Fall days

Sweet picture taken by a friend during Queen of Apostles' 50th Anniversary Mass.

Parading around the yard with pumpkins on a warm, autumn night...doesn't get much better than that.

"I got your nose!" We love visits from Dr. Steele (aka Auntie Tasha). 

Getting ready for the game on a make-shift couch. Who knew an AC grill could make a nice pillow?

Who needs jack-o-lanterns when Teresa's around with her smile?

Enter coat-weather (sigh), as well as some new yard friends.

First stab at raking.



We seem to have moved into fall, officially. Notre Dame lost to Florida State, a new season of Top Chef has begun, the air has taken a serious turn to chilly, the days are getting shorter, my sleep quality is getting poorer (I'm noticing a seasonal pattern here), and the formidable annual task is upon us of raking leaves from our tree-lined yards. Aunt Natalie is in Colorado for a month for the last push in her boss's run for Senate. School is in full swing, with a spate of holidays on the horizon. I've found this season to be particularly challenging the past couple years, what with my sleep problem and the extra responsibilities of mothering through several big holidays. But it's a time of year rich with opportunities for growth in many virtues (patience, hope, perseverance, joy, self-giving...), and above all for faith. Perhaps it's appropriate that the months entering into the Christmas season are marked with a little suffering, providing a more authentic experience of the Holy Family's plight (which surely wasn't carols, cookies, and presents), and the awareness that these feasts are but tiny foretastes of the real Feast that awaits us after a life of running the race. Happy fall everyone!