Autumn Comes Slowly in Charleston

It's really starting to sink in that we do not live in the North anymore. I didn't even realize that the first day of Autumn occurred until three days after it happened. The days here are noticeably a bit cooler, which really only means that it's in the high seventies or low eighties. And the nights are getting a bit chilly. But back in Pennsylvania, at this time, the days would be chilly and the nights would be chillier, perfect for hayrides and apple cider and bonfires.

Autumn has always been my favorite season. I love going to the orchards and farms and seeing all the fall harvest. I love the scarecrows and hay bales and hot chocolate. I love standing around at a hayride in my sweatshirt and jeans and eating caramel apples and sipping hot chocolate. I love seeing the leaves change. And I especially love Halloween.

Will it ever get chilly here? I can imagine I'll be experiencing Autumn weather long after the season is over. Although, we were out this Saturday night at the Lowcountry Dragway and even though I was in jeans and a t-shirt, I was downright chilly. I would be very glad if weather like that continued for the season, particularly when we start heading up for the hayrides.

Because ya'll know that since it's the first of October, it's hayride season. We are a huge fan of haunts and hayrides and spent every weekend in October last year at one, sometimes two, resulting in us visiting close to ten. This year, I'm looking forward to doing the same and I'm hoping it will be even more fun because they'll be all new and we won't know what to expect. The problem is that there don't seem to be that many around here so if anyone would like to suggest some ideas, I would be more than willing to listen. We're game to driving two or three hours for one to, so please, please suggest away.

And because I love, love, LOVE Halloween, I spent most of today putting up my decorations. Not to over the top because I'm not sure how many trick or treaters we're going to get, but enough to get in the spirit. Some purple lights and little ghosts hanging from our ceiling. Some creepy looking silhouettes in the window and more purple lights and ghost lanterns in the window. I'm pretty happy with the way it looks. I've got pictures so I'll post them soon.

I think we'll probably end up at my parents Halloween night though, seeing as how we're in an apartment and they're in a little tight knit neighborhood with a bunch of kids. Plus, they're Halloween freaks like me too and they always pride themselves on being the creepiest house in the neighborhood. My dad is the one who'll dress up in an old mechanic's outfit and a wolf mask and sit on the porch waiting for the kids (he only scares the big kids, not the little ones). He makes fake graves in the front lawn and rocks the stobe lights and fog machines. It's really such a fun holiday for my family and this really is one of my favorite times of the year!

Another great thing about Autumn is football. Of course, I've got to support my Eagles but what stinks is that their games aren't on every week like they were up North so I have to be content with the scores from the web. The first nationally televised game between them and Green Bay is tomorrow so I'll definitely be watching that.

Until then, I have to get my fix watching my little brother play football. It's fun watching him because he's eleven years old, 5'8" and 180 pounds. He plays offensive and defensive lineman and kicker. He's the biggest one in the league and towers over everyone. He literally just seems to tap the kids with one hand and they go down. He still has to hone his skills though but if he practices enough, he'll go damn far and the scouts will be after him for sheer size alone.

Watching the little kids play football though is fun because they're still at the stage where they just don't get it sometimes, but they try hard. They're 2-1 right now and the first two games they played like rockstars. And when they work damn hard and come off that field all proud that they won, you can't help but feel that too and congratulate the hell out of them. And when they loose, you can't help but be upset because you know they are.

And seriously, I know why some people turn into those football parents - the ones that scream and yell at the refs and each other. We're not THAT bad, but when you're on the sidelines watching them out there, the adrenaline just gets to you. When you run down the field as they make a sixty yard run for a touchdown, you can't help but feel a bit of the same rush they do. And when the refs call horrible plays and spend the entire game flag happy, you can't help but get angry.

Especially when certain refs yell at my little brother for hitting to hard. That pisses me off. Yes, I know he's much bigger than the other kids and yes, I see he hits hard. But here's the thing - because of age, he can't play for his middle school (you have to be twelve to play JV for them) and they won't sign a waiver for him because of his size (league rule). As a result, he's in the division with all the kids his age and as we know, he's not the same size as the kids his age. And they teach him how to play football - they don't tell him "You need to watch how hard you hit because you're bigger than the other kids" because that's not the point of the game. And that would be unfair to him and discriminating because then he wouldn't learn how to actually play the game like all the other kids. So he goes out there and he plays the way he was taught and he gets a flag for hitting too hard. And the parents on the other team freak out at him for hitting too hard.

And it's like, if you don't want your kid to get hurt, don't put them in football. It's not like he's out there hitting them hard on purpose. He's playing the way he was taught and it's not really fair to him to make him "dumb" his game.

/*End rant ... :-)

So there's a whole new season of Autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up and I'm excited. And this month marks our six-month anniversary in Charleston. The times and the seasons, they are a-changing and there's so much to look forward to.

We went out to dinner with some of Steve's co-workers on Friday night, which was a welcome excursion out as it was the first time we'd gone out with people our own age that weren't our family or friends visiting. It was a very nice and relaxing dinner at the Water's Edge, a bar and grill by Shem Creek and being able to sit and enjoy everyone's company while watching the sun go down over the water was very, very refreshing and definitely a nice break.

Other than that, not much has been going on. For anyone who's reading my Vox blog, the fall season has started on TV and I've been invested in that. I bought a DVD Recorder which helps for my CSI and Grey's Anatomy conflict. And I'm really, really digging the new show Heroes.

Our life has been rather busy. We got to football games twice a week, we've visited my other brother in Myrtle Beach two or three times in the past month, Steve goes fishing every weekend and I occasionally go with, my parents are moving into their new house so we've been over helping them. And along with the hayrides, I'd like to go to the Renaissance Faire near Charlotte just to check it out.

So it seems that we are progressing beyond that whole "getting" settled phase into "being" settled. We still have a few more steps to go but it's really nice getting into a rhythm and having this place start to feel like home.

Truthfully, the most difficult part has been finding friends. We had our own little group up North that we had known and partied with for years and it's really an odd feeling when all of a sudden, that groups gone. I was so used to my cell starting to ring before I even got off of work on Friday nights and having plans for the weekend by Wednesday that sometimes now, coming home isn't so fun on Fridays because there's nothing planned. Steve and I go out and do things and explore new areas and stuff and we have a lot of fun, but sometimes not having that group around can make you feel so lonely, even though there are two of you.

Alas, though, that's all a part of starting over and eventually, I'm sure that will change too. Until then, we're just going to wander around the area on weekends together, driving until we get to a half of a tank then turning around or checking out places that other people have recommended and just generally enjoy each others company and getting used to our new home together.

Because really, that's what this whole move was about.