preparation mode.

If you have followed these updates for a while, you know Halloween is a big deal for us.

We decorate quite a bit, and every year we build a maze.

Holly has already started collecting the boxes we use for it and getting everything organized.

We were also beginning to pull decorations and storage tubs out of the basement.

That is when we discovered the elevator was not working.

Of course, the timing could not have been much worse.

When the Elevator Stops Working

We called to have the elevator repaired, but apparently it is not going to be an immediate fix.

They need to get parts and handle a few other things before they can get it working again.

In the meantime, that means carrying Halloween tubs up and down the stairs.

That is not exactly my favorite part of decorating.

One of the reasons you appreciate having an elevator is because you quickly remember what life is like without it once it stops working.

Hopefully, it will be fixed before too much more of the decorating has to happen.

Either way, the maze is coming together, and I am sure there will be plenty of pictures once we get closer to Halloween.

A Short Trip to Charlie’s Collectibles

On Saturday, Holly and I went up to Charlie’s Collectibles in Atlanta.

We did not stay very long because Holly was not feeling great.

Rather than trying to push through the rest of the day, we headed back home and spent most of the weekend relaxing.

Sometimes the best decision is simply to cancel the rest of the plans and take it easy.

That ended up being most of our weekend.

Watching Something a Little Lighter

One of the shows Holly has been watching recently is Ghosts.

It is a light comedy about a woman who can see ghosts while living in a bed and breakfast.

We have been watching some of that at home.

Sometimes it is nice to have a show that does not require a lot of emotional energy.

There are plenty of serious shows out there, but every once in a while you just want something funny and easy to watch.

That fit the mood of the weekend pretty well.

Does Luna Need a Friend?

Holly and I have also started talking about whether Luna might need a buddy.

We are considering getting another dog so she has someone to play with and keep her company.

We have not decided exactly what would be the right fit yet.

Adding another dog is obviously a pretty big decision, so we are trying to think through what would work best for Luna and for us.

She has certainly gotten used to being the center of attention, so I am curious how she would react to having another dog around the house.

Luna Takes an Unexpected Swim

Luna also created a little excitement of her own this weekend.

I took her down behind the house, and she decided to jump into the lake.

That was not part of the plan.

She did not go very far, and she seemed much less concerned about the situation than I was.

Fortunately, she came right back out.

Of course, that meant she needed a bath afterward.

With the temperatures starting to cool down, it was not exactly the day I would have chosen for an unexpected swim.

Luna, however, seemed perfectly happy with her decision.

A Busy Travel Week Coming Up

I also spent part of Sunday packing because the schedule gets much busier next week.

I will be heading to Charlotte for a couple of days, then coming back home before getting on another plane and traveling to Washington, D.C. for a legal conference.

It will be one of those weeks where it feels like I am constantly packing or unpacking.

I have done quite a bit of travel lately, so I am looking forward to eventually having the schedule slow down.

For now, though, there are still a few more trips to get through.

Final Thoughts

This was a pretty calm week overall, which made it a nice break before another stretch of travel.

Holly and I had a great dinner with my brother and his wife; I may have finally found a place where I can try Pappy Van Winkle, and Halloween preparation is officially underway.

We also dealt with a broken elevator, spent a quiet weekend watching television, and started thinking about whether Luna might eventually get a new friend.

Luna herself seemed more focused on turning an ordinary walk into a swim.

Sometimes a regular week is exactly what you need.

Next week will be much busier, so I was happy to have a few quieter days at home before getting back on the road.

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