Fall is here

A lazy Sunday is rolling out before us.  Loads of laundry, dishes, sweeping...the usual suspects of a Sunday line-up.  This morning, however, I woke a bit early to watch the Chicago Marathon.  I have been lucky enough to run in two Chicago Marathons.  Getting to see some of the elite runners in the world compete is a real treat.  Running sub-five minute miles the entire way.  What an amazing event.  To watch everyday people meet their goals and accomplish something that they once thought impossible, it is inspiring.  It reminded me of why I love running and especially why the marathon encapsulates so many positive qualities about humanity.

With my fill of inspiration, I move through today with hope for the world, and take time to enjoy watching my daughters play and laugh and live their little lives.  The NFL now fills the TV screen, and the girls are enjoying a tea party before nap time.  The laundry is folded, the dishwasher hums peacefully in the kitchen, and the dog snores next to me on the couch.  Soon a book and an afternoon snooze will make my Sunday complete.

Now a couple weeks later, this blog post remains incomplete, and unposted still.  It is mid October now, and the leaves are in full-firework mode before they fall for the winter.  It is so beautiful that I forget how lucky I am to be witness to this all.  We celebrate Violet's birthday, even though it is still a couple weeks away.  That is all fine and well, though, as three-year-olds should have multi-day celebrations!  These are the things in life worth living for.  We have been enjoying the crisp fall days, going on walks, laughing, savoring the sunlight before earlier and earlier blankets of darkness cover the sky and usher us indoors.

This past winter was brutal, and it is one that I have kept close to mind.  Past winters, even since childhood, have seemed to come and go.  Last winter, however, was cold, and unforgiving, and relentless.  I remember clearly promising out loud that I would not complain of summer heat if and when it finally arrived...and I stuck to that promise.  Even now, as the days cool and the nights start earlier, I do not complain, and rather prefer to enjoy that day which is given to me.  Even when the snow finally does begin to fall, I will do my best to remember the warmth of days past and know that the snow does not last forever, although it may seem so some days.

The bigger picture is that our family is happy and healthy.  Kim is working hard and being very productive at work and always looking for new opportunities to advance her career.  She works tirelessly on her photography, and I couldn't be more proud of her.  Oh, and she is a terrific mother to top it all off.  Audrey is just amazing us every day with what she learns, what she retains, and how she applies her understanding of things to everything around her.  She is so sweet and always trying her best, and we love her.  Violet, as stated earlier, is almost three.  She is a nut, and the biggest sweetheart of all.  While she can be crazy, she can also be equally sweet and cuddly.  I am so lucky to lay my head each night in my home and fall asleep being surrounded by such amazing family.

Now it is time to spend the rest of the evening with my kiddos and wife, enjoying some football and maybe even a cookie or two!  What a life...  

October welcomings

Welcome October!  Bring your cape of colorful leaves and sunsets and blanket our lives.  A chill enters the air, and every breath we take brings a crisp shot of life with it.  We sift through closets, finding blankets and warm socks to trap our heat while lazing on the couch this Saturday.  The on and off rain keeps us at bay in our shipyard of toys and magazines and books yet to be explored.  While the darkness is finding more and more of the light to overtake, we laugh and play inside our house, not caring that a frost is on the way and rumors of snow may find their way into truth.

This is the season of transition.  We sleep a little deeper, play outside a little harder, savor the sun just a little bit more.  For we know that winter is not too far off, and the leaves falling are the same as grains of sand in an hourglass.  We are finding layers of clothes in preparation for our constant battle with the elements, hoping to retain that much more body heat with each shirt and sweater.  While we still get outside, we no longer play in shorts and a shirt, but in pants and something thicker with long sleeves.

Audrey and Violet are noticing the fresh chill in the air, and the moon rising earlier and earlier each day.  A season of brisk walks and stomping through fallen leaves awaits these two little sprites.  Phoebe the dog seems more energetic with her cooler environment.  The rabbits still outrun her, but not by much, as they must dive into nearby bushes to avoid capture.  Our little family is organizing and cleaning this weekend, trying to find more space for blankets and getting indoor activities prepared for when we can no longer stay outside.

So we huddle close, toasting ourselves under thick blankets, feeling safe and secure.  It has been a beautiful day, despite runny noses and some hacking coughs.  Thoughts of Alaska and family fill my head and heart.  Fall in Juneau is always a beautiful, special time.  Foggy memories of rosy noses and the frost line dropping down from the mountains make me sigh with nostalgia.  And so I button the top button, and take a deep breath and slowly exhale, thinking about the life I've lived and the life yet to be discovered and explored.  I give thanks to being allowed to enjoy life on this little pebble known as Earth.  I try to learn from my mistakes, and not repeat them despite seeing them from a distance at times.  And as sure as the seasons will change, I, too, try to change with them for the better.  I hope to be a source of warmth and comfort to those in my life and around me as the chill of the night creeps just outside my door.

-a