Happy Halloween!

Did you enjoy your Halloween as much as we did?

(please ignore the fact that we're both in scrubs)

We handed out candy at our home for a little bit...

And had a visit from our favorite trick-or-treaters....

Our neighborhood was SO full of trick-or-treaters this year and so festive.  Some homes decorated their yards just for tonight and were waiting at the door in costume....a couple of homes had bonfires going and it smelled just like fall.....it was just festive and fun. :)

  After handing out candy from our home, we headed to my parents.  My mom and dad host a fall chili dinner with lots of goodies every Halloween.  I handed out candy from the car as we left our neighborhood.  The kids got a kick out of it.....they called us the Trick-or-Treat Mobile :)  Troy snapped a couple of photos...

My Mom does such a wonderful job of making her home cozy and warm for fall.  She has warm orange accents of pumpkins throughout the house and everything from the way it smells (like cinnamon and pumpkin!) to the lighting just feels cozy.

Have you seen how HGTV features shows during the holidays where they have an interior designer come in to decorate their home for the season?

That's what my Mom's home looks like :)

Even the dining room is accented with beautiful touches of fall....

All ready for the most spoiled trick-or-treaters in Fern Creek :)

Kandice was working...  :(  .... but the rest of the Dunaway crew was present for the chili dinner.  

If I was ever brave enough to do so- I would post a photo of me without make up next to my brother.  I've always said that I look just like him when I don't have my face on.

Christy and I had so much fun tonight.  We laughed so hard over the silliest things (Christy- no opened face sandwich for me!  HA!) and just enjoyed being together..

Mom treated us to a delicious dinner and enough sweets to last until next Halloween!  We all took home dinner for the next couple of days and boxes of treats!

I have no idea what Christy and Troy were watching on her phone but they tickled me how into it they were ....

Such a nice evening!  I wouldn't trade time like this with my family for anything in the world.


Mom-  Thank you for having us tonight, and for all you do.  You make life extra sweet and continue to be the host for so many memories.  We love you!


Hope that all of you enjoyed your Halloween as much as we did!

Love,

Kristin

New England!

This is another one of those post for family.  I can't imagine anyone other than our parents (who have all asked for me to post these many times!!) would want to scroll through so many photos of just Troy and I. :)

But if by chance you like to look at Troy and I.....   get comfortable.  It's another long one.

A few weeks ago, Troy and I spent eight days in New England!

Troy was asked to present a case at the AABB (American Association of Blood Bankers) Convention.

God love him...  he was so sick when we left Louisville.  I didn't know how he would possibly make it through the conference and presentation.  

He looked pitiful!

But in between sleeping.... he was still working.

I was not allowed to attend the conference this time.  So disappointing!  After landing, we were able to go over and check out where he would be presenting, so I did get a sneak peek.

I'm sure I will get all of the medical terminology wrong...  but here is a brief story on why Troy was asked to present at this conference.

Over a year ago, one of Troy's patients was receiving a blood transfusion and complaining of pain. Pain during a transfusion is unheard of.  The nurse came to Troy and told him what was going on with the patient, but said she knew he was faking it, b/c pain does not occur with blood transfusions.  Troy remembered reading in a text book years ago of a condition in which this is possible, so began investigating the situation.  After talking with the patient, running test, ect., Troy determined that the patient did in fact have this rare condition.  When Troy went to his attending to have them sign off on the case (Troy is just a resident) the attending couldn't believe that Troy had diagnosed this.  He asked Troy how he knew of this condition.  Troy told him...  "i read about it a few years ago."  ???  Unbelievable!  Anyhoo- he told Troy that he had to submit this case and present it at the conference.

To say I am a proud wife wouldn't begin to describe it.

We stayed at the Hyatt Harborside for the first part of the trip.  The pictures below were taken from our room.  Beautiful view!

The next day, Troy woke up feeling much better (thank you Lord!) just in time for the presentation.

Only in Boston do you board a WATER TAXI (in a Ralph Lauren suit I might add) to go to work :)

I think these next couple of photos are my very favorite from the Boston trip.  :)

Isn't he so handsome? :)

Though I couldn't attend, I got hourly updates on the conference.  Troy said at one point after the presentation, a physician came up to introduce herself.  He said that her name sounded familiar.  Half way into the conversation, Troy remembered that he had referenced her and her work in his presentation!?  We both thought it was neat that he got to meet the author of a book he had cited.  

What did I do during the conference?  I played while counting down the hours until I would have my husband back.

I did a hop on/hop off trolley tour for a couple of days.  I basically used it as my transportation around the city.

I texted Troy most of these photos throughout the day...

The trolley tour had 22 different stops to hop off/on at.  I tried to save most of the historical stops for when Troy would be with me.  But did find plenty to hop off and see....

"Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name....."

My trolley tour pass only lasted two days and then I had to come up with a new plan.  Our hotel was not at all within walking distance of tourist-y things.  It was either sit in the hotel room all day, or learn to navigate the subway system (scary!).  So I did...

I took the subway to Newbury Street.  It's the premier shopping destination of downtown Boston.  It had many high end designers such as Valentino and Vera Wang.

