It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Friends, it is the last day of September. This is monumental because for the next month, should I be in any sort of "funk," if you will, it will be quite easy to snap me out of it simply by saying, "But Katie, it's October!"

October has always been (and always will be) my favorite month. I can't begin to describe how happy simply writing "10" as the month in the header on my notes makes me. There's something about it that just makes me feel all fuzzy inside- the golden light hitting my eyelashes, the crisp air combined with the warmth of the sun and the smell of bonfires, the caramel that's sure to get stuck in my teeth, the orange leaves- everything about October is magical.

To be fair, I may be a little biased because October is my birth month. I was supposed to be born in September, but I guess I loved the tenth month even then, because I held on eighteen days past my due date to claim worldly residency in the best month of the year. October also features (and may even sort of revolve around) what has always been my favorite holiday- Halloween. What's not to love about Halloween? You get to play dress-up, zombies wander the streets, candy is stock-piled, and cider is always on reserve. Special occasions are especially abundant in this year's October, as Where the Wild Things Are is released the day before my birthday, Heather is coming to see me, my parents are visiting, and I get to see Ben Folds the evening prior to Halloween! Talk about an awesome few weeks.

But there are just so many things that will always belong to (or at least eminate from) October. My mom made s'mores for me to take to school instead of cupcakes on my birthday, and to this day, they're still my favorite food. Bonfire is the greatest smell in the world to me, too. Couldn't you just bathe in it? Whenever I go to a fire, I return home invigorated and simultaneously cozy from the warmth of the flames, drenched in the scent of burning twigs and leaves. I never shower before bed on these nights so that when I wake up, I get to smell it all over again.

Here's to carving pumpkins, haunted houses, breaking out the scarves, apple picking, wool socks, twigs crunching under your feet, suede boots, the best issue of Vogue, jumping in leaf piles, and so much more. Happy October!

Sugar, Spice, & Everything Nice

My parents came into town yesterday to see me at school. I always look forward to my parents' arrivals weeks ahead of time. They're pretty far away, and we've always been close, so I love spending time with them. Combine that with the fact that they've missed me so much they may spoil me a bit, and it always ends up being a fantastic adventure. We love all sorts of specific places here in Madison: Barnes & Noble, "foodie" restaurants like Bluphie's, The Century House, World Market...and most relevantly to this post, Williams & Sonoma.

There's always been something magical about Williams & Sonoma. Maybe it was because I grew up channeling You've Got Mail's Kathleen Kelly as some sort of idol, but there's just something so...pumpkin-spice-yellow-wood-homey-classic-bread about it. Obviously, there's no way to describe it. Just an overwhelming feeling you get when you walk into the store, no matter which store in which mall it is. It's like there's some sort of narcotic in the air, or I guess more appropriately, mulled spices. The way their shelves are arranged somehow forces me to recall images of World War II victory gardens and modern German design- simultaneously.

The ambience is, quite frankly, hypnotic. Music by torch singers, french sirens, wailing trombones- an eclectic yet cohesive collection that sucks you in like a moth to a flame. Suddenly, it's all you can do not to have three of the free samples, or buy a candy red spatula just because it's pretty, or spend your savings on a pan that produces tiny acorn cakelets.

For now, my love for Williams & Sonoma has found itself on an odd sort of hiatus- that is, dorm living doesn't allow for me to store or use crème brûlée pans or really even those intoxicating candy red spatulas. Someday, though.

Badgering Again

No posts since I've been at school, I know. I just wanted to throw myself back into this place because I love it so much.

There's a shirt at the university bookstore that says "I Feel Home," with Bucky's face in place of an "o." I'm not sure exactly how accurate that is, just because my family is not here- and you have to go back "home" somewhere when you're not at school. But I will say that Madison feels like my place, if you will- driving back onto campus just felt right. When I walked back onto sixth floor humanities for the first time since May, the familiar scents and sights were an almost overwhelming comfort.

Classes started this week Wednesday. Mechanical Engineering (Architectural Graphics), Drawing II, Digital Photography, 3D Design, and Foundations of Contemporary Art. 17 credit hours (and 22 actual class hours a week) of pure joy- at least for now. Even if I'll be stressed beyond belief for much of the semester, I can't wait to dive in.

On tap for today is the Badger football season opener. Camp Randall, friends, fifth quarter, a good Wisconsin brat, and a new quarterback? This is going to be good.

The Paula

I am completely in awe of my mother.

Today she and I drove my things for school from our place at the lake up to Madison, with a truck rented near our condo in Iowa. When we got to the truck rental place, the only one in town, with only one truck to use, we discovered there was no working lock on the truck. In fact, the doors "probably stay shut," the air conditioning went in and out of working phases, the dashboard compartment flopped open every few feet- you get the picture. The thing was a problem, and it had to hold all of my personal belongings for this year overnight in a hotel parking lot. Given my paranoia about everything, I was not exactly a trooper about this. "Mom! This is all of my stuff! It cannot sit unlocked in a parking lot all night! Seriously."

So I watched my mother walk into Walgreen's, buy a $0.59 can opener, ask the hotel desk for a hammer, dissemble a wooden hanger, and somehow rig a complete lock for the moving truck. From the inside. After climbing through the cab and over a futon, television, microwave, and the rest of my things. In total darkness. Wild horses could not break this lock. And this was completely normal for her, even mundane. If my mother is not a wonder woman, who is?

My mom has done everything for me. She moved away from my father so I could finish high school with my friends and go to the college of my choice. She tells me to chase my dreams and that I can be whatever I want to be. She calls me every day and listens to my stress vents, sends me care packages, and is an amazing person. I have friends who call her "Mommy Garth" or "The Paula" because she has helped them and advised them equally well. God has blessed me with an amazing role model- if I am half the woman she is, I will be a phenom.

Sadly, she leaves me at school tomorrow and I will not see her for two months. Fortunately, she'll always be just a phone call away, encouraging me and making me feel safe. I am so lucky.

Summer Fades

My family and I were walking around downtown St. Paul tonight and I felt the familiar chill of the end of summer. There has always been something particularly melancholy about this annual realization for me. I'm not quite sure why; I love Autumn and enjoy schoolwork, but I guess there's something free and lazy only found between June and August and I mourn its passing each year. 

Excitement is wrapped up in this, too, though. I spent this evening making a playlist to transition me back into Madison that encapsulates all of this to me. I move in Tuesday. A lot of me couldn't be more excited and the rest is looking around wondering, "Where did summer go?"

Anyway.

1. Free Fallin'- John Mayer
   
2. At the Zoo- Simon & Garfunkel
   
3. I Don't Know What I Can Save You From- Kings of Convenience
   
4. Lump Sum- Bon Iver
   
5. Inside and Out- Feist
   
6. Be Good or Be Gone- Fionn Regan
   
7. Pachuca Sunrise- Minus the Bear
   
8. Seven Years- Norah Jones
   
9. Moon River- Petra Haden
   
10. Twenty Two Fourteen- The Album Leaf
11. Keeping Me Awake- Tarkio
12. Sherry and Her Butterfly Net- The Most Serene Republic
13. Celebration Guns- Stars

Wherever and whoever you are, I hope this is a good year for you.

Katie