Precarious Plush Towers

Got a new medal!  These come in the mail a couple weeks after you complete the journey, but here it is, the Yellowstone medal, something you get for doing the 75 mile journey through the park, virtually of course.  Along the way, I was watching all those POV videos of people at the park doing various trails or walks around basins or waterfalls or wildlife - there were so many that I always had one to see while walking along.  

That "10" pin there is for doing ten of these virtual walks thus far.  I'm sort of hooked!

The hummingbirds are still out there - we keep the feeder full of the good stuff for them, and it's nice to see them perched out there resting and taking long sips.  Won't be long before they migrate though.  It's colder, and fall is here officially.  Hopefully the weather will line up accordingly too.  So far so good!  One interesting weather note is the lack of hurricanes thus far.  No one is complaining about the lack of violent weather, although the extra rain might come in handy.

Maddie's college experience is going well.  She's certainly settling in.  Her teacher for the public speaking class sounds like fun, letting the students get creative from time to time, which of course is somewhat risky - but it also makes for some pretty memorable moments.  Maddie's frequently back into her own pattern, studying at the kitchen table or up in her bedroom, three devices on at once, papers all spread out, headphones on.  Three days a week, she's up early, scrambling out the door and down the stairs for prayers and then off to school - I check the traffic, which has been good every day but once so far.  Sometimes she stays on campus and hangs out with friends and other days she's back here.  But on the whole, things seem to be going well, and that's great.  It kind of has the feel of high school again, but just a different location that she drives to.  She doesn't do too much outside of actual classes, but maybe there'll be something interesting to do before too long that she and Nate can check out.

Tonight we read of course, and we said our prayers before bed.  Nightly rituals haven't changed, not even for the Plush Entourage, who faithfully march down the hall each night and then back again.  By "march," I mean, somehow Maddie and I carry every single one in one trip.  This is quite an accomplishment, as there are so many in the membership.  It's a fun moment after reading and prayers, doing our best to collect each and every one, almost like a puzzle trying to assemble them in this huge mobile pile in your arms, some with small loops attached so you can dangle them from fingers.  Eventually, the migration down the hall begins, these precarious plush towers moving down the hall, one of them yelling out downstairs, "Goodnight Mom!"

And then we get to the room, and the avalanche of plush occurs, all of the friends spilling out onto the bed - you have to be ready for Wong.  That's the spherical plush doll from the China Pavilion at EPCOT - he rolls a bit, and you can't let that one roll off the bed.  And that's where they all stay for the evening, of course.  Quite a few of them, and the membership increases from time to time. 

Time to get them all tucked in.  And time to get some sleep.  Goodnight!