Life on the Runn...

There's no denying it...summer is coming to a close, and I am going from full-time at home mama (or 'Fun Amy' as Brian likes to refer to me) back to eight hours+ of Mrs. Runnells ('Un-Fun Amy?? Gosh, I hope not). But before I totally succumbed to that reality, I had a bit more summering to do.  I got to practice my intelligent conversation skills (though H surely does have a lot to talk about these days) at Book Club, had a delicious mimosa, and got in a few laughs (what I like to call an abs workout) before the Runnells trio hit the road for Lac du Flambeau. Once up north, we got right to relaxing.  We were met with much cooler weather than we had anticipated, so swimming was a short lived experiment.  Instead, we went for our first family bike ride. Thanks, BR, for pulling the tiny human. And for encouraging the eager chipmunk to run into your foot mid-rotation.  I surely would have lost control and ridden into the lake in a 'Did I injure the helpless

While I was competing in the bags tournament, opening my second hard ginger beer (yep, I'm wild), and laughing my way through the various contents of the time capsule we put together for Family Reunion 2000,  my husband, the birthday boy, was riding across Wisconsin - literally. While we were a few people short of the whole crew, I had an immensely good time Saturday, and relish any opportunity to spend time with my extended family.  I did have to keep my phone on hand, however, to ensure I could check in on BR's progress as he made his way from LaCrosse to Green Bay. Luckily, I made all my check-ins without dropping my phone into the kiddie pool my tiny human made her home for a solid three hours. It was also good fortune that the family reunion was at my uncle's in Wallace, Michigan; this meant Brian could make the short trek from Green Bay Sunday morning and enjoy a little bit of family time, too.  Selfishly, it meant I got to check in on my adventure buddy sooner. 2

Ever have one of those weeks where every day is something?  This week was one of those in the best sort of way. It began Sunday, after Mom, H, and I returned from Florida.  After a family lunch date, Brian and I headed to the house to check on thing.  We have barn doors and trim - progress! - and celebrated the move toward moving in with a trip to Le Ducs (you have to support local businesses, right?!). Monday was State Fair day for my parents, H, and me.  We enjoyed cranberry treats in the Wisconsin Building, nabbed a few fair favorites (amen for corn in a cup as a certain tiny human wants to do everything herself), and enjoyed plenty of flavored milk.  And to close out the day, my parents and I had an evening out of our own.  We went to see The Lion King . Tuesday was a day I had long been waiting for, my date night with both of my boyfriends, BR and John Mayer.  We checked into the Brewhouse Inn - such a cool place - and enjoyed cocktails and a great meal before our quick walk

This past (long) weekend was our second annual Mama, Baba, HQ Trip. While last year’s adventure, the start of what I hope will be a forever-tradition, took us to Waco, TX and all things Magnolia (Fixer Upper), Girls’ Trip 2.0 was all about that ocean life in Clearwater, FL. A beach getaway was also a great reason for Mom and me to set aside some time for an afternoon out (lunch and a manicure-pedicure). Like last year, we had plenty of sun - and heat - and found ourselves wondering how much hotter we could get. The answer: not much hotter or we may have melted...and we will not discuss what the humidity did to our hair! We also found ourselves enjoying the simplicity of our days: a leisurely beach commute,  mealtime chats, and dusting sand off the cutest little toes and out of some little pink Crocs.  The tiniest member of our trio was undaunted by the heat and could have spent the entire day bobbing in the ocean. In fact, she pretty much did. She learned about seagulls (“Sh