Fall Beginnings

This has been a strange summer, that's for sure. We had multiple 100+ degree days in June and July, and now that August is here, generally the hottest and most humid month, things are cooling off. We even turned off the AC this weekend! At night we cranked it back up because the dogs (and we) get hot while we're sleeping, but during the day I was bundled up in sweatpants! And today it has been so dark and dreary and full of thunderstorms, it seems like it's late Fall instead of technically still Summer! We planned to take Morgan to the zoo yesterday, and we were so psyched for it but it started sprinkling around noon when we were getting ready to leave. And with a 50% chance of thunderstorms all day in DC, we decided it wasn't worth the risk, especially after paying to take the metro there and back. With rain coming down, we knew the animals wouldn't want to be out in that weather if we didn't want to be either, so it would be a waste! We'll try again in a couple of weeks. Instead, we headed to Johnny Rockets for lunch, and thought about going to see that new movie ParaNorman, but decided to save that for another day. Instead we stopped for Costco and Giant for some errands, and spent the rest of the day inside. Josh started turning Morgan towards the dark side, teaching her how to play World of Warcraft! She seems to really like it....better her than me! I attempted it for 15 minutes once, and that was the end of it for me. Except for Donkey Kong Country and Super MarioKart, I'm not much of a video game player. If we ever have a son, we'll let him be the one to get into all that!!

When we were heading home from lunch, Morgan said she was excited about Monday with school starting because she likes her teachers and gets to see all her friends, but she was also sad because summer was coming to an end (and what an action-packed summer she had between her two houses! Ocean City, Pensacola, Niagara Falls, Myrtle Beach...no wonder her summer vacation seemed to fly by!). She also said she is bummed that Spanish is her first class of the day because she hates Spanish. How funny that people are so different...she loves science and that kind of thing, but I would have been psyched to have Spanish first class of the day, I always loved language classes. Listening to her talk about getting ready for the new school year made me miss those days of being a kid...both younger and then transitioning into the teen years. I have so many great memories of those days...random ones that seem to be sticking out in my mind lately, mostly taking place in the Fall. Must be due to this chilly weather. I had the biggest craving for my mom's chocolate chip cookies the other day, fresh baked from the oven. I remember when she'd make a big batch of them, especially around my birthday in October, and then pack a Ziploc bag full for me to take to snack on at lunch (and let's face it, during class). Or walking home in the cool Fall months from the bus stop, only to step inside the nice warm house and smell my favorite beef stew on the stove and crescent rolls in the oven. And on the weekends, having friends stay the night for sleepovers, when we'd be up all night watching movies and eating junk food. Waking up Sunday morning to the smell of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in the oven. Even the smell of woodfire outside makes me think of my dad burning all those Fall leaves around November, after he raked them into a big pile and my German Shephard jumped into them headfirst. I think this is why Fall is my favorite season....new school years and new beginnings. Most people view New Year's Eve and Day as the time to start fresh, but for me it's the Fall. It's the start of all the best things....football season, chili simmering in the crock pot, decorations for all the holidays coming out, the best Yankee candle scents appearing in the stores, my dog sitting on the deck all day long in the cool crisp weather, and best of all, sitting on the couch all day in jeans and a hoodie and not feeling a damn bit guilty about it because let's face it, it gets dark too early to be productive!! So even though I'm not in school any longer, I've decided I'm going to be just as excited about this year as Morgan, and I'm going to set a new Fall resolution instead of a new Year's resolution. It's time to incorporate all those memories from my childhood into current ones, and be thankful that I have a wonderful husband with whom I can enjoy all of these little blessings. And the best part of all....even with Summer not officially ending until mid-September, in my mind Labor Day = Fall, so in one week I get to put out my seasonal decorations!! Who else out there has great Fall memories?? I'd love to hear them!!