Autumn only comes around once a year

It's officially Autumn in our household... 

Pumpkin Spice burning on the counter, 

a few Halloween decorations strategically placed throughout the inside (& outside) house, 

scarves hanging around in my closet - ready to tie on at a moment's notice, 

white summer handbags being exchanged for darker, fall prints on the shelf...

Here are some goals I have for these upcoming chillier months: 

Learn to bake bread.  A dear friend gave me her bread machine, as she claimed to never use it, & I am ready to learn now.  I want to smell the fresh bread & see it on my counter... I want to offer up the delicious taste of real, freshly baked bread. (Anyone out there want to argue that bread machine bread isn't freshly baked? Go for it... I'll give you that, but I'm still excited)

Following in that pattern, I want to cook more.  I do this every time the weather turns cold... there's something about the crisp air & the falling leaves that makes me ready to cook.  When the heat comes back & summer rolls around, I forego much of the kitchen for the ease (& responsibility placed on the Huz) of the grill & steamed veggies.  But now... now it's time for the crock pots to come out from their basement hiding place, for the dinners to get slightly more intricate & detailed & for leftovers to be abundant.  Happily, over the weekend at one of my best friend's wedding, I was let in on the secret of her sister's blog - an amazing piece of food literacy that I can't wait to tackle.

Learn to make a roaring fire... With the Huz traveling so often for work & my house staying at a chilly 65 degrees this week, I'm inclined to start a fire. However, because this house came with a wood burning fireplace, rather than a flip switch gas one, I think I need a lesson first, so the house won't go down in flames.

Give my dog a new attitude & a little less weight.  Yes, I realize this sounds a bit harsh, but the time has come.  We went to our new vet last week & he let me in on a few secrets.  For one, he's a tad overweight.  Someone (I won't mention who, as I love my in-laws dearly) said to feed the Tuckster raw eggs to cut down on shedding.  Well fast forward 2 months & 9 pounds later, he needs to cut weight.  Also, we need to work on his attitude.  The dog barks all the time now (thanks former neighbor dog who was overly aggressive & barked constantly) & he is a little more obnoxious than I like, so some retraining must be done. 

Oh Autumn, you're my favorite...

football parties, going late into the evening, while each of us whoops & hollers for our own team (Da Bears... duh ...Iowa State, of course & Iowa too, as long as they don't play each other ;) )...

careful consideration for which Halloween costume will be chosen this year & exactly what kind of candy B will be allowed to consume

crunchy leaves as the neighborhood bus pulls up & lets off the kids... rushing to meet their moms & siblings...
the promise of apple orchards & pumpkin farms full of warm cider & jack o'lanterns

Oh Autumn, I love you so...

How did I get here?

My brother in law is graduating from college this Saturday, from the University of Iowa.  While I went to Iowa State University (go Cyclones!), I have no real animosity towards U of I, unless of course, it's the annual Cy-Hawk game.  And then it's on- I'm like a Cyclone fan from your worst nightmare (if you're a Hawkeye fan, that is).  I'll talk crap & razz you until you finally give in.  And then, if the Cyclones don't win (like this year) ... or even when they do win, I'll laugh & say it was all in good fun anyway!

Anyway, this 'time of year' has me thinking back to when DH & I graduated from ISU.  It seems like so much has happened in the 3 years since we graduated, that it can't possibly have only been 3 years ago.  We've moved from ISU to the Quad Cities (Iowa side), to Seattle, to Small City in Illinois, to Downtown Chicago, to Suburban Chicago, Illinois.  That's technically 6 homes in 3 years.  Yep, no big deal.  Except when you add that first of all, Seattle is all the way across the country where no one we are related to lives & we had to miss Thanksgiving & Christmas, weddings & birthdays, etc. etc etc.  And we got married, in Iowa, while we lived there.

We also found out I was pregnant the week after we moved into our very first purchased home is that Small City in Illinois, had Baby B (almost exactly 1 year ago) & then moved away from our very first purchased home when B was 4 months old.

So how did I get here?  3 years ago I was a young Apparel Merchandising, Design, & Production major at Iowa State University.  A member of a sorority who had moved out of the chapter house to live with my boyfriend, who was at that point, my fiance.  I was still grabbing coffee & going to class where I learned about who Bonnie Cashun was & what she did for the world & the live & times of a Miss Coco Chanel.  My favorite textbook was Vogue.  I was a bartender at a lovely restaurant bar known for it's yummy pizza & it's fabulous beer selection (over 110 beers ON TAP).   I was making martinis with good friends in our apartments & laughing about who did what at the last house party.  I was reminiscing about the years before, saying 'It seems like so long ago... when we stole the Phi Delts composite & watched the ATO's roast a pig in their parking lot.   And now, it really does seem like so long ago.  Like an entirely different lifetime.  Maybe someone else's life?

How did I become a stay at home mom in the Suburbs, with an almost 1 year old son, & a husband with whom I'll be celebrating 3 years of marriage this Spring?  How did I become the one who has 'traded in' all my sorority sisters for my mom's group (no, I'm not not friends with them anymore- we just don't live in the same city! Some of them are my very best friends!)? How did I become the girl who can only drink 2 drinks or I'm not going to want to get up in the morning?

I guess it's a simple answer, really.  I became this way because ultimately, that's what I wanted.  And I think that's what God wanted for me & my family.  A small family unit, who adores one another, who can't imagine life without that 'driving me crazy' 85 pound dog, & that absolutely beautiful (for a boy!) baby boy, & that hardworking, generous man who I'm lucky enough to be spending the rest of my life with.  I'm lucky enough to want to stay up wrapping Christmas presents for my family with my amazing husband.  Lucky enough to want to make dinner each night (okay, maybe not each night), while a small person has attached himself to my leg or while he throws everything he can access out of the kitchen cabinets.   I'm lucky enough to know that I should not take a second of this for granted, because just 3 short years ago, I didn't really have any of it, & while that was fun & all, this is the best feeling ever.

So I'll remember that this Saturday, while I watch my brother in law walk across that stage to accept his degree.  I'll remember while I watch him hug his fiance & while they snuggle their nephew, B, a little.  I'll remember that... while I watch them spend the next few years 'getting here'.

I'll remember how much fun it was, going from there to here.