Goodbye, October

October used to be my favorite month; my own personal "new year." It was a month-long celebration for my family, packed with birthdays, changing seasons, and the excitement of Halloween. I also used it as a time for reflection and planning. I’d look over both my finances before heading into the holidays and my personal goals. This was also the time I’d either have to start increasing my weekly running mileage or scale back to meet my running goals. However, for the last two years, it just hasn't held the same magic.

My birthday, while I am blessed to get older, almost feels like a countdown now. I’m reminded of what I haven’t accomplished. I wake up tired most days. And I haven’t felt like myself in quite some time. Plus, my husband doesn’t believe in celebrating birthdays after you turn a certain age, so we try to focus on the kids instead. This month has also turned into one of the busiest for us. Between football games, work, volleyball games, after-school practices, and the start of basketball season, we are constantly on the go. Rarely are we all home by 7 PM. I try to tell myself that this is just a season. Things won’t always be so rushed. Sleep will come back. And maybe, one day, the magic of October will return. For now, we just have to embrace the chaos. Make the coffee a bit stronger. And enjoy where we’re at right now because it goes by so quickly. Anyway, here are a few snapshots from our month.

Monday Motivation

It’s a new week and a new month! My favorite month. My birthday month. And my favorite season of the year truly begins. September came with a lot more activity than I expected. From work to Emery’s after-school activities. There were even two weeks that I was only able to run on Saturdays - which really threw me off. It was also the toughest month of my healthy eating plan. It was when the cravings really kicked in. When the headaches and exhaustion really hit me. When the depression and bitterness really took hold. But now, we are starting fresh! And I’m feeling much better. So, today, I’m wishing you all a very Happy Monday! And HAPPY OCTOBER, y’all!! Let the Spooky Season begin.

October, You're Here

This is one of my favorite months. The leaves start to change color and fall to the ground. We get that last sprinkle of rainstorms before the season ends. We begin to see the dew sparkling in the fields as we leave the driveway in the morning. Sweaters start to come out, and it’s back to wearing jeans full-time. Mmmm.

Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash

There’s also something so cleansing and renewing at the start of the fall season. I believe I’ve even joked about it being my own private New Year. It’s like wiping the slate clean and getting rid of the noise. It’s also the time of year that I do my best to purge negativity in my life, from social media to closet items. I reassess my goals and flesh out the last three months of the year. I tend to do one final deep clean of our home before winter keeps us mostly indoors. And I get this burst of energy that carries me through to my vacation time at the end of December. It’s just a nice little refresh “button” before the end of the year. So, this is me officially saying "Hello" to October. 

I’m happy that you’re finally here. 🎃

Happy October

Y’all, it’s finally OCTOBER! If you’ve been around here for a while then you’ll know that this is one of my favorite months. It’s my personal “new year” and everything usually starts to feel like it’s being brought back into balance. The cooler weather starts to set in and the leaves start changing colors. Creators start releasing costume and makeup ideas, and Halloween decor goes up in our house. There’s also the “31 Night of Halloween” special that Freeform airs which my daughter and I always enjoy. There’s pretty much something for everyone to watch, and it’s all day - everyday for the whole month! Eeeks! So, I’ve officially deemed it, “Spooky Season” in our household. 

Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash

If you didn't know already, October is my birthday month! And to be honest, when I entered into my thirties I actually felt really sad at the thought of getting older. Seriously, if someone would have handed me a pause button back then I would have definitely used that sucker. But this year feels really different. I’m not sure if it’s acceptance or gratitude, but I’m actually looking forward to celebrating this year. This may or may not have something to do with getting that whole week off from work too? But mine isn’t the only birthday celebrated this month either. We actually have a lot of family and friends that are October babies as well. So, I’m in pretty good company. And it always seems like one continuous celebration around here. 

In other news, as of this week, Emery has officially made the move from gymnastics to tumbling. After her first practice, she said she felt sore but she was beaming the whole time! “I’m so ready for next week,” she told me as we walked out of the gym. I really think she's going to enjoy this change. This weekend we are actually making our way down to Houston to visit relatives. Then we have two weddings later this month. I can't wait! And something else for me to look forward to is getting a good chunk of time off over the next few months. This will be the only year that this happens but I’m super thankful for it. Clearly, God is answering some prayers. Here’s hoping I get to fit in a good amount of writing during that time too. Anyway, I hope this post finds y’all well. And I hope October brings you a reprieve from all of the crazy going on right now. 👻

This is 32

If I could sum up this past year in one word it would be: Challenging. Not just because of everything that's been going on lately in my personal life. But also because of what's been going on at work. Parenting lately has also been really...trying. My health has been up and down this year as well. I actually had a second blood draw this morning in hopes of having clearer answers. This has also been a year of unlearning. Unlearning the negative thoughts about myself. Doing things on my own and being OKAY with that. Sitting still and being comfortable with feeling lonely. And it's been a challenge to let go of what I had hoped my future would be like. Instead, I'm having to embrace the blank slate that's set before me.

