Get Your Monster Mash On

Hello all! We're nearing the end of  the month, and I'll be sorry to see October go. We've had the most gorgeous weather, which will either make it easier or more difficult when the first snow arrives!

My sister belongs to a choir in Seattle, and last year they did this socially-distanced version of Monster Mash. I hope it helps you get in the *spirit* for Halloween :-)

And I also hope you have more treats than tricks

With some scares thrown in, if that's your thing!

For anyone who doesn't know this bit of Colorado lore, The Stanley Hotel in nearby Estes Park, CO was the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Find out more in this segment from the Today Show 2018. Happy haunting!

August Good Things

Hi, everyone! It's the last day of August, which always feels like the end of summer. I haven't blogged much lately, for a variety of reasons. But all is well, and I'll share a few things I've enjoyed this month:

Seeing live baseball for the first time in two years!

This beautiful rainbow, which was even more beautiful in person.

My sister was here for two weeks, and we had a few adventures.

More sister fun...using homegrown and farmer's market veggies for this delicious (but rather labor intensive) ratatouille.

Participating in a local tradition with my younger son. Colorado State University used to be Colorado A & M, and the A on the hill has been painted annually for nearly 100 years. Here are the photos before and after the first shift. Go Rams!

A private party/concert with The Motones, a Motown tribute band. Fantastic music and a great time.

I'm so grateful to have had these outdoor experiences this summer. Our Covid numbers are climbing steadily, and I'm afraid we will soon be facing increased restrictions even for fully vaccinated folks like me. 

I hope you are happy and well and ready for September!

Joy Project: Celebration

Celebration is the perfect chapter for this time of year, though it is a foregone conclusion that our holiday celebrations will look much different in 2020. American Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and most people I know have scaled back, or even eliminated, their traditional gatherings. Travel, especially by public means, is highly discouraged. 

Local holiday ale party from a few years ago

My mother is in an at-risk population, so she will not be joining us for only the second time in I don't remember how long. My sister lives in Washington State, where restrictions have recently tightened, and she will not be able to gather with her friends. I fear Christmas will be very much the same. 

But I firmly believe that anyone with the physical and emotional energy to do so should find reasons to celebrate as this year winds down. It helps us forge and strengthen connections, even in these socially distant times. Celebratory emotions such as joy are highly contagious and much healthier to spread than a certain coronavirus that continues to plague us. 

In Joyful, Ingrid Fetell Lee offers suggestions for fostering a celebratory mood, including:

• Festive attire
• Music
• Song and dance
• Color and motion
• Things that sparkle, flare, or burst

And guess what? This is the perfect time of year to find all those things! Even 2020 can't keep us from donning ugly sweaters, hanging lights and sparkly decorations, and dancing around the kitchen singing "Jingle Bell Rock."

Please take time in the coming weeks to unplug from the news, make popcorn and hot cocoa, watch cheesy holiday specials, and drive around looking at lights. Find celebratory moments whenever and wherever you can.

Thursday, I will eat turkey and pumpkin pie and celebrate gratitude with my husband, sons, and dog. And as soon as the leftovers are put away, I'm leaning hard into the Christmas season. 

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. Stay safe and well, everyone!

 

A to Z Joy: Siblings

Amy on the left, me on the right

S is a pretty easy letter for the A to Z Challenge, and I had many options, from Slinkys to sushi, from samba music to Star Wars. But some of my greatest joys in life come from being a sister and having sons. I was going to call this post "Sisters and Sons," and then I realized that "Siblings" would suffice.

Growing up, my sister and I weren't always best of friends. I remember being pummeled by her on occasion, and I once broke a plastic ukulele over her head. But we were all we had, sibling-wise, so we always found a way to make the peace.

Our good times definitely outweighed our bad times. She is two years older, and even though I might not have admitted it at the time, it was reassuring to know that she was there ahead of me, helping to clear a path.

These days, we are very close except in proximity, as she lives in Washington and I in Colorado. And I'm still grateful to have her walking ahead of me on this path through life. She's one of the wisest, smartest, most empathetic women I know, and having her for a sister has made me a better person.

And I don't know how fate gifted me with the most amazing sons ever, but I am beyond humbled every day! They are so smart and handsome and funny, and I couldn't be prouder. I don't know where the time goes, as they are both nearly grown now, a junior and a freshman in college, and they still make each other laugh every time they're together. They are such great friends...and I better stop now before I get weepy.