Mountains, Cannons, and Stitches

We've had another eventful past few weeks as we try to cram things in before the weather gets cold.  Well, cold for North Carolina, of course.  Fall in NC is breathtaking.  Everyone talks about going to the mountains when the colors change and we couldn't resist!  We finally snagged Mitch and Maile for something other than a game night and drove part of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I decided to post most those pictures on Facebook, but here's one:

After last year's Trunk or Treat I thought it would be fun for Ryan and I to show up on his motorcycle as bikers.  Somehow, even with a year of planning I still ran out of time to pull the outfits together as I had envisioned in my head.  Then, it was cold and rainy so we didn't go to the Trunk or Treat... but we did have a Halloween party with some other couples in the ward.  Unfortunately, I only took a picture of us.  And yes, though blonde and difficult to see, Ryan has a fu-man-chu.

On Halloween night we took advantage of another area tradition and went to Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill.  It is right in the heart of UNC (like O Street in Lincoln).  In 2007 they had over 80,000 guests and have been toning it down to around 35,000.  BUT, it's still 35,000 people!!  The weather was still crap, but it was fun walking around and seeing clever costumes such as Scrabble, Bananagrams, and Lego-Man.

Because we live in the South, I've wanted to go to a Civil War reenactment. When I found one only two hours away rather than four hours, I jumped on the opportunity and brought along some new friends - Maegan and Landon.  It was at Fort Branch, NC and honestly I have no idea what actually happened here.  But I watched the North and South battle it out in a field!  The other attendees were just as much a sight to see.  We saw a lot of camouflage, Carhart jackets, and thick facial hair to go along with thick southern accents.  We also heard people talking about the Ku-Klux-Klan, real cowboys from Tennessee and Yankees.  What an adventure!!

Oh, and our poor boy got his manhood taken away on Monday.  Luckily he was right back to normal!  Unfortunately, he's not allowed to be normal.  We're not supposed to let him run or jump and play like a puppy normally does.  But honestly, there's no way to stop him.  We're also supposed to put a cone on him, but we can't bare to do it!  We tried last night, but when he was running into walls and the bed and everything else, he was so disoriented and frustrated that we just had to take it off.

I'm amazed at how quickly I got attached to this little guy and he really became a part of our family!  I was such a worrying mother as I held him while he got vaccines last week and when I dropped him off for his surgery.  We hate to leave him and get so excited to see him every time we come home.  With how excited he gets to see us, how can we ever be sad?