Running into Fall

Violet at the movies!  Fruit punch, mac n cheese, and waffle fries.

The weather here in the Midwest has turned, and the arm days are almost completely behind us.  While the cold does not nip at our faces just yet, the cool embrace of a fall wind gives me a chilling reminder of things to come.  Last night I lay awake at 3am, listening to the hard rain beat against our house while flashes of lightning and booming thunder demanded my attention.  How lucky I am to be able to lay there in darkness, simply listening and breathing.

Daddy and daughter at the movies on a stormy Sunday.

Our weekend was one of relaxation and simply being.  The rain and high winds kept us indoors for the most part, although today we made a trip to visit friends and enjoy a coffee on the drive over.  Tonight we are all in pajamas, watching TV and being lazy in the living room before bed.  Sam crawls from person to person playing for a bit before finding another item to attempt to put in his mouth or another crevice of the house to explore.  The baby gates are up, but he does not let them dampen his spirit of adventure.

Violet was excited to see this movie.  The TV show is great..the movie was made better by the company I went with.

The last couple days I have been finding some time to get back out and start running again.  While there are no races on my calendar anymore, I still feel the need to just get out there and get back to running to feel good about myself and get more fit.  As the weather cools even more, I hope to find peace and happiness just being out there, adding miles to my legs and savoring the sweat and centered mind that comes with the distance.  And as I enter my warm home from the chill air and setting sun outside, I am grateful for all that lies beyond the door inside my home.

So for now, we enjoy the days as they get shorter and shorter, and the nights get cooler and cooler.  Soon the ghosts and goblins will be upon us, and then Violet will be six years old, and we will soon be on our way to Thanksgiving with family.  It is my favorite time of year, but I will always settle for the moment that is right now.  And at this particular moment, it is time for a little boy to have his evening bottle and his two sisters to brush teeth before their bedtime stories.

Stay warm.

-a

A Cubs zombie in the entrance of the movie theater.

Sam...king of the cereal puffs.

Sam keeping dad awake.

Sam proud of his accomplishment of keeping me from grading papers.

Baby butt.

At Brookfield Zoo on a nice afternoon.

Violet with giraffes in the background.

Brookfield pumpkin and the girls.

Sam snoozing at the zoo.