The weather these past few weeks has been the dream! Here in Grand Rapids we’re getting all the benefits of Fall (football, events, the scenery… oh-em-gee the cider donuts!), but with the added bonus of sunshine and temps in the 70s. Needless to say, we’re loving every minute. Thomas’ new favorite sport is football, and his team clutching the championship game last weekend might have something to do with it. Over the last six weeks the first and second graders at GRCS have competed each Saturday morning against one another. They’ve had an absolute blast and learned lots along the way. It’s been a ton of fun watching Thomas get excited and play hard out on the field. Natalie also spent time on the football field this Fall cheering on her fellow Eagles. This was Natalie’s second year in the Eagle Cheer Program and she enjoys it very much. One of Natalie’s besties, Vienna who lives next door, also cheered this year and the two of them have been witnessed on occasion practicing their cheers together out in the yard. Both kids welcomed their Grandparents to Iroquois Elementary’s Annual GrandFriends Day. Grandma and Grandpa Kladder and Grandma Smith visited their classrooms where they received personalized tours from the kids. Our GrandFriends enjoyed a stellar music program by the students and were treated to coffee and cookies throughout their visit. Natalie and Thomas also participated in the annual Eagle Dash put on by PTO. The PTO budget goes towards things like playground upgrades, classroom materials for teachers, and field trips. But the kids care less about those things than they do about the number of rubber bands they collect as they count their laps around the track. A few weeks back Jeff and I had a once in a lifetime Friday night involving a helicopter ride! Last spring we purchased a package at one of the fundraising events we attended - a helicopter ride for us and two guests and dinner at Iron Fish Distillery. The helicopter landed right in the field outside of the distillery and we took a wonderful tour of the facilities. Our pilot was the best host and flew us along the Lake Michigan coastline (including Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course where Jeff and I had played just a few weeks ago- so cool to see it from above!) and looped us around downtown Grand Rapids on our way back into town. We had an absolute blast! Fall golf is still happening for as along as the weather holds out. We enjoyed a nine and dine with the Gibsons at Kent, but what might have been even more fun than the golf was the ride to and from the course in their super cool orange Blazer. There’s something about riding in a car with no roof that makes you feel like a kid again. We had a great time in Schoolcraft last weekend at the Smith Annual Bonfire. For the first time ever, Jeff and his partner Eddie won the beer pong tournament - they were (still are) thrilled! This no-frills event takes place every year at my parents place and always brings out the local crowd for all you can eat hot dogs, keg beer, and the biggest bonfire you’ve ever seen. The party takes place inside an old grain silo on their property that my Dad turned into a giant party garage. Work at Merc is rip-roaring and rolling! I’ve spent much of my time on the road this month touring all 42 branch locations across our state. So far I’ve tackled our Southeast Michigan locations, as well as our lower Mid Michigan offices. While in Detroit, I enjoyed the Monday Night Football game at Ford Field and cheered our Lions onto victory! More recently, I visited our Greater Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids locations. It’s been a wild ride touring each office and meeting our local teams. Next week I head North to Petoskey and I’m looking forward to making stops in all of our mid market branches along the way. And probably my most favorite Fall tradition is taking our family portraits with our long time favorite photographer Jill DeVries. I LOVE having the kids portraits hanging in our hallway at home and documenting our family’s evolution over the years. And would you believe it… our Christmas cards are already ordered! There’s plenty of Fall left to go and we’re ready for it! Wishing you a fun filled rest of your October. Cheers!

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