September Love

The calendar says September 1.

The leaves are already falling off the trees (a bit early, don't you think?).

And even Spotify graced me with a little Earth, Wind, and Fire this morning.  Do you remember...

So it must be true.  Summer is officially over, and we are launched into one of the busiest months of the year.  I know many of you have been dreading this.  You knew it was coming, and you clung to the end of summer like Linus with his blanket.

Not me.  I say bring it on.  Maybe it's my natural tendency to love change of any kind in my life.  It's keeps things fresh and new.  I'm rather done with summer and doing a little dance today.  I will neither confirm nor deny that I baked a batch of cookies for the occasion.

But I'm sure you already know.

I thought it was only fitting to do a September Top 10 in honor of the first day leading into the best season ever.

September's Top Ten

1. I will say what you're all thinking (even if you won't admit it).... The kids go back to school.  Yes, for some of us, this has already happened, but for everyone else, this is one of the happy days in our parental year.  
2. Things like schedules and family dinners are written into the planner again.  Practices, homework, games... these eat up the white space of our calendars, but for me, that's a good thing.  I do so much better when there is a plan of attack.  White space scares the hell out of me, and I end up watching entire SEASONS of a show on Netflix on a single day.  
3. Weather changes.  Is there anything better than Fall?  I know it doesn't officially begin till September 21, but I can always hope the weather isn't following the calendar too closely.
4. September means the rink will be quiet again during the day.  I'm not going to lie... This summer was hell for everyone involved, and I for one, am happy to be able to think clearly again.
5. Three words:  Hockey season begins.
6. Football is back on TV.  I've never been the biggest fan of football, but I don't mind it on, especially if I have a good book to read.  It's something I can watch with the boys and not feel left out.  That is until ....
7. THE RETURN OF SCANDAL!!
   
8. Let's just hold there for a moment... Fall is the beginning of the TV season, at least for network television, and what I also have started to call DVR season.  We are bombarded with so many new shows (Hello How To Get Away With Murder!), as well as our old favorites that we wouldn't consider missing (i.e. Revenge), and there just isn't enough time each night to see it all!  Enter the blessed DVR.
9. Blake Shelton.  The crush continues.  And so will The Voice, September 22.  
   
10. Reading/Writing time increases.  For whatever reason, I just find more time to write and read during the school year.  The boys are out of the house more, or I'm waiting at school.  Either way, it's more time to get to what I love.  Words.

Word.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Fall

I've had one of those weeks I'd rather forget.  More back issues.  More coughing again.  No sleep.  You know the pattern by now.  Its as if this roller coaster I'm on will try to see how low it can go before it rises back up from the bottom of the hill.

But I know this about life:  rock bottom is just a strong foundation.  Thank you J.K. Rowling for that analogy... I say it to myself daily.

And it's funny, when I get to the bottom of the hill any more, I have less and less patience for it.  I immediately start looking for ways to get out of the hole and how I can fix what really needs healing.  I've done this long enough to know it's not really about the back pain.  There's other stuff going on and I need to start paying attention to what is really going on in my life.  I need to pay attention to my self.

Shocking, I know.

So just like the season I am going to make some changes in my life to see if it will help keep me upright.  Nothing too major, but at this point, I need to work on my health, because I don't want to be that old mom that can't do anything with her kids anymore.  In my head, I'm still fourteen.  In my body, I'm seventy... with emphysema.

I believe it all starts in our own head and how we see the world.  It's either positive or it's negative, and I'm not sure there is any in between when it comes to this.  So I may be uncomfortable sitting here, and I may be coughing like it's my last day, but I have a lovely glass of wine and Revenge will be on soon.  It's all about finding the good in any situation, and if you can't then you need to change the situation.  I know this isn't my natural state, but that's part of what I'm working on.  There's something to be said for rose-colored glasses.

So I will leave you with this tonight, and I hope it finds you somewhere cozy and warm.

"Here's what I tell myself now. That it's vital to learn how to make the best of things. That there is no tenderness without bravery. That if things hadn't been so bad they could never have gotten so good. And that it's always better to have what you have than to get what you wanted. Except for this: Every now and then, when you are impossibly lucky you rise above yourself-and get both."  
~ Katherine Center

Happy Sunday!

Remember me?

It's been weeks since I've written anything for anyone.

Well, it feels like weeks.

