September, Finally

We've hit the "-ber" months... and I'm not mad about it.

These are my favorite. Fall weather is undefeated—sweat under a hoodie by day, pull on a sweater in the morning, wrap up in another hoodie at night with hot coffee or hot chocolate in hand. Bonfire season. My whole body breathes easier when the air changes like this.

Labor Day weekend was a mix of hard work and good play. Days on the farm were no joke—finishing fence, gutting out the old storage room to finally make space for a lounge, putting cabinets in the tack-up area, stripping stalls. Every inch of that barn feels refreshed, and yeah, it kicked my ass, but it was worth it.

Then we got our reward—nights with neighbors and cousins at their sportsman’s club. Side-by-sides tearing through the woods, straight through the river, kids sticky with s’mores, fires blazing. That’s the stuff. That’s why you put up with the grind of a Monday-to-Friday life—because weekends like that remind you it’s not all emails, bills, and laundry piles.

Yesterday we hit the annual huge Westville Labor Day parade. Bags stuffed full of candy, and now I’ve got no desire to even look at a Tootsie Roll until next September. The kids were in heaven, me not so much. Afterward, we grabbed shoes for Kelly and stopped at my uncle’s house—right next to the home I grew up in. I sat on his back porch, staring at the window of my old bedroom. The sounds—cows, bugs, birds, that little whistle of the breeze—took me straight back. For a couple of minutes, I was a kid again. Then the girls started screaming at each other, and poof, nostalgia over.

We pulled an early bedtime so nobody melts down today. This morning I drew an encouraging card, threw on my iHeart Coffee Shop playlist, and tried to get into corporate work mode. We’ve got Kelly’s physical later, and then my once-a-year hair appointment. I’m ready for a drastic change—new color, new cut—but don’t worry, I’m not sacrificing length. By tonight, I’ll either feel like a badass or regret every decision. We’ll see.

So here’s where I’m landing: September feels like a reset. Same chaos, same noise, but a little more light in the air. Fires at night, sweaters in the morning, kids running wild, me trying to feel like myself again.

Love y’all. Whatever this month throws at you—remember, you’re tougher than you think. You’re rays of sunshine with a side of stubborn willpower. Don’t forget it.