the first of October and some things I love about this month

There is something about October that I have always loved.  It stems from my childhood, and part of it was anticipation I felt at the start of the month. 

I had a friend named Wendy when I was growing up, who always threw the biggest and most fun barn parties ever.  (She lived in the country, they had a huge barn, they called it a barn party.)  One year I asked my dad and step mom if I could have a Halloween party, and they obliged.  We all met at the school I attended (Mt. Pisgah), and we rode back to their house via tractor and trailer, in an old fashioned hayride.  I don't remember all of what took place at that party, but I do know that when we got there, we were told to go to the back pasture, and my brother in law had a chainsaw that he started and acted like he was going to chase us.  That is pretty cool when you're in sixth grade.  I know that bobbing for apples was involved, and so was a bonfire by the lake for hot dogs.  We always hosted parties for my youth group when I was young, as well, and those are some of my very favorite memories.  I have ALWAYS loved a good bonfire. 

I also loved trick or treating and dressing up each year.  I don't remember ever buying a costume, either, which is probably why I never really bought them for my boys when they were young.  We always came up with something on our own.  (They did have aunties that loved to buy them things, though, so don't think they went without.  They did not, trust me, and we ended up with a closet full of costumes for them to play in.) 

To me, October brings about feelings of wanting to be cozy.  Think cool nights, crisp mornings, lots of twinkle lights, a candle or three, blankets, cozy and comfy clothes.  However, since we live in Memphis, we are still dealing with temperatures in the mid to high nineties.  I'm hoping the weather man is right, and that it does really cool off here later in the week. 

Another thing I love about this month is that our anniversary is on the fourth.  This year we are celebrating year number 23!  October of 2016 will always go down as one of my favorite memories ever.  It was the year we celebrated our twentieth anniversary/fortieth birthdays, and we went to New  York.  We were there right after we were married, and didn't like it all that much, but this last time, we loved it and had the time of our lives.  I hope to go back soon! 

October always brings to mind fun memories of when my kids were young and we all met at my sister Lisa's house to celebrate.  I can't think of Halloween without thinking of Papa Jerry, a beloved member of our family who is no longer here with us.  He loved Halloween, and eventually, my kids wanted to trick or treat in our own neighborhood, so we moved the family party over here to our house.  Jerry got a kick out of seeing my kids grow up, and he loved passing out candy, and stealing some for himself.  His birthday was October 31, and one of the funniest memories I have is when Lisa bought him a black widow cake for his birthday, then DROPPED IT ON THE FLOOR.  Do you know how impossible it is to clean black licorice icing off of a tile floor?  Trust me.  It's impossible. 

Don't think we didn't scrape off that top layer and still eat that cake.  We sure did!

Later on, when the boys got older, they started wanting to go to our church, and the family party dwindled.  The older two always performed in a puppet show for little ones, and the younger two had fun running around with friends playing all the carnival like games.  We still have this each year at church, this Harvest party.  We usually do this on the night before Halloween, because they realize that the actual night of Halloween is a great night to meet our neighbors.  Even last year, my family still participated in this.  I was a greeter at one of the entrances and registered people and gave little ones candy.  I love being social with people I don't get to see all that often, and remember last year being so much fun. 

You can see why I so love this month.  Most of it has to do with memories and good times with family and friends.  I think that I thought those day would last forever, but I was so wrong!  Now that my boys are all older and grown (two of them are considered adults!), I realize how fleeting those days were.  I saw a quote over the summer that just about did me in for a few minutes that was so true.  It was along the lines of this: "I wish someone had told me that those days were the glory days, while I was still in them.  I never knew how fast they would come to a close."  I think this was two friends chatting about their kids and swimming with them and how the kids never swam with them anymore.  So if you're reading this and have young kids, I know you already do this, but soak these sweet days up while you can.  Enjoy every single moment and make your own memories.  I will never regret doing that when the boys were young. 

Thanks for reading!  Love to all.