Autumn

This is my favorite time of year.  I love Autumn.  I love the crispness in the air, the leaves changing colors and falling off the trees, Thanksgiving, and my all-time fave, Halloween.  It's a little weird for me this year though.  This time last year is when I first got sick.  I was feeling good, as good as I feel now, and then BOOM, sick.  Right after my birthday in mid-October.  Everything reminds me of it right now.  We went to Lowe's today and I remember going to Lowe's right before it happened.  I remember laughing at Asher's excitement at all of the Halloween and Christmas decorations.  I remember looking forward to the holidays and the chilly air.  I've got a lot of deja vu going on.  Vocalizing it means it won't happen, right?

My 3 year old teenager

How did we end up with a 3 year old teenager?  I tried to evoke excitement for an upcoming, fun-filled event, to which Asher's response to, "Doesn't that sound fun?" involved a sullenly expressed, "Not really, Mom."  Followed by the eye-roll.  Okay, not a full-fledged roll, but definitely an eye-shift to the side, emphasizing how unfun it sounded.  He recently said, "Whatever." Refuses to discuss his day at school.  Retrieving information about his day is like pulling teeth.  Although, if he's really happy or excited, he'll pop.  It's like he can't contain his excitement and it comes bubbling out in the form a loudly yelled, "POP!" I love those pops.  I doubt he'll do that as a teenager.

Reading and Writing

You know that feeling you get after you've finished a really great book?  Like you've been changed somehow?  That's what I'm feeling right now.  I just finished The Time Between by Karen White.  Wow, what a great book.  I found myself marveling throughout the novel at the author's ability to create such a touching and powerful story, with characters complex and human.  So many times while reading I wondered how she came up with that.  As many of you know, I am writing my own fiction-based novel.  I am at 10,000 words now (a novel is typically around 60,000).  I said I would write every day, no matter if I felt like it or not, but I haven't.  Between trips, occasions, and life, I've found it hard to find time to write and harder still when I sit down to try.  I pretty much have to reread the story, which takes some time, to remember where I am and what's happened.  However, despite the hiccups in my trajectory, I will soldier on.  I still love writing it and feel immense pleasure when I take up my keyboard to delve back in.  Today, though, I had to finish White's book.  I couldn't put it down.  I thought at one point, how could I write a book after reading one from such an accomplished author.  I've had this discussion before.  If there is no hope of writing like JK Rowling, why bother?  Let the masters make their masterpieces.  While I have nowhere near the ability of these and many great authors, the process of creating something entirely my own from nothing is truly invigorating.

Moderation

Never one to diet, my grandmother has always lived and eaten according to moderation.  My brother-in-law recently sent me an article on debunking so-called "clean" eating.  Basically, the article explained that food is food, there is no such thing as clean food, and while some foods are better for you than others, any and all in moderation is fine.  As my mother-in-law says, the hard part of moderation is moderation.  I completely agree.  While I am currently not one to really shun any food group, I have been known in the past to be pretty strict about my nutrition and my son's.  These days, I sing a little different tune, aiming more for moderation, with a sticky side of sweet binging that may need some tweaking.  My husband, who could not believe I didn't eat meat when he met me and made fun of me for years for my healthy ways, will now not touch red meat (after watching Forks Over Knives) and insists on sending Asher something green or veggie every day for lunch regardless of whether or not he will actually eat said green.  Funny how things change.

August's End

Nothing feels quite so good as toes in the sand, salt in the air, and the surf sounds rushing in with the wind.  I couldn't quite believe we were in Seaside after this crazy year.   It had been ten years since I had last seen Seaside, and while there were some obvious changes (new restaurants and shops and awesome food trucks), much of what I remembered was the same.  The houses were quaint and colorful, the tourists were happy, and there was a lot of ice cream to be eaten.  We traveled by bicycles, with Asher in a caboose, and lived in our make-believe bubble for Labor Day Weekend.  It was a perfect beach trip.  Asher and Lawson spent all day playing in the sand, crashing in the afternoon, and every evening was spent back on the beach, nights topped off with ice cream.  After a brief visit to St. Louis, where I got to reconnect with two dear friends and convince my doctor that I didn't need any more IVIG (woohoo!), this end to August was very sweet.