First Day of Fall

My favorite season has arrived!



Highlights so far...

• Irish Breakfast by Harney & Sons
• in my new Jennie the Potter Mug
• representing the Irish with my Shamrock Stitch Marker from Knitifacts
• knitting
• getting ready for tonight's ND vs. Michigan football game by watching last night's pep rally
• the wonderful smell of Dad's Beef Stew is making the house smell delicious

What are your highlights so far?

Happy Autumn!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Dear Mimi

One year ago we said goodbye.  You were finally at peace with Grandma, Cotty, Uncle Frank, and your parents.  I know you had often talked about how you missed them that last year, and I was thankful everyday you stayed here a bit longer to be with us, to make more memories with Little Guy and Lil' Snowboarder, to help me and my sister through the hard times, to be there for my mom.





One year, but it still feels like yesterday sometimes.  You've been missed so much this year, especially when Kate got married.  But we all knew you were there.  You were there is so many ways. Plus, there were a lot of stairs and hills at that gorgeous place, I'm not sure you would have loved that part :)  I miss you during the day when I'm driving between clients to tell you about my day, or to talk about the Giants game last night, or how the 49ers played this weekend.  I try to call mom instead when I miss you.  But I still miss you.  You'd be so proud to know I only drink a diet coke once every few days (I guess those articles you'd cut out of the paper all the time about it finally got to me) and that I'm swimming a lot.  You'd get a kick out of how stinkin' cute Little Guy is and how he can smack a baseball like you wouldn't believe.  Yes, yes, you'd go on and on about my brother teaching him that.  Little Snowboarder is such a good swimmer now!  She'd tell you all about the lake and how my mom swam with her all the way out to the dock.  I missed you a lot during the Olympics too.  Afterall, they were in London this year, a city you loved so dearly.  I know we would have talked about if you had a trip left in you.  We would have planned where we would go, what plays we would see, even though I knew you probably didn't want to make another trip. 



I miss going up to Reno to visit you.  This summer was strange in that when I wanted to just get away for the weekend, I didn't have that place to get away too....your house....where I could relax, knit, go out to dinner with you, and feel at peace. But you helped me find a way this summer....I still found places to go that seemed like the perfect getaway...Capitola, Arnold.  I still missed you.



And tonight, I remember how blessed I was to have you and Grandma and Cotty in my life.  My life is filled with loving memories of you all and I know how much I cherish my family is because of the family you all created for me and Chris and Katie.  And I had you for longer than some people have those special people in their lives.  September 11, 2011, the day you passed away, was the 10 year anniversary of a horrible, tragic day where so many people lost loved ones too soon.  To think, on that day 11 years ago, you and Grandma and Cotty were landing at SFO Airport, to an eerily quiet airport you told us, as the second tower had been struck while you were in the air flying home.



I know you are at peace and watching over us everyday.  I know how loved I was.  I miss you and love you every day.

Love,
Carrie

USA Gymnastics Tour

Last night we went to the USA Gymnastics Tour and had an amazing time seeing all of the Olympians.  The girls were in awe the whole time! 



They had an area where the kids could try different activities, which was nice since we were there early.









Flash photography wasn't allowed, so these aren't the best pictures.  But it was fun to see the gymnasts up close!  Since this was an exhibition, there were a lot of fun group performances (e.g., everyone on a balance beam, multiple athletes on the bars, dance sequences).  We loved watching Gabby on the bars and Aly performing her floor routine too!  A few videos are already up on youtube (here, here, and here) that give you an idea of what it was like (and for Little Snowboarder to click on and remember!).



















It was a perfect evening!

Go for gold!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

9 Things So Far

A list of what my September has consisted of so far....

1. College football has started! I sat glued to the tv Saturday enjoying the games, especially the Notre Dame vs. Navy game.  Go Irish!  Nice to start off the season with a win!!

2. I was sick this weekend.  Figures that I have a holiday weekend and I'm exhausted and sick.  Oh well.  At least I was able to stay on the couch or in bed and get better.  Saturday I think I went through an entire box of kleenex.  My nose and throat were just awful.  But, I think I kicked whatever I had, just in time to go to work tomorrow.



3. Tea.  Thank goodness for tea this weekend to soothe my throat.  My favorites included this one
 and this one.

4. Anticipation.  Fall is just around the corner.  My absolute favorite season! I love everything about it...the slight chill in the air, the color of the leaves, football weekends, pumpkin bread, fall tv is back....

5.  I finished reading Gone Girl
 this weekend. Great book that I just couldn't put down once I got into it.  A psychological thriller with two seriously messed up characters.  I still can't believe that my sister read this book just a few weeks before her wedding, considering it is about a married couple.  Have any of you read it? What did you think? I'm kind of on the fence about my next read....any suggestions?

6.  I went through my stash and tidied it up a bit.  Which really means, gathered up a bag of yarns to destash.  I've tried a new strategy this year.  I've kept yarn that I bought or planned to knit with soon (e.g., for a project from a yarn company/indie dyer) in a basket out in plain view.  My goal is to actually see that pile decrease.  They are all yarns I'd knit with tomorrow if I could.  Of course, my knitting has been a bit slow this past summer with the wedding and the move.  And the pile hasn't really gotten much smaller.  So every month or so, I then get realistic about the other yarns stored in bins in the closet.  If my small "I want to knit you now" pile isn't getting much smaller, how am I ever going to get to you lovelies.  It really is down to lovelies at this point.  I think I only bought two skeins of yarn the past few months and I can't wait to knit with them.  Two skeins of cashsilk lace by Sweet Georgia.



I feel in love with laceweight yarns while knitting my sister's wedding shawl.  I now have 8 skeins of laceweight yarn total in my ginormous stash.  I can't tell you enough how nice it is to know the exact number and colors, etc. Because when it comes to sock yarn or sport or worsted or even bulky, I can't even tell you.  That's also what motivates the destash.  I'm guessing the move has spurred this bit of minimalist stash philosophy.  I'm just going to go with it for now.

7.  I'm knitting a secret design.  After that, I'm working on another secret design.  Depending on how quickly I get those done, I may be able to squeeze in some not secret knitting before my next secret design.  But then that should be it on the secret knitting for the year.  I guess I'm trying to tell you that I may be hurting for actual knitting content over the next few weeks.  Although, I do hope to have a few new designs to you...so don't go too far :)

8.  I did make a big ol' pot of chili last night.  Yum.

9.  Doggies.  One bonus of being sick all weekend was getting lots of doggie snuggles. 









And with that, I think it is time for bed. 
Happy September!
xoxo