Dressing Up!

Last evening Ray and I located our dress-up outfits and headed to downtown Indy! Earlier in the week I was notified that I had won a pair of tickets to the Heartland Film Festival Awards Ceremony. We noted that the dress code was "cocktail" so for that reason we dressed up. The weather was moderate and we even found a spot to park free off the street just a half block from the Old National Centre.

I need to admit that in the 24 years of the Festival we probably have only seen one film and that was a few years ago. Last year after the festival, another film returned to Indiana as a special fundraiser for Nepal's earthquake survivors. We were able to see this at a special viewing in Franklin. Most of the films in the 10-day festival are shown in venues a good distance away.

Clips from the films that were in the running for awards were shown and the MC interviewed the directors/writers in four of the categories giving us additional information. Also, on our table was a large tray of hors d'oeuvres -- well maybe I should call them mini-cookies -- that were delicious and hard to resist! Our expense for the evening was a glass of wine sipped as we enjoyed the sweets.

Earlier in the week we managed to set up our health care plan for 2016. Kind of a tiring process that took several hours on the phone. Since Ray retired we've been part of the Lilly group insurance plan but in this new era, insurance is now managed on an individual basis. This was a brand new process for us and we each have our individual plan beginning January 1.

We've had a disappointing week watching our favorite teams. The Cubs were eliminated by the New York Mets in four games. I believe the Mets scored in the first inning of each game and, even though the Cubs beat them 7-0 in the regular season, they apparently were ready for revenge. Today the Colts were pitiful in the first half and were behind 20-0 at the half. The final score was 27-21.

Will our beautiful weather of last week return? Probably not. We had at least two days when the highs were in the low 80s. We've also have some windy days but would love to have some rain as it is quite dry. Harvesting of corn and soybeans is in full swing so those involved in the harvest really don't want rain, but we may get some this week. I may have to adjust running days to avoid the rain. Day to day planning for sure.

Who Left the Dogs Out?

We haven't had a dog for many years. Back in the day we owned two dogs:  Doniger (a Shetland Sheepdog) and Sebastian (Nancy's American Eskimo) though many years between each. Today we have a mystery -- we found a dog bone in the hallway when we came home. I'm sure it wasn't there yesterday or this morning when we woke up -- though I'm not as observant as I might be early in the morning. Here's proof of what we found earlier today:

The door is to our utilities -- furnace, etc. -- but we don't have access!
How did this dog bone get here?

As predicted, the last two mornings we've had frost on the windshield. Since we haven't located our ice scraper and snow brush we'll need to purchase one very soon. 

Three more weeks until my last Half Marathon for 2015. Had to pull out gloves and wear a long sleeve shirt some mornings last week. We were disappointed that the Fever didn't do well in game 5 of the WNBA finals on Wednesday. However, the Cubs won a decisive game against St. Louis on Tuesday. Hurrah!! Then, last evening they lost in the first game against the New York Mets in the best of 7 series. Tonight their ace pitcher is on the mound so we still have high expectations for the Cubs. They'll play games 3 through 5 (if needed) in Chicago.

Tonight our channel changer will get a good workout since two games -- Cubs vs. Mets and Colts vs. Patriots -- are on at the same time. We're rooting for two wins for "our" teams. Hoping that our channel changer doesn't give out at a crucial moment. It may be a late night for us.

A Sport's Junkie Week

This past week was mostly about baseball playoff games. After weeks of anticipation, the Cubs met the Pittsburgh Pirates at their field for the Wild Card Playoff Game. The Cubs' pitcher, Jake Arrieta,  was superb with a complete game winning, 4-0.

On Thursday we were disappointed that Andrew Luck didn't play, but the Colts were still able to win over the Texans. Game 1 of the series between the Cubs and St. Louis was Friday night with the Cubs losing 4-0. The second game was played Saturday with the Cubs winning! The series then moved to Chicago for game 3 and game 4 (if needed).

Though we are not huge fans of the WNBA, we began following the Indy Fever in the playoffs as they try to win the championship over the Minneapolis Lynx.

Earlier in the week we enjoyed a weiner roast hosted by one of the Pickleball players. I made some potatoes roasted in a crockpot for our contribution. Enjoyed lots of good food and were able to meet a few more players.

Over the weekend, I journeyed south about 50 miles to Camp Lakeview for our annual Women's Retreat.

Our group was small but intimate.
Lots of good snacks and discussion.

The retreat ended late Saturday afternoon and I was home in time to watch the Cubs defeat the Cardinals and finish preparations for a visit with sister Judy and Tom. They arrived Sunday afternoon and started home to Texas this morning. We watched some American League playoff games, but the game they wanted to see - Dallas vs. New England - was not broadcast in our area. Boo!

Windy conditions and sunny skies made it difficult to take this selfie.

We took advantage of the warm weather and went to Freedom Park for some exercise after the Fowlers left. The forecast is for colder weather as the week progresses with a freeze sometime next weekend.

Cubs Win!! They lead the series 2-1 and if they win tomorrow, this 5-game series is over. Keeping fingers crossed.

Feeling Like Fall

Yesterday we thought fall weather had arrived but today the sun is shining and this afternoon is beautiful. Someday soon we'll have a frost. We've already seen quite a few fields with harvest completed.

We had three different sports to watch today. The Colts won in a squeaker in overtime over Jacksonville without Luck who was on the sideline for the first time in his pro career with a shoulder injury. They play again Thursday evening so it's a quick turn around for the team. The Cubs played and won but Pittsburgh also won so the wild card game is set for Wednesday in Pittsburgh. You can count on us watching! All Cub fans have been waiting years for this opportunity. It's ironic that the three best teams in baseball this season are in the same division and one will be eliminated on Wednesday. The winner plays the St. Louis Cardinals and another team's season will end after that series.

This noon I was at a bridal shower for the Director of Christian Education (DCE) at church. Several people donated soups (I provided a crockpot of pumpkin soup that was consumed and I never had a taste). Also, there was fruit, cake and punch too. Of course, we played two games typical at showers. The bride and groom are getting married in mid-November and opened gifts together.

Before the shower I took a selfie with our Pastor and entered it on Instagram as part of LCEF's contest. There are several prizes being awarded randomly. Wouldn't it be fun to win, but the odds are miniscule. If my photo does win, I won't be shy. You'll hear about it for sure!