I'm not sure how long it really is, but jeez Louise this isn't how I function, and I actually forgot about this until someone mentioned it today.  How could I forget about something that brings me so much happiness?  I'm smiling even as I write this (mostly because I know you were happily shocked to see a
new post today).

So here's the deal... I am officially out of any kind of summer schedule and even got the first week of learn to skate out of the way, so I am going back to making what I love a priority again.  It's strange how quickly all hell can break loose when a schedule is cattywompus, and nothing feels right unless I'm writing or working on something anymore... so I guess you're stuck with me.

Consider my writing like the Fall TV programming.  Sometimes you have to put up with a bunch of repeats till your favorite show comes back on (hello... The Voice is on soon!!)  

Thanks for your patience... I'll check in soon :)

Happy Monday!

I Heart Fall

Shocking, I know.

But today was the bomb (yes, I still say that), and for the first time in a while, I was happy from beginning to end.  So happy I felt like writing.  So many things to be happy about...

Surprise flowers and jewelry waiting for me at work.  And no, I'm not having an affair.

Done with work at Noon.

Leaving Ashley in charge of Monday learn to skate.  Seriously, sharing the stress is definitely going to be my new mantra, and why I didn't think of it sooner is beyond me.

Watching Y & R while eating lunch.  Technically weight watchers frowns upon such things, but I'm not going to give up a moment like this.

Making P-Dub's Roast Chicken for dinner.  I swear Toby and the boys were downright drooling by the time it was done.  If you've never made chicken like this before, make it tonight for dinner.  Hands down, the best dinner we've had in a long time.

And now I settle down to watch a little tv, and while the repeats of Criminal Minds always call to me, I had to go with The Voice tonight.  Honestly, I love it when the networks start showing the new Fall shows.



So, as I sit here and write, I started to think about all the shows coming up, old and new, that kept me up at night.  Okay, tv's not the reason I have insomnia, but hey, it's fun to blame something.

So here is my line up for the Fall TV Season:

1.  I've already mentioned the first one, The Voice.  I have equal crushes on Blake and Adam.  And sometimes there is good singing.

2.
Last year's addiction, Revenge, is now moving to Sundays.  They could move it to Saturday morning at 3 am, and I'd still find a way to watch it.  Absolutely my favorite show in a long time, and I can't wait for the season premier.  The fact that they're making us wait till September 30 to see it, doesn't quite seem fair.  Sigh...

3.   One of the best. shows. ever. when it comes to families and relationships.  Love the characters, the witty banter, and best of all, I get a good cry at least once a week.  P.S.  It starts tomorrow!!

4. I know many of you might be cringing, but I can't help it.  Blake and I have never missed a season.  Yes, we'll miss an episode every now and again, but thankfully it's On Demand.
Survivors? Go!

5.  Out of all the new shows, this one might have the most promise.  Great story line, great cast, and well, I do love me some country music.

So there, that's my list.

What will you be watching this Fall?

Inspiration, part 78

This might be my favorite subject of all times.

One never knows when they are going to be inspired and determined to rid themselves of the nasty feelings inside for more lighter and brighter ones. It literally can happen at any given moment. Usually, there is a reason (a person, place or thing) for the feeling of "Okay, I can do this" to capture your heart. And sometimes, its just that feeling of being sick of the stupid voices in your head that will push you into a positive momentum.

This is a combination of both.

Plus, Evan goes back to school tomorrow, which means that Blake goes back the following week, and everyone knows that structure and I go waaaay back. Structure is my BFF. I don't think I'm alone in this, although everyone I talk to says 'it's too soon to go back to school' or 'I'm not ready for summer to be over.'


I want to hit these people.

Am I ready to start fighting with Evan over grades, no, but at least it's not about who gets the xBox next and for how long. I know that Fall isn't going to bring that world peace feeling I'm longing for, but at least I won't be battling the guilt of leaving my kids at home while I work all summer. So at least I have that going for me.

Tonight, I finally picked up Anna Quindlen's Lot's of Candles, Plenty of Cake probably because I was internally seeking some inspiration, and clearly, she doesn't disappoint. After the first two pages, I literally thought to myself, why am I not writing about all this crazy stuff in my head. Surely there is someone who can relate with me?

Anyone?

But it really doesn't matter if no one replies, because I know you're out there. And even if it's not about summer ending, there's something else going on in your life, and it's just nice to know that we're all going through some sort of challenge.

We need to stick together at times like this.

And we definitely need our inspiration.