Thanks, everybody, for your kind words and interaction and teasing over my button collection of which I am quite proud Seriously, it has been fun getting back into the blogging thing. I never realize how much I miss it until I get back to it after a long break. Getting the words to flow is still like having teeth extracted, but hey…we are only four days in. It’s gotta get better, right?

Defying all expectations, the leaves have finally turned color here in Virginia. Serious colors, mind you. Like don’t-even-have-to-tweak-the-color-on-the-edit-button colors. And we have had the windows open. It’s that rare, in-between weather that is cold in the morning and comfy during the day, and as the sun goes down, you have to pull on a sweater. AKA…the best time of the year. Autumn in Virginia is like no other place. Sure, we live 18 miles out of DC, which makes my people say things like, “it’s not REALLY Virginia,” and “yeah, we are south of the Mason-Dixon Line, but it’s not REALLY the south.” Y’all. As I sit here looking out over our deck, and see nothing but color and I hear all the birds singing, and smell all the fresh, outdoorsy smells of Fall, Washington, DC is a zillion miles away. And that, folks, is about as political as you will see me get here on This Girl.

So, it’s Sunday. Sunday has taken a turn for us the last few months. We get up earlier and enjoy some time with Mad Max, a walk, some breakfast. I don’t know about y’all, but Sunday with children was never a day of rest for us. Seemed like it was the perfect opportunity for Satan to get us all worked up, stressed out and hollering, just in time to grit our teeth, put on The Face, and stroll into church like we had it all together and everything was just peachy. And though our children are long grown, it has taken us this long to get out of that mindset and embrace the calm and loveliness that truly is the Sabbath. We have been going to church earlier and grabbing brunch and just enjoying the day before heading to the barn in the afternoon for a couple of hours. Then off for a bite to eat down in Clifton, or eggs on toast back at the house, the rest of the evening is full on chill. I mean, that is what it is supposed to be like, right? Some days, yeah, I do miss the Sunday soccer games, being on the go all day long, trying to squeeze some actual Worship in between games and school projects, no really, I do miss that at times. But this empty-nester slice of Heaven right now…it’s pretty good, too. And it’s all just in time for The Holiday Season. I kinda like this time of year where Summer ends, Halloween comes and go, and it is a full-on sprint to January 1. The best part is Family. The month of November is already jam pack full of weekend trips to see our people and our people making the trip here to see us and I can. not. wait. And seriously, if I start to complain even the slightest about any of it…call me out. Because this stuff right here…the hustle and bustle, the coming and going, the plotting and planning, the cooking and baking, the hugging and laughing, all of it…this is Life. And I’m thankful for it.

See Y’all tomorrow.