I also visited  the Boston Public Library....

and the place where the Boston Cream Pie was invented, and where JFK proposed to Jackie.....

I toured several churches, one in which has the oldest Tiffany stained glass windows in the US....

Stunning!

I spent three days touring so much of Boston and seeing so many things.  But my favorite stop, BY FAR, was taking the subway to Cambridge and visiting Harvard University.

Troy thought I was silly, and didn't see the big deal in it, but I was beside myself to be able to go!  I have always had an infatuation with Harvard and have always wanted to see it.

The gates surrounding the beautiful Harvard University...

They offer tours of Harvard (given by students!) which is really neat.

Sitting on the steps of Harvard :)

I learned so much about the history of the oldest college in the United States, which Troy had to hear about for two days.  But even with all of the history, I think the most surprising fact I learned was that any student accepted into Harvard, with parents making below $80,000 a year..... attend the University for FREE. 

I was shocked!?  The other people in my tour group were Canadians, and did not seem as surprised at this as I did.  They thought it was strange that I asked the tour guide to repeat that fact.

If they could see our school debt....  they would understand my complete shock :)

Touring Harvard, and getting the inside scoop on all things "Hahvahd" (as the locals pronounce it) was such a neat experience.

I ended my tour with a stop at the beautiful Harvard bookstore...

And picked up a couple of souvenirs :)

Now when I wear my Harvard gear and people ask "did you go there?" I can honestly answer "yes!"  I will leave out the part that it was just for a 90 minute tour :)

For the three days of the conference, I made sure to always be waiting outside the convention center at 5:00 to pick up my date.....

Troy and I would spend the evenings at dinner and walking downtown Boston...

We visited the "North End" (Little Italy!!) twice.  Boston has a great Little Italy.  The street is lined with one authentic Italian eatery and bakery after another.  

The entire neighborhood smells like tomato and fresh garlic with a hint of cocoa (from the coffee shops.)  We would have dinner at one of the Italian kitchens followed by coffee and a canolli at one of the pastry shops.

We also took advantage of being on the coast and had plenty of fresh seafood.  Weeks before leaving for Boston we saw an episode on the Travel Channel featuring the "Barking Crab."

It's known for the whole "lobster experience," where you wear the bib, need the bucket for your shells, etc. :)

Troy took advantage of being in New England and ordered so many cups of New England Clam Chowder (his favorite!) that we lost count... 

His conference only lasted a few days, and then it was sightseeing time for the two of us. 

We did the Boston Duck tour (land/water tour)...

Enjoyed the beautiful architecture of the city...

We visited Georgetown Cupcake.  If you've ever watched "DC Cupcakes" on TLC......this store is owned/operated by the same ladies.

We spent too much money on cupcakes to snack on in the hotel room that evening :)

We also visited Boston Common, the oldest public park in the United States.  I'm sure this is nothing compared to New York's Central Park (what it's often compared to), but I couldn't get enough.  It was so beautiful.

We took the "Freedom Trail" tour, which stopped by all of the historical sites of Boston.  This city is saturated with so much history and is quite the experience.

The steps/Church where the song "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" was first sang...

Love this photo of Troy listening to the tour guide :)

My favorite building/site on the Freedom Trail was the Old State House.  It was from this balcony that the Declaration of Independence was first read.  Gives me goosebumps!

I think the neatest part of Boston is seeing all of the history mixed in with the new.  To see a building dating back to the 1700's, mixed in with today's skyscrapers is so neat...

We eventually checked out of Boston so that we could tour different areas of Massachusetts and New England.  I know ya'll don't care to look at photos of hotel rooms, but we like to remember where we stayed.  Troy got a kick out of this hotel room because it was so spacious, with multiple tvs :)

We rented a car and spent the morning/afternoon touring Cape Cod...

Riding along the coast line with the top down.... smelling the ocean air...  so nice!

Cape Cod was beautiful!  I think my favorite part was being at the Atlantic Ocean during the cold, fall climate.  We have only visited beaches in tropical climates with palm trees and humidity.  To see the ocean with a fall breeze surrounded by leaves changing was a neat experience!

I thought Troy looked so handsome in his convertible....

I on the other hand will probably never be one of those girls who can look decent riding in a convertible.  My hair blows in my mouth, my eyes....   I was a hot mess by the end of the day. :)

Later that afternoon we headed north for New Hampshire.  Troy detoured a little bit, so that I could visit Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield, MA.

This place was amazing!  The outside alone was so festive and charming.  I have never seen so many mums and pumpkins in all my life!

Inside was a shopper's haven!  The place is gi-normous with different wings being dedicated to different seasons.  The Christmas Village was beautiful...it snowed every few minutes...and Santa himself is there all year round.

They had a home section (who knew Yankee did anything other than candles?!) with home decor, a beautiful housewares section, jewelry, clothing, gifts...

This place is so large that they give you a map as you enter.  Troy was so sweet to make sure I saw every square inch...

It did tickle me that he took advantage of any seat he saw :)

And of course it had miles of Yankee Candles.  Scents I've never seen... areas to mix your own wax and make your own... so much..

