Not Gone Yet: Two More Weeks of Summer

I. am. not. ready. for. fall. It is only the first week of September but the mornings are crisp and it smells like a new season. Nick started back to class on Tuesday and has been saying things like "Oh football is almost here!" and "We should have friends over for a bonfire." But I try to push away his comments. I love lazy football Sundays and nothing smells better than snapping pines over open flame but I am not ready for summer to be over. What about going to the beach and baseball games and being able to walk outside without it hurting?

Sorry to those offended by feet.

Football, bonfires, pumpkin lattes, cute sweaters, and yummy smelling air are all tricks!! It's like the stranger offering you candy. I love snickers as much as the next guy but that peanut chocolate goodness comes with consequences and those consequences last for nine months in this part of the country!

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring"


I found this quote the other day while looking for something else and while I know it is true, it is not easy. I am trying though. Yesterday I was so thrown by the brisk morning air that I layered myself unnecessarily while walking to the train and was stripping down by the time I got to work. Today I was a little smarter in the clothing choices and I actually enjoyed my walk into work. It was one of those mornings that the air smelled so good. It was fresh and clean and was lulling me into a haze of memories.

• It made me think about the first days of school and how I always started the year so organized. I would have a new backpack and sharpened pencils and fresh notebooks and somehow the Trapperkeeper or the giant Crayola box or the Lisa Frank folders translated into excitement for a new year. I loved buying school supplies and poured over options for what to wear on the first day. I always planned out my outfits for the first week and coincidentally, or maybe not so much, the first week is about as long as I ever maintained my organization. The moment I found comfort in friends, a clean backpack mattered much less

• It reminded me of Australia. When we first got there it was July and the middle of winter. The air smelled like wood chips and grass and I was in a constant state of awe. I was alone in a foreign country and had no idea what my life would look like the next day or week or month. I was very tense when I went somewhere as I was only ever half sure of where I was going. I remember taking cabs a lot in the first few weeks and coincidentally, or maybe not so much, I started walking everywhere once I figured out how I would be spending my time. The moment I found comfort in friends, getting places quickly mattered much less.

Winter on a beach in Jervis Bay, Australia.





Nick and I very early on at his Minnesota themed party. That scarf is the first gift he ever gave me.