The Arrival of Fall

Fall has now officially arrived in Georgia. The leaves are changing color, and several of them have already fallen. The temps have cooled down, but this week they have been cooler than usual.

For the past few days, Georgia has been undergoing some strong winds (thanks to Hurricane Sandy). This has made it very cold outside, and it is making our trees shake like crazy. Even though we have been getting a ton of dead branches on the roof and all over the yard, we thankfully have not had any other damage. We are grateful for this, especially as yesterday we learned that there was a young boy in the Atlanta area who got hit by a fallen tree and is currently at the hospital in not-so-good shape.

While the winds have been gusting around us, we (and by that I mean largely Dad, Mom, and Seth though Mandy and I have helped when we could) have been busy on a major house project. It is not finished yet and likely will not be until the end of the week, but I have been taking pictures and do plan on posting them when it is all said and done. Want a clue to the big project? New floors and paint :D

Otherwise, nothing much else has been going on. We had a church dance a few weekends ago, but, because my computer is as good as dead and Mom's is on its way to the grave, I have not been able to make any compilation videos of either that dance or the one we had over the summer. Ever since late September, we have been busy each weekend with church gatherings, get-togethers with friends or family, or even short trips. Dad is continuing with work, Mom continues with making cheesecakes for either various church events or for friends and teaching her students, Seth is still working on getting his certification and doing some work around the house, and I am still doing house work and looking for something better to keep me busy. College is looking less like a viable option due to decreased financial aid and increased tuition and fees, but recently I may have had a door elsewhere open. Mandy has also been busy with work, her times with friends, and, of course, Ben. The two are still courting, and they make an adorable couple; last weekend, they went out with two friends (who are also courting) and took some pictures, one of which is Mandy's profile picture on facebook. Today, Mandy also has a chance to use her mad cello skills; she and a few friends from church are performing background music for a benefit dinner in Atlanta. Even though she is still nervous about performing in front of people, it has been encouraging over the past year to see Mandy be able to use her musical talents for wedding reception music, an eagle scout ceremony, and other events.

That is just about it. I will try to post pictures of the house after we finish our big project.