I thought this display was sweet....  these candles are scented/named after the items listed in the song "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music..."

Before finishing our drive to New Hampshire, we had dinner at Yankee Candle's restaurant (again- who knew?), Chandler's.  When they bring your bill to the table, they put a Yankee Candle votive on top :)  It's the little things!

Every year we try to spend a weekend enjoying the fall weather.  Sometimes we take a weekend trip, sometimes a picnic, or to a winery...  something.

Troy planned this last part of the vacation and this year's fall activity.

He outdid himself in a big way. 

He found this historic resort nestled in the mountains of New Hampshire surrounded by all of fall's glory!

It was breathtaking!  Built in 1902, it had a quaint, but grand feeling that would be hard to imitate

The lobby was gorgeous with original hard wood floors, original chandeliers, etc. 

The elevators that take you to your room were operated by an attendant, and he literally turned a crank to take you up.  So neat!

This hotel was a totally different experience for us and really special.  We typically stay at newer properties, so this was so out of the ordinary for us. 

They have restored the rooms, but have kept them in the original style of the old 1902 grandeur!

The hotel is completely surrounded by verandas that face the mountains..

  

The original dining room where they still serve breakfast and dinner (coat and tie required!)...

The Omni Mount Washington was truly an unforgettable experience!

The next day, was spent doing a New England fall foliage driving tour that Troy planned for us...

We drove the "Kangamangus Highway" which is rated the best fall foliage drive in New England!

Knowing my love for covered bridges, Troy mapped out a couple for us to stop off and see....

They are so beautiful to me...

Driving through the mountains of New Hampshire and Massachusetts....seeing the covered bridges that he found for me .... it was all such a perfect way to end our 8 days in New England!

I typically take photos of us flying home....  but remember Troy's virus that he had at the beginning of the trip?

It found me on the last day of our vacation....

and I was doing good to fly home, much less take photos. :)

I think the thing I will always remember most about our trip to Boston, is just the fact that I got to go.  Months ago, when we learned that Troy would be presenting in Boston, I told him that I would sit this one out.  I knew this would be another very costly trip.... I hated to miss the time (and money!)  away from work...  and I knew it would be easier financially, if I stayed back this time.

Troy would absolutely not hear of it.  He told me that I was going...  it would be perfectly fine...  and he was booking airfare for two.  He said that he was not going without his wife, and that we were both going to take advantage of the opportunity. 

He also reminded me of this .....

I'm not sure how this will sound/come across to everyone.... but I can't and won't worry about that.   My faith defines me...it is all encompassing in our lives...  and therefore I can't help but to share....and also I want to remember. 

The "baby talk" has been floating around our home for a year now.  It's definitely another post for another day, but to make a long story short....  our newest excuse this past spring was "well... don't we want to travel first....  I think we need to do a little more traveling just the two of us before having a baby."  We said it.....  but never got around to planning anything.  Life is busy, traveling is expensive, and the words "but we need to do more traveling first" are easier said than done.  It would have been forever before we sat down and got the ball rolling on that.

We prayed about it.  Not for traveling of course...  but just for direction... and I prayed that I would know when it was time, even if I hadn't crossed off everything on the "pre baby list."  It wasn't very long after we said this ....that FOUR trips (in 6 months) were dropped into our lives all at once.  One planned by us....  and the others a surprise.... a fluke...  whatever you want to call it.  We call it a blessing.

Yes.... Troy earned these trips for work.  He worked very hard and was given the opportunity because of it.  I know it was his doing.  But we also know someone else had a hand in it.  And no, I don't think that we were blessed with vacations because we had a list we were trying to mark off and wanted them....  not even close.  But I do think that God knew the desires of our heart....  and knew that we felt we needed more time together (and there's nothing like a trip that can do that) and if nothing else, help accomplishing another step toward "getting there".....  "there" being the next phase for us.

And before I go any further...  no...this does not mean we're having a baby tomorrow (sorry Mom! just hang in there!), but it does mean that we can now cross the travel excuse off the list :).  I think 5 trips/vacations in one year will make it impossible to use that excuse. :)  And that tickles me to death.  Not because I'm in a rush to have a baby....but because I know we would have never pulled off the "we need to travel more within the next year"....   on our own. 

When I said I shouldn't go to Boston...  it would just be too much on us ...  Troy reminded me of all of this......what we had said.... what we still wanted to cross off that "list"....  and what God had dropped in our lap.  He asked me....  "here's all our traveling we said we wanted... and when will we have these opportunities for just the two of us again? "    I never again brought up the fact that I shouldn't go.  He was right.  And I had a suitcase to pack.

Troy,

Thank you for planning the most amazing New Englad fall adventure just for me!  The beautiful resort, the fall drive, the covered bridges, I truly enjoyed every minute of it.

And thank you for not giving me the option to go with you.  For being a dependable, strong leader, and everything I need in a husband. 

Thank you for reminding me that this time period in our life is irreplaceable.

Most importantly.... thank you for reminding me of who's really in control of our lives, and helping me to see His plan in everything that we do.

I love you so much and will forever be so proud to be your wife.

Love,

Kristin