How Do Y'all Do It?!

Yep, this is another post about the weather. Other topics are of course addressed, but weather certainly plays a role. Just thought you deserved a heads up...

Fall arrived more than three weeks ago, but Mother Nature hasn't yet received the memo. High temperatures in 90s and low temperatures in the 70s mean our air conditioning runs frequently, we still wear shorts and tank tops almost exclusively, and we shower twice a day: once in the morning and once after walking home (the two blocks) from school during the hottest time of the day. Today's high, you ask? 95 degrees. 95 degrees on October 14th.

I love fall. Well, I love fall as I experienced it up until five years ago. Feeling a chill in the air when walking out the door first thing in the morning, watching the leaves change colors, wearing boots and sweaters and scarves, picking apples, carving pumpkins, and celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, Will's birthday, my birthday (and lots of friends' birthdays), and Christmas all warm my heart and lift my spirit.

Since fall arrived we have participated in quite a few traditionally autumnal activities: we tailgated on campus for an Aggie football game, took in our first high school football game, visited the Texas A&M corn maze, and spent a few hours at a local nature and wildlife reserve's fall festival.

Before the corn maze...

…and after our first time through. During our second time through, the boys
ran off and got lost. This wouldn't have been so bad if the corn maze hadn't
been built on the surface of the sun. For approximately 11 hours we stood on
the asphalt - no shade, no breeze - and waited for our husbands to find our sons. 

It doesn't seem to matter, however, how fun or festive the outing; I find it nearly impossible to truly enjoy myself and my favorite season in this kind of heat. As silly as it sounds, I can't shake the slight grumpiness I feel when summer weather hangs on through the middle of fall.

Many people I know attended the same fall festival we did, and throughout the afternoon - the AFTERNOON, when the sun and temperatures are at their highest - I saw smiling face after smiling face posted on Facebook. (We arrived at 11am and left shortly after 1pm. I don't know if I could have lasted another minute.) No one seemed at all put out by the heat, whereas I, even after nearly five years of living in Texas, could barely function. I tip my hat to you, Texans; I honestly don't know how you do it.

I want my kids to experience what I love about fall - or at least a (sweatier) version of what I love about fall - so we keep heading out into Mother Nature's sauna. I decided not long ago that while I hate this weather, I will continue to power through the sweat and lightheadedness and grumpiness as long as Will and Hallie have smiles on their beet red, sweaty faces on the way home from our autumn celebrations.

The minute they stop smiling we're headed somewhere air conditioned.

Worth mentioning is the fact that the heat is a little less painful with my cheerful (and seemingly unaffected by the heat) hubby and/or most excellent friends by my side.