The fall weather descended swiftly upon us overnight. This morning was a cool 66 degrees and drizzling- practically begging us to stay inside, light several candles, and sip a warm cup of chai by a roaring fire. Alas, we have no fireplace, so a roaring fire would be concerning. We settled for just lighting the candles- my favorite being the Honeycrisp candle from Trader Joe’s, complete with a nutmeg and cedarwood essential oil mix in the diffuser. A very cozy mix!

Football season has officially begun, and come Saturday, parking on the street is not an option. There simply will be none. The college students leave their places of residence as early as noon, dressed in black and yellow jumpsuits, crowding the sidewalks and crosswalks as they migrate towards the stadium. Go Hawkeyes! (We won 16-13. Take that, Iowa State!)

One of our favorite spots has become the Biscuit Creek Trail that winds behind our apartment complex. It follows a paved path onto a wooden bridge over a little stream. Here, the squirrels love to frolic, although they are rather messy. They seem to find the walnut seeds particularly delicious, as the aftermath of their munching is strewn about all over the bridge. A little ways down the path comes out into Downtown Coralville. After crossing the street, the paved trail continues past the water, where recently a gaggle of geese has made themselves comfortable. (Side note: I just found out that the word to describe geese specifically flying close together is called a plump.) Several ducks hide in the rushes beside the creek or swim along the banks as we walk by. They seem very content in their wanderings through the foliage.

The wildflowers that have taken over the banks are numerous and beautiful. The most common are yellow and reminiscent of black-eyed susans. I have yet to identify them, but they have grown very tall and seem to love the soil beside the water. Further down, the trail leads into the Iowa River Trail that goes left or right along the river. Just the other day, we adventured past our familiar Biscuit Creek and onto this new route. On this excursion, we saw not one, not two, but three blue herons, gliding inches above the water and perching one-legged on the rocks beneath the water.

The trail leads to a number of places, including a breezy walkway along the water and a path beside the road lined by wildflowers, but my favorite is the long metal bridge that stretches over the Iowa River. It has two spots that curve out of the pass to overlook the water, which is where we got the best look at the herons. It’s an invigorating feeling to be so high over such quickly moving water, made complete by the brisk wind blowing through your hair. We’re so lucky to have such a glorious place so close to our apartment!

As of three weeks ago, I started teaching at a music studio in North Liberty called Music4Life. I was hired for both piano and voice, but as of right now am only teaching piano lessons. The age range of the kids I have is 7-11, and they make me laugh every time we have a lesson. Quite a few of them were extraordinarily excited to learn, which has made the first couple of lessons so easy. One little seven-year-old actually squealed with delight when I asked her to sit on the piano bench- it is truly never a dull moment! And one of the most rewarding moments is seeing their face when they complete a piece for the first time, even if it’s the same three notes over and over. Especially when it finally clicks after several tries. It gives us both the biggest boost of confidence. It’s especially encouraging for me, as I never thought I could be at this point. It’s so exciting to be able to give back to the world in this way!

Tyler is in the thick of the semester and has been loving teaching his Music Theory college course. His coursework has been heavy, but he’s learning more every day: both about music therapy and about himself. It has been a wonderful season of growth for both of us, which we are extremely grateful for.

We miss Georgia and our people – counting down the days until Thanksgiving break. Thanks for popping in for the update!

~Charlotte