It May Smell Like Teen Spirit But It Looks Like Vermont

For the first time this winter we're enjoying both a fire in the fireplace and snow outside: and yes, it's only October in Northern Virginia!

We slept in this morning (10:30! Amazing!) and got a bite to eat at Ruby Tuesday's ahead of going to Top Golf for a round (yes, even Mary played).  arriving in Kingstowne in a cold rain and 36 degrees.  By the time we were done lunch, it was sleeting, and as we played our round, some of the raindrops and sleet seemed to be drifting, as if they were (could it be?) snowflakes.

By the time we finished shopping at Wal Mart and Costco, it was very definitely snowing, but since the ground is still well above freezing, nothing was sticking.  But still, with the flakes flying and the windshield wipers wiping, it felt much more like December than October: we should be seeing Christmas trees, not pumpkins!

It hasn't lasted; even by dinnertime the flakes had turned into huge puffy ones and then stopped, turning back to rain.  This won't last; it's to be sunny and back in the mid-to-upper 50s by midweek (around 50 for trick-or-treating Monday night).  But for a brief moment, we had a taste of winter in NoVa, and I confess, I enjoyed it.

Disney Cruise: Photos Available!

Our Disney Cruise this summer, aboard the Disney Dream, was an absolutely wonderful getaway and we savored every moment aboard.  Thanks to Mary, and her quick thinking, we got out of town ahead of Hurricane Irene, and had four wonderful nights aboard ship.  Click here or in the links at right to see all the pictures!

Ahhh, Home(bodys)

A measure of how our summer and early fall have gone is the fact that I've not posted here for about three months.  It's not just that we've been busy--and with enjoying Courtney's visit over the summer, and the Disney cruise, and school starting, and the end of the fiscal year, we certainly have--but also I feel more a sense of pulling in, and less a sense of reaching out: in a word, we've become more "homebodies" these last few months than before.

Sarah has gotten very comfortable in front of the TV or in her room or reading; she doesn't ask to go to the mall or over to friends' houses as much as last year.  David has rediscovered the joy of the media room downstairs, and, after saving his money for several months, the Xbox360 he purchased has seduced him down there as well.  Mary has always preferred the comforts of home, and as tired as she's been lately, too, has had a pronounced favor of staying home.

Perhaps my own change makes it seem more noticeable--sort of a Heisenberg principle of domesticity.  I can't tell you the last Fairfax County GOP meeting I've attended.  I bought a ticket to Dave Albo's annual Albopalooza fundraiser and rock concert tonight; now I don't feel very much like attending, just sitting at home watching a movie or plowing more through my reading. 

Usually this sentiment strikes me much more around wintertime--when there's less motivation to get outside, and more to sit around a crackling fire.  Its presence in autumn, though, and even in late summer is unusual.  I'm not entirely sure what to make of it--passing whim, or changing tack with a new wind?  But until I figure it out, at least I'm comfortable, and there's plenty of Shiner.