My life isn't perfect...

But it is certainly perfect for me.  Especially when I take a moment to reflect and really look at my life. I see just how blessed and lucky I am, and not in the corny, hokey way...but sincerely. I do have an extraordinary, ordinary life. 

Amidst this pandemic, I've manage to find a lot of joy. Fall has always been one of my favorite times of year, and even though we are still living in the land of Covid, it has been a wonderful Fall once again. We haven't suffered in any way from the moments and memories October and November can bring. The Boyen Bunch managed to make the most of every special and ordinary moment we had. Having the boys birthdays with Halloween sandwiched in between, always make it a time to remember.

October 24 brought a big milestone for this guy! Bailey turned 21! Eeks! Now this doesn't really make a huge difference in his life, (he's not a drinker and doesn't really enjoy alcohol), but it does feel like he is truly an adult now. He requested a day trip to the hill country, specifically Fredericksburg.  It was a glorious day for sure. 

When we arrived in Fredericksburg, we dropped Bailey at the Nimitz Museum with my mom and dad, at his request, while the rest of us headed to Wildseed Farms to stop and smell the "roses" or in this case the wildflowers!

Bailey had also requested a visit to a brewery, so we met up again at the Altstadt Brewery, which was definitely a unique experience. It was packed! We waited quite a while, but enjoyed our time together. Bailey confirmed he does not love beer! 😂

After dinner we headed into to Fredericksburg and walked the streets, stopping by shops and a quaint bakery for some dessert. Memory making at it's finest. 

Halloween was as entertaining as ever! The kids still met with small groups of friends and made the most of the evening. 

The girls had a great time dressing Jonas up as a "schoolgirl". 

Nana was an interesting "covid" character! 

Savannah and Alejandro were Dwight and Michael from the Electric City episode (I think you have to be a true Office fan to get this one!).

Lorelei was an adorable, (albeit thrown together last minute) Flapper girl!

The party poopers! Actually I like to think of myself as dressed as a "Gator" fan, which is always my favorite Fall outfit!

My dad handed out candy, Covid style. 

There was a blue moon too! Pictures never do it justice. I promise it was impressive. 

The best treat of the night, was watching the Gators get another win! Go Gators!

We barely catch our breath from Halloween and it's Jonas' birthday! He was a humble 15 year old this year. Keeping it simple, we just went for his favorite sushi. He didn't really even want any presents.  If you didn't know it already, this kid is pretty terrific.  One gift he wanted was for me to vote for the candidates he was passionate about! He has a new found love of politics and is even planning to major in political science now, in hopes of being a politician one day himself. 

The rest of my time has been filled with school, teaching, helping with homework and finding time to read. I finished three books in October and November, which is a pretty good amount for me (I'm a slow reader!). 

It's mid week Thanksgiving break and the girls and I took a day trip yesterday to Austin to check out her new apartment for next year. It was a fun-filled day. 

My current Longhorn with maybe a future Longhorn! Lorelei loved it! Hook 'em!

This bookstore made my heart happy!

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and the rest of the week of family time. 

With a grateful heart...Happy Thanksgiving friends.