Pumpkin Festival!

This morning, Oliver and I met my friend Erin and her son Luke (the tiger) at their house in Franklin and then drove over to the Pumpkin Festival. I'd seen an ad for the event in the Nashville Parent magazine, and since Erin and I still hadn't managed a moms'-and-boys' play date (owing to Oliver's several bouts of illness), she eagerly agreed to go with us. Her husband is out of town this weekend, and mine is working two overnight shifts (the FIFTH year Wes has worked the overnight on the wrong end of daylight's savings -- poor guy).

The festival was a lot bigger -- and busier -- than I'd expected. Franklin has an adorable historic downtown with little shops, boutiques, and restaurants, but today it was bustling with kids in cute costumes and parents trying to keep tabs on them in the throngs. There was a chili cook-off, a row of pumpkin- and woodcarvers with beautiful wares, a huge kids zone with bounce houses, games, and pony rides. Oliver and I were only there about 90 minutes, but it was fun and nice to get out in the cool but pleasant weather. We left when Oliver got fussy for lunch. We also got to meet one of Erin's friends, Lindsey, and her son Josh, who is just a little older than Oliver.

I've been very grateful to Erin for including me regularly in her social circle. Erin taught at the Webb School in Bell Buckle, just south of Nashville, with Jessie Brown, my college roommate. Jessie was kind enough to introduce us to each other when I got to Nashville. Erin earned her doctorate at Vanderbilt and still works there and is a really wonderful woman. She invited me to her book club, various events of hers and her friend's, and has made time to chat with me on campus or over email. I've also gotten to meet a lot of other women who work at Peabody through her.

Wes and I are not really Halloween people. Neither of us grew up in houses where it was "celebrated," and it's not a big deal to us. I don't know what we'll do when Oliver is big enough to want to participate in Halloween celebrations. For now, we enjoy the fall focus of the holiday. It's truly gorgeous right now with the changing leaves and cool temperatures.