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Dear October, ⁣ It’s been two years today sinc

Dear October, ⁣
It’s been two years today since I bought my house and I still love it as much as I did when I bought it. (It felt right to bring out a photo from that day, so no, I didn’t dye or cut my hair… this is just a photo of a very excited 2019 Cassidy.) ⁣
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It’s good that I like my house, because I spend a lot of time here now. I still don’t water the lawn or the plants as much as I should, though somehow the roses have pulled through and bloomed again all on their own. I have a mini forest going on in the backyard that needs attention, and some tomato plants that have been ignored for months and yet keep flowering. I finally managed to identify the mystery vine that’s trying to take over (morning glory), though that doesn’t make it any less invasive and aggressive. ⁣
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I bought a backyard fire pit and rearranged the craft room and cleaned my entire house. I’m painting murals on the walls and stocking up on hurricane supplies. The cactus that needed to be relocated died in the freeze, and the trees still need to be trimmed, and maybe someday I’ll actually get the gutters put onto my house. There’s still a mirror without a proper home and frames waiting to be hung, and I still haven’t bought a couch or a dining room table. ⁣
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But this house, October? It’s mine. It’s great. And I’m very glad I bought it. Happy house-versary to me.

Dear October, ⁣ I haven’t been writing to you

Dear October, ⁣
I haven’t been writing to you like I thought I would, but I’m admittedly not that surprised. I’m trying to do all the things and finding photos to post doesn’t seem to be at the top of my list. I’ll keep that in mind for next year, and get that sorted before you arrive. ⁣
The Rock and Ride was this past weekend. Dad and I have been doing that ride for years, and I really look forward to it… even though it means I’m useless on Sunday. I slept for about 10 hours Saturday night and was still slow most of the day. That’s what 100 miles on the back of a motorcycle will do, I suppose. Also, it was still hot, October. I’d rather have sun than rain for the ride, of course, but since I wear a jacket while I ride, cooler temperatures would be appreciated. ⁣
I wore my mom’s Harley shirt from a local shop that hasn’t been around in ages. Several old time bikers came up to me to comment on it. “It’s my mom’s,” I’d tell them, probably unnecessarily, since I’m too young to have bought it myself, and then my dad would start up a conversation. With them, or frankly, with anyone. “Do I know you from somewhere,” he’d ask, and many times, the answer would be yes. It’s fascinating to watch. ⁣
I’m going to have to learn how to ride a motorcycle, October, because this isn’t something I ever want to give up and I can’t count on my future husband being the kind of biker I like. If you want something done, do it yourself.

Dear October, ⁣ It’s sunny and hot again, and

Dear October, ⁣
It’s sunny and hot again, and when I went shopping for Halloween decorations yesterday, I left with items for Christmas. I went back out today and mostly finished the Halloween decor gathering, but somehow, I already feel behind. ⁣
It’s a feeling that applies elsewhere in life, in personal and professional projects, and in goals I set for myself before I had more information about how things might go. It’s not something I linger in, usually, but sometimes it sneaks up on me and crashes in. ⁣
I’m taking it day by day, October. Today, that meant sitting by a friend’s pool instead of rushing around all morning. Tomorrow, it’ll mean something different.

Dear October, ⁣ I never imagined that I’d writ

Dear October, ⁣
I never imagined that I’d write letters to you during a pandemic, and I certainly never imagined that it would be the case for more than one year. Things are different this time around, October. I’ve hugged my family. I’ve hugged friends. I’ve been a few places. Things are looking up. ⁣
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And, you’re back. Somehow, even though I’m still completely unsure of how time is passing so quickly, you’re back. I’m so looking forward to your visit, October. The rest of this year feels a little bit like it might come at me like a fire hose, but you know that I love a certain level of chaos. I’m embracing that this time around. ⁣
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It’s pouring today, which feels somewhat appropriate for your first day with me. I have plenty of work to do, so curling up in the bean bag with a cup of tea isn’t on the agenda today, but I’ll make some banana bread later on and buy the ingredients for pumpkin squares. That seems like a decent compromise. ⁣
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Settle in, my dear October. I’ll write to you tomorrow.

Camp Indie. An event I signed up for ages ago, bef

Camp Indie. An event I signed up for ages ago, before the world changed, before I worked remotely, before I felt like I really belonged in the community I’d been a part of for so long. Officially, this was a business/travel/location independent lifestyle conference, held at an adult summer camp. Unofficially, it was exactly what I needed. ⁣
I pride myself on making friends rather easily, but this was a different level. I’ve never connected so well and so quickly with so many people. There weren’t any ‘you’re not cool enough to sit with us’ cliques, there wasn’t any need for formal introductions before talking to someone, there wasn’t a barrier to chat with a speaker or those running the camp… and most of all, when a speaker had us find someone we hadn’t talked to yet, it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It was the perfect place to find your people and make friends, and I wholeheartedly did. ⁣
Between the drive to camp (Google maps made some interesting choices), the gorgeous location of camp, finally seeing people I’ve known for years, never feeling like I couldn’t sit next to someone at a meal, karaoke, fantastic speakers, successfully canoeing despite a boat’s wake giving us some issues, a very chilly lake and some giant floating platform things, an amazing breathwork session, great (and safe!) food, having the best chats literally every time I talked to someone, an open bar, the 80s dance party, Bloody Mary music bingo, not enough sleep, and confirming that I was among the best humans… it was a weekend to remember. ⁣
The amount of support at camp was unreal. Nothing was too silly of a dream, or too far off base, or seemingly unattainable. There were cheers for people who told stories of quitting their jobs or being fired. There was goal setting, letting go of internal blocks, and reminders that none of this is built overnight. There was hope and happiness and fun. There were lessons about play and finances and planning. ⁣
Sign me up for next year. I can’t wait to go back. (Full write up on my blog - at the link in my bio.)

It’s been 20 years since the world changed. 20 y

It’s been 20 years since the world changed. 20 years of carefully watching planes that seem to be too close to the ground, until they’re safely out of sight. 20 years of tighter airport security. 20 years since airplane hijackings no longer ended with a demand for money and a return of the plane and people. 20 years of wondering what would come next.

There’s a list of things I do every year, including read Meg Cabot’s 9/11/01 diary entry, watch Boatlift, listen to Come From Away, and then fall down a rabbit hole of information, looking for things I hadn’t heard before. Somehow, there’s always something new. This past year, I never really stopped. I listen to a 9/11 stories podcast every week. I just started watching a series on Hulu/National Geographic about the events of that day, and Apple TV has documentary about W’s day on 9/11. Come From Away is now available as a film and it’s amazing. Only Plane In The Sky is a phenomenal book. There’s so much out there and I want to know it all.

It’s been 20 years, and we said we’d never forget.

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