Welcome Autumn!

What a busy summer it was, and I'm so happy to officially welcome autumn!  We are still suffering from the terrible fires in the surrounding mountains.  I live in the Boise area, and we often get inversions, so the smoke has just settled in.  It's like living in a murky, suffocating fog.  I'm hoping for a cleansing rain to come our way, and soon!

I didn't get any yard or craft projects finished this summer, my writing went on the back burner again, and I just don't know where the time went or what I did with it.  If I'd been blogging more faithfully, maybe that would give me a clue.  Oh well, I had some fun with my boys before they started school.  Both are happy in their choices.  One at BSU and the other at College of Idaho.  The empty nest thing is both wonderful and a little lonely at times, but they are both very near to home so they can drop in for visits.

I picked out an old photo to play with... "Autumn Leaves" which I tweaked with an "Ink Sketch" application.  I really like how it turned out.

I wanted to put a new image up for my header, but I can't get my photos sized correctly, or centered, so I decided to go with just the name for now.  You ignore blogging for a while, and you forget all your skills!  Hopefully, I'll get back into the groove very soon!  Have a glorious "first day of autumn" and many happy days to come!

Move In Day!

Tomorrow is "Move in day" for my youngest son.  Even though he won't be terribly far away, it's going to be so strange to have an empty nest.  My emotions have been on a crazy roller coaster for the past two weeks. I felt well enough to get out and make a couple "dorm shopping" trips with him.  Fun!  He and my husband are out on the very last shopping excursion, as we forgot new sheets, a lamp, and a shower caddy... rather important items!

This was from our visit to the campus last July!

Being the OCD personality that I am, I've had to wash every new item purchased.  I lost count of how many loads of laundry I've done in the past two days, and as soon as those sheets come in the door they'll go right into the washer!  When I told my husband I had to wash our son's sleeping bag (it hadn't been used all year and was in a box in the garage), he just snorted. Honestly, I'm so lucky he puts up with me!  Anyway, it was in the dryer for an hour and still not dry, so I just draped it over two lawn chairs.  If any of nature's critters dirties that bag, there will be heck to pay!  It may have a slight wildfire smoky odor, but we've lived with the smoke smells for so long that EJ will probably not notice. It's got to be better than stale, garage odor... right?  He has to have it for the two day Wilderness Experience that all freshman are required to attend.  Praying that there will be no problems with wildfires or excessive smoke blowing over into the area they'll be in.  It's near McCall, Idaho, and is such a beautiful place!

My oldest, MJ!

My oldest son, MJ, started classes last Monday.  After working a few years, he decided it was time to get back to school.  He's studying at BSU, while working full-time.  I'm so happy for them, and so proud!  I still don't know where all the years have gone.  Friends are always asking me why my boys are so nice, and how did I get to be so lucky that they never gave me any trouble.  Well, I don't know.  PJ and I certainly did our best, but really, they are just kind-hearted, wonderful men.  I prayed for boys who would have kind hearts, like my grandpa and like their dad... my prayers were answered.

So many seasons, so many memories.  Too many to post, but here are a couple of photos from their childhood days...

So many summers...

And winters

I'll be back after the big move-in weekend, with some new memories made to add to the thousands I already hold in my heart, and I'll let you know how it went.

Sunday Scribblings #256 - Fire

It was that kind of day.  You know, when everything seems rather mundane.  You're going along doing your normal daily routines.  There's a happy kind of feeling inside, and then you get hit with it!  Words come at you faster than you can process them.  It's not that "they" are talking fast, it's like that thing that happens during a car wreck, where everything seems to be in slow motion.  Then it all speeds up, and you have hit the wall faster than you'd ever have imagined.  And you sit there, bleeding from the head, pain oozing out of every pore.  What just happened, you ask.  What, what, what was that?  I just didn't see it coming.  I was watching, but it came out of nowhere.  I'm sorry, so sorry, I don't know why I'm crying.  I just should have known,  I should have seen it coming.  I should have been more careful.  I looked away, just for an instant, and my dreams caught fire... and they're gone.  Up in smoke... and there's no going back.  I can never get it all back.


© 27Mar2011 ajj