Crazy Beautiful October

Oh, October, you are such a crazy beautiful month for me.  You would think February would be my favorite with my birthday, and all, but it’s you, October.

On the surface you are covered in Technicolor leaves, long shadows, sweaters and BOOTS!!  Dig deeper and you see the beauty.

Let’s start at the end and work our way to the beginning.

I love CANDY!!  As far as the confections go, it’s a near tie with Easter.  Easter wins by a nose – or should I say a Cadbury Creme Egg.  Not one for all the gore, but I do like pumpkins, straw bales, fodder shocks, and scarecrows!

The 30^th was my grannny’s birthday.  I grew up with my granny living with us since I was about 3 years old.  She actually passed away on my birthday.  I actually think of it as a favor that gave us another little bond to share.  I say this because my amazing little sister’s birthday is on the 29^th!  They always had the birthday thing in common.  Strangely, I've never asked my sister what she thought about that.  Hmm…

ALLUME!!!  October 25-28 I am going to hang out with nearly 400 other women (and a couple guys) in Harrisburg, PA.  What started out as a plan to simply go and support a friend has turned out to be the most anticipated event of the year.  I wasn’t even doing this yet when I punched my party ticket.  Now there are so many fabulous gals that I can’t wait to hug and I know there will be others that I don’t even know about that will make a huge impact on my life.  There will be much more about this later.

The middle and beginning of the month is littered with birthdays of cousins and an uncle and so many other relatives and friends.  I honestly have a hard time remembering who is when, except for the 5^th.  The 5^th belongs to my dear mother in law.

Are you starting to see all the crazy beautiful?  I haven’t even mentioned the smells.  I want an October candle that smells like the leaves on the ground and the cool in the air.  Mix in a little smoke from bonfires and brush piles and it’s perfection.  The indoor smells of soups, chili, hot chocolate, steaming cups of tea, and apples would be a good candle, too.  Close your eyes… can you smell them?

Finally we have made it to the beginning of the month and the beauty explodes.  The first is a day of pondering how history split into before and after. [Tears welling up and breath catching as I write this.]  The first is the realization of all the Octoberness that is before me, that the year is waning and how different life used to be – life before the 2^nd.

First meeting!

The 2^nd of October is a date burned into my heart and mind.  I relive every anxious and excited moment of this day in 2009.  I adjust for the time zones and latitude and walk it again.  At 1:50 Mountain time, we saw and held our little guy for the first time in person.  Life changed.  The world changed.  Everything changed.  This is the day we became a family of three!  There aren’t enough words to write the whole story, it’s still being told.

This year will be different as we start to explain the day and answer any questions that might be posed.  This glorious little mind boggles mine with his understanding and perception and curiosity.  There will be trick questions with even trickier answers.  I am praying for wisdom to answer with honesty and the right amount of truth for each passing day.  This is by no means a secret, but he is just now getting to a point of understanding past, present and future.

Finally, there is a secret I’ve been keeping for about a month.  Tomorrow morning I am going to spill the beans at 6 AM sharp.  You will NOT want to miss out on this.  This is a coordinated joint strike the likes of which the military would be proud to call their own.  There will be a little something for everyone.  I am nervous, excited, and humbled by this new venture.  Most of all, You and I will be (in)Couraged.  Please join me.  You won’t be sorry.

Happy October to you all!  My little guy was super excited at breakfast when I told him it was October.  He bounced in his seat and shouted, “This is when the PUMPKINS come!”  I’m not the only one in the house with enthusiasm.

What is your favorite thing about October?