Falling for Fall and Color

Autumn always brings out feelings of nostalgia for me; the smell of freshly fallen leaves takes me back to treasured trips to the "Patch" with Mom to pick out the best pumpkins, weirdest looking gourds, and witness the projectiles of the pumpkin cannon.  And we mustn't forget the caramel apple stuck between your last 2 molars that kept the memory of the visit alive for weeks.

Ah, the Pumpkin Patch.  It's like a form of (dare I say it?) worship for me.  It is a recognition that summer is Over.  Days of grilling out with friends late into the night, laughing around the bonfire, drinking cold fruity refreshments, and warm breezy bike rides are Gone. To visit the Pumpkin Patch is to acknowledge this End, and to welcome the Beginning; backyard football games before the light fades, homemade soup and bread, and laughing around the fireplace, drinking hot chocolaty beverages.  While at the Patch, I give thanks for the beauty surrounding the End and wonder if our End will look as brilliant and beautiful.

After a 2 year absence from the Patch, I was back to a new one without Mom but with a new husband and 2 neighbors.  We picked pumpkins and apples and welcomed (tasty) Autumn. 

 The Copper Street Brass Quintet also gave some respite from a cold day of transitions (changing my name-gasp!)  Their Color Project Tour concert was warm, refreshing, and full of beauty.  Matt even commented afterwards, "Wow, that was really different!"  (I think he expected to be bored at a brass concert!)

It may not have cured my transitional blues, but it certainly helped me give up hope for one more day in flip flops.  The sweaters are being unpacked, the arm warmers are being knit, and the soup's on. 

Words from People I Love

In place of my words and pictures (half of these photos are taken by Souba or Court) here a few snippets of recent funnies and lovies* from some of my favorite girls...

Dedication
I really need you guys to all make lots of noise and clap during our encore. Al

I pulled my bull horn out of storage to blast along to the beat...and I have my pleated mini-skirt. Courtney

Peace

I hope your newly wedded bum is enjoying every single second of it! Jen

Obsessed Fun

Where are you??? I'll admit I'm been stalking your page and blog a little bit... call me! I want to be phone friends!!! Call me!!! Emily

Sunshine

You make my days bright!! Love you MOM

*Posted without permission. :) Love you too.

Love, love, love...Bum bah bum...love, love, love...

As a result of Two People Falling in Love, a few things recently came to fruition. After a year long cross-cultural, cross-sea engagement, surrounded by friends and family on a beautiful September day, Matt and I exchanged our vows. It was perfect, with one exception; one of my brothers could not be there because of a different "fruit."


After a great honeymoon in Mexico, I hopped into the car with Mom for a long drive to Texas. Waiting for us was a warm bundle of gurgles and grunts that kept Adam from walking me down the aisle. At first glance, I decided Collin was probably worth missing the wedding, and I fell in love, again.


At a friend's baby shower, her mother shared her thoughts from when she was pregnant with her 2nd baby (which turned out to be be TWO babies!). I will paraphrase..."I couldn't imagine how I could love ANOTHER baby, when I already loved my little family so much! But I did!" She went on to express her amazement at how we never really run out of love; the more people in our life in need of love, the more we have to give. I thought that after spending so much time with and loving my family, my already existing nuggets, and my new husband, there was NO WAY I would feel strongly about another nephew. Oh Young Grasshopper, you have so much to learn.

I love him, so much. With a (gas-induced) grin like that, how could you NOT love him?

Oktoberfest in September

An evening with friends is only bettered by Oktoberfest beer! Friends Al and Tim hosted the 1st Annual Oktoberfest Tasting and not being a big beer girl, it was better than expected. Grading is usually easy for me since I'm a teacher, but it was hard to rank each one, especially the first one, and I got a new appreciation for the judges at music festivals. If you're the poor student who has to play first for the judges, know it's not your lack of talent that got you that middle-of-the-road score, it's because you're first.

productivity; a product of laziness

I did not run today and since I failed to throw out my mirrors yesterday, it is definitely both a 'fat' and 'bad hair' day.

The bright side, and YES! there is a bright side, is that the wedding programs are finally being printed aaaaaaaaaaand the guest book is also on it's way to the 'almost presentable' category. Procrastination really does suit me.

The other bright side is that there is still time to run, fix my hair, and enjoy this beautiful day. Yay!

blog request

I posted this on my facebook status today and Greg, my former boss from Luther College requested I start a blog with my 'thoughts from running'. OK. :)

saw an albino squirrel on my run today and wondered if he knows he is different from the other squirrels. unless he has a little squirrely mirror in his nest, probably not. then i figured we should all throw out our mirrors and we'd never have 'bad hair' or 'fat' days.

There ya go, Greg. Let's just hope tomorrow there is running in which I will wonder some more. I'm feeling kinda lazy.

Rosa never has a fat day and every day is a good hair day. She doesn't need a mirror to KNOW she is pretty. She also knows the window is dirty. Like I said, feeling lazy...

Stealing from an old Lady

I feel like I just robbed a bank, or a yarn store, more appropriately. After a pretty terrible 2 days, the weekend outlook is brightening, thanks to a lady who loved to knit, craft, and create. Details of my crappy days are not important to this story; this is a story of unexpected gifts.

In the midst of a pathetic and undeserved pity party for myself, I thanked God for my friend who gave me extra napkins at lunch (because soup after a load of Novocaine is just a bad idea) and only laughed a little. Is the root of the word and main ingredients of Novocaine related to cocaine? Because I don't see why anyone would EVER do cocaine if they had been to the dentist. She also taught me how to "M1R" and "M1L" (insert knitter gang sign here ____) and then assured me that although "St st" did not, in fact, mean "Stuper Stitch" I could call it that if I wanted to.

At the end of the party, Rosa jumped on my face and poked me in the eye with her wet nose so I thanked her, too. "Get over it," she says. "Let's play. Meow." So, before I could sit down to type, we had to play Rosa's throw-the-toys-and-I'll-chase-them-but-won't-bring-them-back game, which might be more fun for her.

This morning I was gifted with a man who asked me to watch his computer while he went to the bathroom. The end. Just kidding. We chatted and I was able to share with him some experiences from Korea and the mission trips in Boracay and Bangalore. A photographer recently interviewed on NPR described photo opportunities falling into her lap as "gifts from God" and I felt the same way about this man. A special conversation in an ordinary setting and crappy week. Thanks.

I was starving for perspective this week, and as it turns out, I did not get it. However, I did get a box from a garage sale. Craigslist has never failed me, and the promise of "knitting and crocheting items" sounded like a good idea. A box of yarn stuffs, a ton of needles, and packet of 1985 knitting patterns later, my soul felt mended. The woman who's crafting empire I was taking over had died earlier this year. Her nephew was selling her life in increments of $1 and 75cents stickers. Proudly hauling my box out of the sale, I asked her name; "Avis," he said. "Hmm, ok, I'll think of her when I knit."

So thank you, Avis for your passion for creating pieces of love for your family. Thanks for keeping some of it for me, too.