Fun things to do in Cleveland in the fall:

- Ride a tractor-pulled wagon to the orchards and pick apples

- Drive out to the country to see the historic covered bridges

- Pick up fresh food for dinner from the West Side Market

Sophistication

I think our big move is starting to work…I think we’re becoming world wise! Well, maybe it has less to do with moving and more to do with simply trying new things, but either way we’re marking a lot of things off the life to-do list.

Last weekend Sam went sailboat racing with a friend from work. He’s going again this weekend as the yacht club wraps up the season. Last night we attended our first waltz lesson. I must say, Sam’s got moves! And, because I work the least in our household (i.e., not at all), I’ve been cooking like crazy. So far every meal I’ve made has contained an entrée and at least one side. That’s major progress for me. Oh, and on a walk today I passed a house with a pear tree, so now I know what those look like!

What can I say? We’ve practically conquered the world.

Unlocking the secrets of the GRE

I happen to be studying for the GRE these days so that down the road I'll be able to get into graduate school...and quite frankly I'm a little shocked. So far I've learned that you must possess an exquisitely rare vocabulary to have the best chance of winning the verbal portion. If this vocabulary is beyond your grasp, you may be able to scrape by if you happen to know nearly every suffix, prefix, and root used in the English language. In my case, I'm just going to try to impress the test machine with my short-term memorization powers.

Now what goodies does the math review have in store for me?

Existence

I think the reasons we humans exist are far beyond our capacity to comprehend. But I like to theorize on the subject anyway.

I’ve heard it said that humans are a result of God’s joy. This got me thinking - what if our existence was less of a conscious thought (though still not accidental) and more of a reaction? Like maybe when God laughs, the laugh takes the shape of a wisp of human being. Not like milk that comes shooting out of his nose when he hears a good joke, but maybe God-laughter is the essence of a soul. And maybe a yawn looks like the Red Wood Forrest. And, ok, maybe if things do come shooting out of God’s nose, they look like whales.

Hmmm. But who can really say for sure?

Last minute fun

Just before Sam started his new job we took a quick trip to Wisconsin to visit his grandparents. Here’s a cute picture of them near the lighthouse.

We also visited the Cleveland Zoo while we had some free time. Hmm, hanging out with caged animals right before Sam started his new job. Is that foreshadowing? : )

Joie de vivre

So, Sam has a job now. After a few wonderful months of time off, he’ll now be working with a big architecture firm right downtown. This isn’t like Colorado Springs’s downtown. Sam will be working on the 19th floor (not the highest floor of his building), which is several stories higher than the current tallest building in Colorado Springs. This also means parking is not included with employment, so he’ll be taking the train to work. That sounds so big-city to me. Commuting will definitely be a big change from the 2 ½ block walk he used to have. Just another change among many – I think we’re becoming “worldly.”

Friendship

I love the old story of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. If you don’t have time to read the whole book, I recommend at least reading Chapter 21. It offers beautiful insight into the important things in life (which come across more profoundly if you imagine the fox speaking with a French accent).