It’s officially fall today! The weather is taking a sudden dive precisely on the Autumn Equinox here today- it was 85 on Monday, and here is the current temp and forecast:
Probably going to feel a bit shocking! But ’tis the season.
We are also moving officially into what I consider “the holiday season”. It is now definitely appropriate to put up fall decorations. (I’ve even seen a few Halloween decorations up already, though I personally usually wait until October 1 for any spooky stuff.)
Once fall starts, it’s all a downhill slide into the mush of Halloween, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Asher’s/my Dad’s birthday, Christmas, and finally, New Years.
This is also what I consider “Gratitude Season”. I mean, gratitude should be a focus all year long, but there’s something about the cozy fall + holiday season and all the traditions that really bumps gratitude up and into focus.
So, in honor of fall and “gratitude season”, here is a current (random) gratitude list.
I am grateful……
- for being back in ROUTINES
- for school for the kids. We love our school, and I’m just so glad they’re back and having a largely normal year- finally!
- for being back in the gym! Still going well. So grateful to have an exercise outlet that I enjoy, that my gym is a 5 minute walk away, and, I’m grateful for my new EmPowered Fitness workouts! LOVING them!
- for our fall schedule going pretty smoothly so far, miraculously. (Asher is temporarily/ indefinitely out of cross country due to ongoing foot pain, however! So that’s really sad, but, on the plus side- has freed up our schedule a bit??)
- that leads to the next one- I’m grateful the sports med clinic was able to get him in ASAP for an appointment (called on Monday, got appt. for today!). Apparently, they can expedite appts for athletes who are “in season”.
- for the shrimp tacos we had last night. (I had reserved half a bag of shrimp when I made the shrimp ceviche on Sunday.) They were sooooo good. Ivan said about 14 times, “Mmm.. these are so good.” Made Mexican rice on the side along with yellow summer squash and sauteed onion, plus some delicious fresh avocadoes, and refried beans and corn tortillas…. the whole combination was great.
- for fireplace season! YES.
- for living somewhere with 4 seasons. I really, really enjoy this, deep down. Every new season, I always think about this, so it must be a core truth for me. As soon as one season starts to get old, poof! A new one comes around the corner. I honestly find joy in every single season in Wisconsin. I don’t think I’d like living somewhere that always had basically the same weather- be it warm/sunny or cold/rainy! FALL is probably Wisconsin’s best season, though, I have to say! It’s incredible.
- for a healthy body that can walk long distances and lift up heavy things
- for a healthy family
- for it almost being time to decorate for Halloween! I LOVE how my house looks with the fall decor up and orange lights and pumpkins. So festive and it literally warms my heart non-stop once it’s all up. The kids love it, too.
- for people who take time out of their day to leave me comments on my blog. I honestly always feel so grateful that people even read this, and when people drop me a comment, it just feels so nice. It lights up my day, so thank you!
- for the pretty sky last night when I walked to meet Asher after soccer. It was a crisp evening and there was just a touch of the smell of fall in the air….
Do you associate fall with “gratitude season”? Or is that just me, haha. Obviously November + Thanksgiving is a big one here in the U.S., but I feel it all the way from September to December.
What are you feeling grateful for right now? Anything come to mind?
GRATEFUL KAE 
I’ve never thought about fall as being gratitude season before, but it makes sense that it goes with a feeling of coziness. We are transitioning from Colorado with four seasons to SoCal, so I’m curious to see if I miss the changing seasons. I grew up in California though, so maybe this will just feel like a return to normal.
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I would think that having grown up in California, you’ll be used to it in no time. I think for me, because I grew up in Wisconsin, I have a sense of nostalgia/ so many memories associated with the various seasons. So it might be harder for me to transition to somewhere with a single climate!
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I am SOOOO jealous of your fall weather!!! That is all :). Oh and excited that you are loving the EMpowered workouts! I just did a running workout that felt like a bit of a breakthrough and seeing yourself improve is so fun and motivating.
