Fall Beautiful Fall!

September has come and gone and October has arrived! Where did the summer go? Although I am no longer a full time student, September still feels like a time for new beginnings and the official start of the year. September and October bring the most perfect weather. The humidity of the summer is gone, the sun is lower in the sky and seems warmer, and it feels good to wear a sweater in the evening. I always feel a bit nostalgic in the fall too. I can remember the excitement of starting school each year, the fun my sister and I had jumping in a freshly raked pile of leaves, and looking forward to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. Every year when I see the colours of the leaves changing it feels like I'm seeing it for the first time. The beauty of nature amazes me.

This fall has been very busy so far. Brayden started Grade 5 and is also enrolled in the Kumon Learning Centre to help him with math. So far so good, and he proudly brought home a math test from school with a big 'A' on the top! He is also taking fencing lessons at the Canadian Fencing Academy here in Oakville. Perhaps it's all about the 'sword', but that's OK, he really seems to enjoy it and I think he's progressing very well!

I have enrolled in a course at the Ryerson University School of Continuing Education, and my goal is to complete a 'Certificate in Publishing' in about 2 years. I'm currently taking 'Copy Editing for Books, Journals and Reports'. So far so good, but it does take some discipline I haven't had to exercise in a while when it comes to reading and studying.

We've had a lot of social events this season too - two housewarming parties, apple picking one weekend, Jason went to a Leaf's game, I have had book club twice, and we had dinner for Jason's Mom, Linda and Alois, who both celebrated birthdays in September.

Today is Thanksgiving Day and I have a turkey in the oven. This is the first time in 10 years that I've attempted to cook a turkey. The only other time I did, it was disastrous. I cooked it for three days and it was still frozen in the middle! I'm a bit older and wiser now and I am quite confident that it will turn out this time. Smells good anyway! As I type this my mom is on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic on her way home from Ireland. That means we won't have her here for our inaugural Thanksgiving dinner in our home, but Bev and Luigi, Brayden, and my dad will be here to enjoy it with us.

Jason and I took a long scenic drive to the Niagara area yesterday. It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day and we followed the 'Waterfront Trail' all the way from Lakeshore Road in Oakville right into Niagara-on-the-Lake. This little town is probably my favourite place on earth. I spent a lot of time in this area as my grandparents lived in NOTL when I was growing up. The downtown is so quaint, the tree-lined streets with old Victorian homes are beautiful and the orchards and vineyards as far as the eye can see are breathtaking. Here are some photos from our trip.

Grapes and Vineyard at Inniskillin Winery

Niagara River view from Queenston Heights

A very festive home along the Parkway

My grandparents' former home. I can't go to NOTL without driving by :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!