Life Lately: September 2025

Ahh, September…the first of the “ber” months. Fall has officially begun as I write this. The days are getting shorter, but they still require dressing in layers, as the mornings are chilly, while the afternoons can still get a bit toasty. We got up to so much this month, it feels like it went by so quickly! We spent time with a few people that we don’t see often, and also some new friends. It was a lovely month, and I am excited to share my Life Lately update for September with you today!

Dad’s Birthday

On September 2nd, we went to my cousin’s house to celebrate my dad’s birthday, our first without him. My cousin’s dad is actually my dad’s twin (our uncle Tony), and unfortunately, we lost him back in 2009. So we got together for dinner and angel food cake to celebrate their birthday.

As I am typing, my dad has been gone for 5 1/2 months, and it still doesn’t feel real. The void he has left in my life feels so vast, and I still tear up when I think about him for too long. Some days I miss him so much it hurts, and others the pain feels like a dull ache. Learning to live without him has been so difficult. I was happy to celebrate him and my uncle and being around my family really helped keep my mind occupied and my anxiety lowered.

The Offspring Concert

Early in the month, Jake and I headed to the White River Ampitheater in Auburn, WA for The Offspring in concert with New Found Glory and Jimmy Eat World. It was a beautiful evening and so much fun to see three great bands in concert!

Video Game Night

My brother and his friend Amanda and I have been getting together for video game nights for a few years now. We love to play Mario Kart and Mario Party. We hadn’t had one for a while, so we decided to get together this month! We had tacos for dinner and then had so much fun catching up and playing our favorite games!

R Day Festival

On Sept 6, Jake and I headed to Georgetown in South Seattle to attend the R Day Festival put on by the Rainier Brewing Company. It’s a free festival and it was packed! We played a round of mini golf and partook in the free arcade games for a while before watching a few songs by the last band playing for the event! It was nice to get out together and have a little fun!

Escape Room

Jake has been wanting to do an escape room for a while now, so we invited our friends Brooke and Amanda to go check one out with us in Tacoma. It’s called Brainy Actz, and the room that we did was such a fun experience! Afterward, we headed to a place called Buddy’s Chicken and Waffles. Their chicken and waffles did not disappoint; it was probably the best I’ve ever had! If you’re ever in Tacoma, I highly recommend both places!

Grant’s Birthday

Our friend’s son, Grant, turned 1 this month, and we headed out to Nolte State Park for a small birthday celebration for him! I helped babysit him over the Summer and it was so fun to celebrate his first birthday with our friends and their families!

Washington State Fair

We did the Puyallup this year with our friends Elyse and Mike. We walked around and looked at the animals, played some carnival games, and had some delicious fair food. And then we ended the night watching a Nirvana tribute band called Nevermind.

Mary Olsen Farm

On a beautiful Fall day, Jake and I headed to the Mary Olsen Farm, which is located between Kent and Auburn. They were having an event where you could come and do a self-guided tour of the property. It was really cool learning about the homestead and seeing inside the actual farmhouse! Their garden was really cool too, I love being able to walk through other people’s gardens and seeing what they are growing!

Game nights with the neighbors

Our neighbors invited us to a few game nights this month. We have been really enjoying getting to know them and their kids!

Cards with Friends

Last week, I went over to my friend Kristine’s house for an afternoon card game with her and her mom!

Movie Afternoon Catch-Up

My friend Nicole came over this last weekend for a movie/catch-up visit! I made delicious homegrown roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese for us, and she brought a delish bottle of Chianti for us to share! We sat and chatted and then watched Hocus Pocus. We are planning on making this get-together a yearly tradition! We had such a nice time!

Starting Halloween Decorating

I have slowly been putting up Halloween decorations! I won’t share any pictures here because Blogtober is coming up and there will be a decorations post like always toward the middle of the month! Stay tuned!

In the garden…

September is a month of abundance in the garden! I harvested so many herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and all of my pumpkins! We had a beautiful mammoth sunflower bloom as well as the first dahlia of the Summer! The cosmos continue to delight and add a certain whimsy and magic to the garden! There are also a ton of beautiful zinnias blooming still as well. The garden is definitely looking tired, and I will be starting my Fall clean-up in October. Looking forward to letting things rest for the Winter!