Leaves of a Different Color

Autumn back in the midwest has been a great one. The vivacious colors of fall have captivated my awestruck wonder. The gorgeous colors that have surrounded us have been much enjoyed. The last few days have brought high winds and the color has greatly diminished as leaves have flown and swirled. The yard was covered in fun, crunchy leaves, but most of them are gone, probably submerged to the bottom of our pond.

The year 2011 has flown by in a crazy way, where you catch yourself wondering where the time has gone. A significant chunk of that time goes to just running a household, or for Brian juggling a career, and both of us slowly fixing up this house that is shaping up to be our home as we decorate to our liking, building new memories here, new stories, more tales of "Gus" the ghost who lives here. Or perhaps it really is "Casper," which is how Morgan refers to him, with unyielding certainty.

"Casper" has been guilty of many things - the other day he took the form of Tristen and ran Caden into a wall. Morgan freaks out EVERY time something happens that his four year old brain can't comprehend, which is daily, and he vocalizes his concerns: "Did you hear that?" "I wanna go home." "Don't you wish we were in Texas?" "What was that?" "That's freakin' me out!" "Oh my gosh!" These are the regular phrases that usually have his older brothers and Hal in stitches, with his big blue eyes and his dramatic voice and posture.

So I have come to embrace this ghost, who pees all over the toilet seat, leaves toys in the bathtub, glasses and cups all over the house and is the reason for many screams and taunts, usually at the expense of Caden and Morgan.

Halloween is around the corner. I don't think we've decided on costumes for sure, but there have been many discussions about it. We've been wanting to go visit family, and I think Brian is taking the kids to Indiana this weekend. After much hemming and hawing, I think I will stay here and try to wrap up some of these projects. I started laying the laminate in our bedroom. For months we've been walking on nasty, chalky particle board and my clothes are still in bags and cubicles. A normal, functioning closet will be bliss. Right now 1/3 or our room holds a large majority all of our belongings and I'm yearning for some organization. So, I think I'm going to stay behind to try to complete some of these projects, like the baseboard, some of the closet, the last window that needs painted and detailed (in the master bedroom anyhow) and at least a little more of the floor if possible.

Enjoy this beautiful fall, with the fresh air and brisk mornings, and evenings that continue to get darker earlier and earlier as nightfall creeps in. Crimson red, golden yellow and fiery orange treetops line the highways and country roads in a rustic rainbow that only autumn provides. Some warm sunny days, some cloudy days with a fierce coolness that requires a jacket, and maybe a hat as you enjoy fantastic time of year.