Hello "Fall"...

The beautiful season of fall as arrived all across the country. To me, fall has always meant birthdays (my sister & sister-in-law's in Sept. and mine & my dad's in October), leaves turning color, football season, cooler weather, hot chocolate, and a jacket in the brisk wind. After moving to Arizona, we have survived the heat of the summer and have moved into autumn. Some things have remained the same- still had my birthday (25th to be exact) and there is still football, of course! For anyone who has lived in an area where seasons don't really change much (Phoenix for example), I can't imagine never seeing the colors of the trees in the fall or feeling chilly enough that you want to curl up with a blanket. Fall takes on a new meaning for us now that we are living in Phoenix. We considered it a cool down when it got into the high 90s! The palm trees don't change color here and people think the 70s are cold! It's the last week of October and just today is was 89 degrees. People say that your blood thins out after living here for a while and you'll start to feel cold when the weather is in the 70s. I tell them they are crazy.. the 70s is perfect weather where I'm from. As much as I miss the colors of the leaves and wanting to drink a hot beverage or put on a hoodie, I love the fact that in about 2 months... I will NOT be shoveling snow, NOT be putting on gloves or a scarf, and I will NOT have to warm up my car 20 minutes before I leave for work. Sorry for those of you who will be doing that. :)

The first weekend in October, Eric and I took a trip to San Diego. It was about a 5 and a half hour drive from our apartment with beautiful desert and mountain views along the way. It was birthday celebration trip for me and we went to the San Diego Zoo, walked around the Gas Lamp District, and had a romantic dinner at a little place called the Ocean Room. San Diego is beautiful and I look forward to visiting there again sometime! Our hiking adventures have dwindled down a bit as I'm still having hip issues. I've been through physical therapy and the Dr. believes I have some sort of mechanical issue that has caused the labrum to tear. I'm hoping to get an MRI done in the next few weeks to determine if surgery is needed. Until then, I've been taking it easy on the working out. I've have finally started my Masters degree for Professional Counseling at Grand Canyon University, where I work. What a blessing that God has provided me with a job that allows me to continue my education for free! Eric has just started training for a half marathon he's hoping to run in January. He also just got accept in the FastTrack program at work that will allow him to become a manager of a branch eventually! I'm so proud of the hard work he has put into this job and that he is getting the recognition he deserves!

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving here and attending the Notre Dame vs USC game in Los Angeles. We get to see some friends of our from high school and experience a game "in the ghetto." (If you've ever been to USC, you know what I'm talking about!) And I am looking forward to coming home to Indiana at the beginning of December for an early Christmas with the family. I cannot wait to see my family and my nephew again as well as our friends and their newborn little girl! Oh how we do miss our family and friends at home. And yet we are our own little family here and are learning to make this a home.

Here are some pics from San Diego!