September is one of my favorite months, mainly because it is the gateway to fall, but also because I have great memories of events that have taken place in September, including giving birth to my son and getting married; in my opinion, September is the ideal month for a wedding, hands down. Plus, it is perfectly acceptable to start decorating for Halloween in September, and, we all know how I feel about Halloween. Anyhoodle, I am linking up with Sheaffer and Shay to show September the love, so, let's get started.
What We're Eating
I have eaten some really amazing things this month, starting
with the artichoke dip and pasta dish that I had at a little Italian place in
Pixler. I enjoyed them with a blue cheese salad and a glass of Merlot and told
myself that the calories were justified because it was Hugh and my 26th
anniversary.
Unfortunately, I have no justification for the calories I
consumed in the dishes that I ate while in Baltimore on business a bit later in the month,
including roasted pepper bruschetta, a fabulous cheese board, and a chicken Marsala that was to die for.
I’m trying to reign myself
back in so as not to further expand my ass, but, whether or not I am successful
remains to be seen.
The Man-Cub turned 21 on Monday, and I have been doing a lot
of reminiscing about when he and his sister were younger. September was always
a favorite month for me back then; when back-to school shopping and homecoming
planning were high on my list of priorities. Those were good times.
I'm loving the slightly cooler weather that we have been having recently. It's made spending time outdoors more pleasant, and, I didn't sweat my ass off while I was decorating the porch for fall.
What I've Been Up To
One of Queen B’s college friends got married this past weekend and Hugh and I were invited to attend. Queen B was in the wedding party, but
she did double-duty as the “Day-of” coordinator when things got chaotic,
including at the reception, where her superior dress bustling skills were
called into action.
The wedding was in the bride’s hometown, which is located
about two hours over the mountain from us. Hugh and I took advantage of the drive
to admire the fall leaves as well as to stop at a historical attraction that
has intrigued us for years, but, that we’d never had a chance to stop at.
These
are old coal coke ovens, where coal from the mines located in the mountains
surrounding the town was processed. The ovens haven’t been in use for years,
but, are being preserved as a historical site.
In other news, I finally pulled the trigger on the yard sale that I had
been threatening for the better part of the last decade, and, it was a
tremendous pain in the ass, as expected. It was also surprisingly lucrative and
I now have a plethora of unused storage space in my closets, attics, and
drawers.
I also got to fly to Baltimore for work, which was a nice break in my normal business routine.
While I was there, a coworker and I hopped the train into DC, where we spent an afternoon exploring the Holocaust Memorial. It was quite sobering and something that I think everyone should experience once.
I’m slightly dreading the advent of October, mainly because
I have residual PTSD from last year, when things went pear-shaped for my kids
and the world looked somewhat bleak. Obviously, things are much improved this
year, but, the human psyche is a strange and vulnerable thing.
I’ve been working on booking sessions for senior pictures,
including one I just did with the daughter of a woman I work with at Day Job.
It's finally pomegranate season! Now, I just have to wait until they don't cost approximately one beeeeelion dollars, apiece.
What I'm Watching
I’ve been watching a few shows on Netflix, including
Unbelievable, which, in my line of work, was less unbelievable and more, uh,
yeah, “That level of incompetence actually happens more often than you’d care
to think", and, Surviving R Kelly, which just makes me really happy to have never
been a fan of the man or his music.
I've also been watching this season of Big Brother and am trying to hang in until the bitter end, but, man, do I hate Michie; if he wins, it will be a sad, sad day.
What I'm Reading
So. Many. Books! I had a lot of time to read while on my flights to and from Baltimore, as well as some downtime in the evenings and between workshops, and, I took full advantage of that. My list this month includes:
I enjoyed them all, but my favorite was The Tattooist of Auschwitz; it was incredibly powerful considering that I also visited DC while I was in Baltimore, and, the only museum I wanted to see was The Holocaust Memorial Museum. The memorial made the book come alive in ways that it may not have had I not had the artifacts and pictures to reference.
Currently, I am reading-and enjoying-this:
What I'm Listening To
At the moment, I am listening to Boomer Dog chewing on a rubber ball. I don't know what it is about boys and their balls. Oh, my, that sounded kind of dirty. I apologize.
What I'm Wearing
Nothing too interesting. I have broken out the lightweight jackets and cardigans, and, I'm thisclose to whipping out a sweater or two, but, I'm containing the urge. For now.
What I'm Doing This Weekend
Mom is coming to spend the weekend with us. We have tickets
to the local community theater’s production of Mama Mia on Friday and will be
decorating the house for Halloween on Saturday. On Sunday, I am meeting Phoebe
and her son for a senior photo session (as an aside, I can’t believe he is a
senior! ), which will be a nice chance to catch up a bit.
Next month, I’m looking forward to Halloween and to all of
the fun things that go along with it. I may not have small kids at home
anymore, but I have more than enough small neighbors to entertain with my yard
decorations and porch shenanigans.
What you've been eating lately looks way better than what we've been eating lately! Ha!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I visited the Holocaust Museum in DC quite a few years ago and I still remember how powerful it was.