Here's to you, October

Oh October, where have you gone? Already it is the 19th? And I have barely blogged? Winter must be around the corner.

I thought about blogging several times in the past few weeks but never felt creative enough (or warm enough) to muster up any energy for it. It's not even close to being winter yet, so I should do my best to snap out of it.

The bad news (for my blog) is that I am going to be traveling for almost the rest of the month. (First a work trip to PA and then down to NC to visit family). Sorry October 2014. You will barely be mentioned in this blog (since it is highly unlikely that I will post anything during my travels).

All of this got me thinking, what did happen this month? It's all seemed pretty anticlimactic but maybe that is a pretty good way to sum up fall. We are slowly starting to sink down into the cold and dark of winter. Don't get me wrong, I really like fall. (I am one of those white girls who really like scarves, sweaters and Pumpkin Spice lattes (with soy milk please) Boy, does that sounds delicious right now). But when it gets cloudy and chilly, it seems the world is taking a nap, so why don't I? (Like last Sunday when I accidentally passed out on the couch for 3 hours in the afternoon. I didn't even put my lunch dishes away, which is very rare for my anal-cleaning self).

Yet, this blog exists to capture to mundane of life and to make it beautiful, at least in my eyes.

So, here's to you October and all the things that happened this month (even if they didn't really feel like anything at the time).

1. I had to go to Liberal Kansas again for work. (Sigh. It's such a long drive! We usually do it in a day-trip, which means 4 hours out and 4 hours home, with essentially nothing but a joint gas station/Dillons grocery shop in between). We went to go visit the MCC Thrift Shop's new building. There and back again.

2. Fall in Kansas has arrived. For the past couple of weeks I've been watching the tree outside my office window slowly gain bright red markings on its leaves. Kansas Autumn can be quite brilliant and golden or rusty and smoldering.
This time of the year is also when my favorite part of winter begins to be ushered in every day around 4-5pm. This golden hour is when everything becomes bright and crisp. Depending on the lighting that day, it can be downright dazzling.

3. Cool weather means cool weather cooking and, let me tell you, I was quite ready for it. Pumpkin pumpkin and pumpkin! Let's go. This past week I made my favorite black bean pumpkin chili as well as pumpkin gnocchi. I always mentioned this, but I love how pumpkin is the one vegetable that is truly celebrated in a sessional way. Cheers to that.
Cool weather also means soup. Yum. Let's do this thing… every week. Having soup leftovers also greatly improves my lunch break at work too. I love regular sandwiches but they certainly loose their charm when I'm cold.
4. October means it's time for the 5th annual Kansas Barn Sale that happens just right outside of Hesston. My friend, Jill, and I went this year and boy was it a nightmare. It was actually very disappointing because this cute craft and vintage sale suddenly exploded with more people then the organizers could've ever anticipated. Thus we were stuck in traffic forever and by the time we actually got to the sale did not have the time, nor the patience, to try and weave through the hoards of people in order to look at anything. I really hope they figure out something different for next year. It used to be one of my favorite things about Hesston. I was hoping to find some furniture items for my house since, last year, I got my awesome Poe table. I am sure I would've found stuff too if there had been about 500 less people there. All I walked away with this year was some natural deodorant and natural sugar scrub (which has been fun to try but not what I was excepting from this day).
I took this picture when we were stuck in traffic. I was too stressed out to get my camera out any other time
5. Okay, friends, I am seriously turning into a crazy cat lady. I just love them so dang much! And I don't even own them. Lately, I've been wanting to get a pet like mad - a cat or a dog. Both really. (But I can only have a cat at this rental). Every evening I show pictures of dogs I liked from The Dogist, whom I follow on Instagram, to Levent and usually exclaim things like "Oh My GOSH!" Yeah, I am a little nuts. So on Friday, during my lunch break, I went to the Newton Humane Society, (which is kind of a sad little place) so I could pet some cats. (Yep. I know. I am crazy. See above). The problem with this plan is that I found a cat that I really wanted. It went from just wanting a cat to wanting a particular cat. Sigh.
I didn't get him due to the fact that I have three long trips coming up. It really doesn't make sense to get a cat until the first of the year.  Another dramatic sign. I guess instagram will have to do for now.

6.Finally, last night Levent and I went out to Zaytun! Really, why would we go anywhere else? It's so so so good. Hands down, my favorite place to eat in Wichita.
Yep. Here's to you, October.

Blog, I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Maybe. Who knows really :-)

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