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Congrats! I did really used to love the satisfaction that came from following a running training plan. I mean, I LOVED checking those boxes off. I’d copy the whole 12 or 16 week plan into a notebook so I could customize it around my work days, and would X off each one as I completed it…. so rewarding. I think I get the same sense of accomplishment now with my strength training, because I still check the days off, but now I focus on improving week to week (more reps, more weight, whatever). I probably look like a total nerd in the gym carefully recording every set in my yellow notebook, but oh well. LOL!
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I am super grateful that you share your life with all of us strangers! It’s so fun to get a peek into another “real” family. So impressed with your dedication to keeping this blog going. I really enjoy it!
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Awwww, thank you!!! There have been times I’m like, eh, why am I even bothering to do this? Not sure anyone even really cares …. hahaha. So it makes me really happy to hear that you enjoy it. 🙂 🙂
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What a great point! But, no, I’ve never thought of this as a “gratitude” season, but hopefully now I will.
I love showing up to your corner of the internet! And you had me at being grateful for fireplace weather. You know how I feel about being warm and cozy.
Sorry to hear about Asher’s injury, but I can definitely see the silver lining of it making your extracurricular gymnastics a bit less daunting to figure out each day!
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Yes, I know that you and I are two peas in a cozy pod. 🙂
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I also have not thought of this as gratitude season! I do think of November as a month for gratitude, but I should extend it out to the full season!
I am LOVING the cooler temps. I ran this morning and it was just so so beautiful outside. This is probably my favorite season. I don’t love winter, though. There are aspects I like but it’s harder to be outside as much as we’d like to be so I do envy those who live in climates with milder temperatures! I would miss the seasons but wish winter wasn’t such a LOOOONNNGGGG season like it is in our region.
I’ve loved getting to know you through your blog!! Hard to believe it’s been over 2 years since we started reading each others’ blogs!
We saw some halloween decorations on the way to soccer last night and Paul asked when we are putting ours out… well, we don’t have any so I might need to do something about that. There are a lot of decorations in our neighborhood, though, so soon we’ll see decorations on our walks.
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You definitely have to put up some decorations!! Honestly, doesn’t have to be a lot, but it can bring soooo much joy in the season! At Paul’s age, my boys used to love the witch on a broomstick that people would attach to their trees, where she was flat/ smushed on one side, as if she had flown right into the tree. Have you seen those? Haha. A huge hit at our house have always been those light up pieces you hang on a window, with suction cups. We have had Halloween ones and then later Christmas ones in our front windows every single year since the boys were born! They look festive from both inside and outside.
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I am grateful that my dog LOVES the cooler weather. Since the temp has dipped in the last twelve hours or so, she has walked more miles than in the previous week. I always forget how much she perks up in the cooler weather. I start to dip down energy-wise, but she’s there to pick me right up!
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That makes sense! Some dogs don’t seem bothered by the heat , but I often see many panting along with their tongues hanging out when it’s hot… I’m sure with all their fur, most of them prefer fall temps. Does she wear sweaters in the winter?? 🙂
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I never comment on blogs, but want to say that I really enjoy your great perspective and writing. I used to live in the city where you live and my daughter swam in the Piranhas summer team (does it even still exist?) so the swim team stories are fun to read too. Happy first day of Fall!!
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Thank you for coming out of “lurker mode”!! 😅 I appreciate your comment so much! That means so much to me. 💕 And yes, Piranhas is still going strong here. My son decided a couple years ago that he wanted to stick with just his club team in the summer instead of doing Piranhas, but it is still very popular with tons of kids!
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Fall has not quite arrived here yet (temps in the 90’s LOL), but I am looking forward to the cooler season… and yes, now that you mention it, I do associate fall with gratitude season as well. I guess, the darker time of year also makes me a little bit melancholy and reflective.
I cannot believe that there are only 3 months left in 2022. Where did the year go?
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I am loving the seasons, but my tires did NOT like the abrupt change in temps. Cue temperamental tire light and another stop at the local service station (I don’t have the grip strength anymore to get the stupid little caps off the tire inflation stems…sigh…). I also love coming to your (not so distant) corner of the blogosphere, although I need to be better about commenting!
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