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“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”

Douglas Adams

I love this quote because some of my best travel memories come from plans gone awry. Our October adventures are no exceptions. I’m linking up again this month with Heather to share about the places I’ve traveled, both by car and through the pages of a good book.

Loved

Jay and I saw Cody Jinks in concert in Asheville this month. We’d seen him at the same venue during 2019’s concert season and decided to grab tickets. Jay booked a hotel room and we planned to make a mini-getaway out of it. Unfortunately, our hotel canceled our reservation the day before, causing poor Jay to have to make the 90-minute drive home at midnight after the concert.

Cody Jinks does an excellent live show, and his buddy/co-writer Ward Davis was the opening act. I sang along to all the songs, forgetting that if I wanted to record a video to share later I needed to keep my mouth shut to spare your ears. I didn’t realize how badly I missed the full concert experience until that evening.

The next morning, I teared up thinking about just how grateful I am to be able to attend concerts. Last spring, when Cody Jinks did a Facebook live “concert,” we were all stuck at home and needed a bit of hope. He wore stretchy basket shorts, performing at his house, while Jay and I snuggled in our jammies watching on the couch. That memory made the concert so much sweeter.

Read

I enjoy reading seasonal books but struggle to find the right kind this time of year. I’m a highly sensitive empath. Also, in the fall I have to add in an asthma medicine which gives me nightmares. Mix all that together, and I’m a scaredy-cat. Most anything remotely Halloween isn’t feasible for me.

Enter Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe. This book tells a lovely story about a charming town. The touch of magical realism gave the book an enchanted feel, perfect for reading in October.

Treasured

Mid-month, the Justus League traveled north to Washington D.C. We let my nephew, who would be experiencing it for the first time, pick most of our activities. We added the monuments and Smithsonian museums on the list early. A bit later, however, Charlie realized that the Washington Football Team (the NFL team located in DC currently between mascots) would be playing his team the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s a big Patrick Mahomes fan, and not just because of the high numbers Mahomes puts up for Charlie in our fantasy league.

I enjoyed the city immensely, but, as always, what I treasured was the time with my family. It’s not a family trip without a picnic on the side of the interstate, at least one person having a meltdown, bickering, but mostly fun and stories we’ll never forget. (Like when the drunk guy at the football game hugged my mom, told her he loved her, and invited my parents to their after-party.)

Ahead

It’s hard for me to believe next month is Thanksgiving! Our travel calendar should slow down a bit unless Jay books some last-minute weekend trips. We’ve got tickets to the Eric Church concert in Knoxville coming up the weekend following our 13th wedding anniversary. Jay took me to a fancy restaurant for our 15th dateversary, so we’ll see what he has planned for this one. No pressure my darling!

Do you have a favorite something about your October? Or something you’re looking forward to as we closed out 2021?