Around Here: Week 44 2023

 {October 29-November 4th}

The boys & their uncle Dalton

I tried to scare the twins wearing this,
but they just laughed at me.

Reading... Letters to a Leaving Mormon (written by my friend Ashmae) and finishing Simon Sort of Says, which I LOVED!

Attending... more math field experience in first grade. The teacher I'm working with is so great and enthusiastic, and her students are so fun. I adore them. 

Not driving... much at all these days as Jack is doing all the driving. He's attending Traffic Safety twice a week and is doing really well behind the wheel. 

Starting... my social studies field experience in third grade. We are doing a unit on Washington State, creating a timeline, and it's been so fun to be in there.  It's good for me to be around older kids because it reminds me that I love kids of just about any age. (I have previously been worried about if I get hired for older grades, like fourth and fifth, and while that's not ideal, it's good to remember that kids are kids, and I'll embrace it!)

Sending... the kids to the land with Josh and feeling so grateful for him (and his mom) for having the whole crazy crew so I can work in peace for the day.  

Realizing... my most recent bookmarks are adoption announcements for my nieces Romy & Daphne. Aww! Love those little girls so stinking much!

Carving... pumpkins with Josh and the kids until my Squash Hands (Google it. It's a real thing!) made an appearance. Then I just watched.  I am so grateful for the dad Josh is- he's so fun. He ordered the coolest LED candles (that change colors) for inside the pumpkins, and some really neat carving cookie cutter type things for pumpkins. The kids really enjoyed those. 

Doing... Carly's hair for Crazy Hair Day.  She wanted a million clips so that's what we did!

Loving... George and the kittens getting more friendly. Aww!!

Trick-or-treating... with Carly on Halloween and loving how immediately upon arriving home she got to work sorting her candies. It's such a classic childhood thing to do. 

Constantly... calculating GPA's with the boys to see if they have the 3.0 required for getting their licenses. 

Working out... everyday so far in November. I am so proud of myself! I started with walking workouts on YouTube with Leslie Sansone, but then moved to walking/jogging on the treadmill with good music. 

Bravely... killing a jumping spider I found on a water glass on our bar. I was terrified. And I yelled. And I used my shoe to smash it on the bar... but I did it! Haha! 

Feeling... cozy from the lamps I got for $10 each at Walmart. I put one in the kitchen and one in the family room and one in the laundry room. 

Enjoying... the geese flying overhead so much. It just fills my soul, the sounds and the sights of them flocking together, filling the sky. 

I wrote this piece about autumn, inspired by it all around me:

Summer is easy. Her beauty is everywhere. In the warm sun. The blue skies. The pink watermelon and the refreshing water of our pool. She’s unrushed and inviting. She’s a beautiful girl whose smile lights up the room.

Autumn is moody. Autumn is hard. Autumn is the girl whose friendship you cherish, whose secrets you’ve earned. She makes you work for the smiles, the beauty, the joy.

You have to go slow. Pause. Take in the geese honking and notice the yellow glow that seems to come from inside the red-orange changing leaves. You have to listen. As they crunch under your feet. As the rain patters gently on the rooftop. As the world exhales from growing, blooming, producing, and prepares to rest for winter.

But if you’re patient. If you open your eyes and take a moment, you’ll find it. The joy that is to be had at darker evenings, soup dinners and lit candles. The beauty that is to be seen in dried out corn stalks, rust colored gourds and extra throw blankets strewn about because of the chill.

It’s there.
You just have to be willing to search for it.

***