So September started a few days ago. Normally September is just a fun little blip on my calendar, heralding the bigger months of October, November, December and January. It mirrors February in that regard. But the other day on a rare break from housecleaning and chasing the toddler around, I had one of those lovely nostalgic moments. September might not be a high ranking favorite month for me, but it's a wonderful mellow one full of happy memories. My brother is a September baby {the younger two are spring babies; more about them in the Spring}, and he's a pretty cool guy. I can't wait till he turns twenty-one and we can go out drinking together. *huge grin*
My husband and I started courting in September four years ago. We had met on Facebook in mid-August but didn't start to get to know each other till about three weeks later when he just kinda randomly asked me to be his girlfriend. He was in Rhode Island living with his parents and working full time at a window factory; I was in California with my family and puttering away in the pumpkin patch. So I said yes and then we had a lovely long conversation about what we wanted from the courtship {basically it was me trying to tell him not to waste my time unless he was gonna marry me at some point; the sweetie was a little baffled but went along with it anyway}. We spent hours chatting online, asking each other tons of questions on almost literally every topic imaginable, we emailed, we Skyped, we had long phone conversations and we sent long handwritten letters in the mail. I treasured those more than anything else. I also loved working in the pumpkin patch then coming inside and talking to him in the cool evenings. It was a giddy happy time.
A year later we were newlywed and living in a trailer on my folks' property temporarily. The leaves were changing color, the air was getting cooler and I was under the weather with a cold that seemed to drag on forever! Thankfully, I had a wonderful husband who took care of me, cuddled me, babied me and worked part-time at my parents' store. We snuggled on our little couch eating popcorn and watching movies, we went on bike rides and long dusty walks, and we figured out how to cook decent meals. But we also went to the library. I have a lovely memory of soft clean flannel sheets, the leaves gently blowing outside my window and me sitting in bed being swept away into the worlds of beautiful new books. I read the first three
Harry Potter books and was drawn into the story despite my reservations {my excitement tampered off around the fifth book however}; I loved all the world building, meeting the characters and enjoying the changing seasons so beautifully written. And I read
Reckless by Cornelia Funke. I loved that book! It was so unlike anything I'd ever read and yet so familiar at the same time. It was enchanting, breathless and a wild adventure. It's now synonymous with September, hot cocoa and Autumn.
Those two Septembers provide a lovely foundation of happy memories to fall back on during the rough days of chasing a very clever mischievous toddler around. And I can easily bring those memories back while still making new ones by snuggling up in our flannel sheets in our little cabin with my cute toddler and read to her while the leaves change outside and Husband works full time. We can go for long walks and come home to delicious meals and yummy hot apple cider. We can watch our favorite movies while eating a baked goody made earlier with pumpkin and spice. And we can make September a wonderful little month.