If I could describe the past year in one word it would be: Blessed. There's so much out there that I know is good. I have people in my life who truly care about me. People who love me. My daughter is happy and healthy. She's doing well in school. And our bond is so damn strong. I'm blessed to have her and her unconditional love. I've also been able to nurture friendships that I hadn't really tended to in a while. Each of us busy with our own lives, but finally taking the steps needed to get back in touch. My parents have been a huge help and I have no idea what I would do without them. And I'm learning more about myself each day. What I want out of life and in a career. The kind of people that I want to surround myself with and the ones that I don't. I'm doing my best to be a practicing Catholic and really listen to what my faith offers. I'm doing my best to stay positive, even when life is handing out some real doozies. I'm doing the best that I can to take it all in stride and with a grateful heart. 

And now, here's hoping for more adventures. More writing and less time on my phone. More friendships and quiet moments. Enjoying the little things and hopefully getting some much-needed balance.  Here's to finally being able to start putting money away for my "international travels" trip that I would like to take one day. And finally getting my passport. Here's to more days filled with family and laughter. To making some boss lady moves and learning more about myself. And here's to 32. To what comes next. Because I know that there's so much more waiting for me in this life and I'm just getting started. 

October Magick

This is my month, y’all! This is the month that brings a sense of renewal for me. It’s a time when the leaves start to change and the weather gets cooler. It’s a time when there’s a bit of magick in the air and everything feels heightened. It’s a time when I can actually start to see the progress I’ve made (or haven’t made) in the year. There’s always been this energy and excitement that comes with October for me, and somehow I got really lucky because Emery shares that same joy. There’s an extra bit of sparkle and a little bit of spooky in our day-to-day that makes this month so much fun for her. This morning she hopped out of bed with excitement in her eyes and a wide smile. “Mom! It’s October 1st!” she said. “It’s here, baby girl, it’s here!” I replied as I rushed to put mousse in my hair with one hand and brush my teeth with the other. We were running a little late so the excitement was a tad short-lived. But how cool is it to be able to share that feeling with your kid, huh? We both absolutely love this time of year!

via GIPHY

Most of our outside Halloween decorations are up. I also had an impulse buy and got “The Nightmare Before Christmas” themed light projector for our living room. I need to grab a few decorations for my alter next week and I think I’ll be set for the month. We have a whole selection of movies picked out that we’ll be watching throughout the month too. I’ve finally decided on reading “The Vine Witch” while Emery has picked, “Small Spaces” by Katherine Arden. I’m stocked up on hot teas and we’re looking at several “Halloween” themed crafts to do for the month. Plus, the new animated Addams Family movie comes out next Friday and we’re going to see it sometime next weekend. I’m hoping to get at least one night hike squeezed in this month or at the very least a day trip to Dinosaur Valley. Fingers crossed! 

Those aren’t the only things that we’ll be doing though. As much as I enjoy the scary, haunting, and magickal side of October, this year on the Catholic side, we’ll be celebrating the “Month of the Holy Rosary”. This is my first year of being back with my church. I technically haven’t met all of the requirements to be considered a “practicing Catholic” I’m doing my best. And this month is dedicated to one of the most powerful prayers that we have. Most people will commit to praying the rosary every day during this month, which is a beautiful thing. However, I’m not quite there yet. So for me, I’ve decided that I’ll try my best to pray the rosary at least once a week. Ideally, I'd like to recite it before bed on Sunday, but we’ll see how it goes. I still have a lot to learn but this has actually been a very interesting journey in rediscovering my faith. I'm pretty happy about my progress so far. 

Now, I know I stated before that I was looking for a second job. Well, I still am and I’ve sent in my application to a company in town that has a part-time seasonal opening. Regardless of whether I get the job or have to continue my search I still plan on doing as much as I can with Emery. If that means cutting out everything else I have going on then that’s a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make. Because Emery comes first for me, and I only get her at this age for so long. I want to experience all of this October Magick with my baby girl for as many years as I can get. If that means making sacrifices in other areas of my life to get it, then that's what I'll do. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Until then, Happy October everyone! May it bring you as much joy as it does to us. 👻