A Midwestern Fall

Happy October!

Can you believe it? It's October. What happened to September? It was just 90 degrees, t-shirt weather, and BAMMM!!! it's 50 degrees, northern winds hit, and Fall has emerged.

Now, I have 'girl brain'...meaning I'm stoked to whip out all of my scarves, boots, and accessaries. But truly, who doesn't like sweater weather? Exploring new sections of your closet is always a great time.

Since the cold winds just started, colors are still tones of greens, but the crispness in the air will soon change that, I'm sure. BUT, it's ONLY October. I'm already layering and using all of my 'keep-warm' strategies. I lived in sweats this weekend, and have already habituated comfortably into my hooded sweatshirt. What am I suppose to do in November? December? JANUARY! Those are the real brisk months. No shame, I will wear all the clothes I have brought with me. Coldness is not something I am too familiar with. I mean, I'm a San Diegan. Those 70 degree Christmas mornings are as brutal as it gets. I hope to sport a marshmallow look this season, would Vogue be interested?

Events that have happened this past week:
(01) Watched 'She's the Man', a staple chick-flick, with some stand-up chicks.
(02) Was in the homecoming parade then helped media with the game that night.
-----Homecoming parade story-----
So this parade was WAY bigger than I thought it would be. Who knew that when a small town has a homecoming game, kids get out of school, business close early, and everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, watches the parade. We drove our natural gas vehicle as our 'float', but there were some stellar floats from students, community groups, and businesses. It was absolutely a community event. The funny thing was though, every float has candy to throw out. We were the 3rd to last float, out of about 40...so you could imagine, by the time it got to us, the streets were filled with candy, and people weren't even picking it up off the street anymore.
The way my mind works: "People should collect as much of this candy being thrown out, so they don't have to spend money on halloween candy. Monopolize the candy!"
BUT! As the parade ended, candy was still in the street, and being the sustainable group in town, we couldn't just leaaaaaaave the candy all over the place. We retraced the parade path, picked up the perfectly good candy, and added it to our collection. Guaranteed, we were the only float to end with more candy than what we started with.

Therefore, if you're in Greensburg and feel like some candy, stop by the Silo House.

(03) I had my first visitor! (Besides Mom). A college friend had to pass through G'burg, so I got to show him around and practice my tour guide skills. It was great practice for future visitors. Being here for about 6 weeks, homesickness sinks in from time-to-time, so it was so awesome to have a little taste of home come to Kansas.

(04) I USED MY CROCK POT. I made a veggie stew, and it was 89% great. Learned a few lessons about cooking with it, but it was a success. It also create a ton of leftovers, which was perfect!

(05) Today, I was lazy, but I did manage to get all of the ingredients to make pumpkin bars, one of my favorite Fall treats. It reminds me of home, my mom, and family, so having that scent fill the house was the most perfect way to end the weekend and prepare for a new week.

NEWS: I miss you, home. I love hearing that people are actually reading the blog! It's fun for me to relive some of my weekly experiences, but even more fun to share it with someone! Life has a lot of high and low moments, so it's comforting to know that there are people looking out for me. I love staying updated with your life too! Email me any time (jana@greensburggreentown.org), I'd love to see some familiar names in my inbox.

Have a GREAT week. Tis the season to eat candy (doesn't have to be off the ground), light candles, wrap yourself in a blanket, and put on some fuzzy socks. Hope to hear from you soon!