Life on the Runn...

Despite what seemed to be the camping gods' best efforts to thwart our plans, we managed a brief camping trip this past weekend.  Our go-to campground in Baraboo, Wheeler's, was closed for the season -- what?! It was perfect camping conditions! - and every other person in Wisconsin and Illinois, it seemed, had intentions of camping; it appeared as though every campground in the state was at full capacity.  Finally, we found an opening at Pinewood Campground in Ottawa.  Dawn and Chris, Scott and Steph (and Joni, their fur-child), Brian and I -- the DINKS-- set up camp and spent the evening around the cribbage board and the campfire. We enjoyed lots of chili, guacamole, bubble water, and Malbec, truly some of my favorite things!  I am so very lucky to have found such an awesome group of people to call my friends. I've got to give Brian credit for that one - he sure has a great crew, and I'm so glad they like me as much as they like him. Our plan to camp at The Lake was

Fall, it seems, is finally upon us.  In the Runnells household, fall is an especially welcomed time of year as it means lots of time outdoors - hiking and climbing are best when the air is crisp and the sun is out. Fall also means pumpkin flavored treats (lattes and smoothies from my gym),  new and tried and true soup recipes, pumpkin farms, and trips to Devil's Lake with the gang. Sunday, we made quite the day out of our trip to The Lake.  We started our day with a ferry ride - after all, Brian says the day doesn't count unless you take the ferry - and, after a bit of searching, found a great place to set up 'camp'.  It seemed a lot of people shared our sentiments about last weekend being a perfect one for being outside.  They definitely weren't wrong! After climbing and basking in the sun for the better part of the day, we headed to the South Shore for a hike around the lake.  In total, we walked about seven miles and got more sunshine than I get in a typical

I feel busy lately, and I'm not even sure why that is.  Short of starting the school year (as Brian would say, "Goodbye, Fun Amy and hello Teacher Amy.").  We are settled into our new place, just down the street from our former home, and I, for one, am ready to enjoy fall and find myself feeling less stressed and more relaxed. Thanks to Nicole, who I miss at West each and every day, I had reason to celebrate and have fun last weekend -- it was her wedding! Nicole was a beautiful bride, and Brandon, her husband, was as sweet as grooms come.  They were married at Country Springs, so it also felt like a bit of a throwback to the Unti-Runnells wedding. Life can be inherently chaotic, and stress, I have learned is intrinsic to being an educator, but taking time to look at the good in life, the happiness, the love that exists, now that's what really matters! And celebrating with friends and co-workers is really good, too!