Seasons of Love.

oh, the heading is rather cliche and somewhat cheesy - i get it.

if you remember from the post about fishing season, j quickly informed me that there are seasons for everything. at that particular time, it was fishing season.

when i detested fishing season and asked when my favorite season, hiking/camping, would roll around he said, "In due time." bah.

being raised in the south - deep south - one might think that the seasons are turkey season, fishin' season, deer season, & duck season.

however, we learned in elementary school that the true seasons that God so magnificently created are winter, spring, summer, & fall. i don't know about you but i am always eager for the next season to arrive, and it does in due time. although - this year, i feel like a 5th season has been added - rainy season. regardless, the beautiful state in which j and i reside have well defined seasons. i love it.

winter is cold - often brisk and sometimes snowy. don't you just love winter? the cold air that bites, scarves and hats, sweaters, wool coats, hot chocolate, and my favorite - a warm, cracklin' fire.

spring is gorgeous - the sun begins to warm the Earth and everything livens up. people liven up and i love it. it's so nice to see runners on the road, kids playing... and new growth. spring always comes just in the nick of time. the winter blues have generally set in and the patios start calling my name...mmmmaaaaaa-rrrriiiiii.

summer is amazing - hello summer dress, lawn mowing, crops growing, flowers, ski boats, the rich smell of coconut tanning oil... ah - it's great!

fall is my favorite, however - the days are still warm but the nights are cool. the smell of pumpkin spice candles make me have butterflies in my stomach, the loud tune of Rocky Top gets played over and over, harvest season, carmel apples, and the trees - oh the trees.... aren't they gorgeous? Mother Nature is a darn good artist.

ok, i'll get to my point now.

in the south - there are seasons defined by which animal one can hunt.

in the textbooks - so often liberal and secular, describe Mother Nature's artistry as winter, spring, summer, & fall

in m & j land - i'm learning -there's fishing season, hiking/camping season, boating & lake season, and school season.

as you know, if you've been keeping up, j wrapped up another semester (can i get a heeeeeck yea!?) in school and has an entire month off. yipee! i told him that since i had been a very patient little wife and been a great school assistant, this month of may was mine.

quick explanation: for any of you who have not had a husband - or spouse - work full time and go to college at night... or work second jobs... or anything else where they're gone all of the time. the other spouse sometimes feels put on the back burner. and, rightfully so. the other spouse - in our case, j - has a lot on his (or her) plate at that time. it is important that when breaks come (and it couldn't have come soon enough) that you utilize that down time and truly enjoy each other's company. remember why you fell in love, before life got in the way.

ahem. sorry about the soap box. i'll slide off now.

well. i'm proud to announce that HIKING/CAMPING SEASON has arrived at the wood house!

j surprised me yesterday with an email that basically said - "see, i told you - everything has a season" and attached was a copy of our reservations to camp in the smokies at the end of next week/end. yup - that's why i fell in love with him, before life got in the way. :) little surprises like that.

and, when i got home - we went on an REI date. holy sales - it was probably not the place for j & i to go when nearly everything was a bargain. crap. REI dates are little outings that j & i have enjoyed since he moved here. it's our little haven of wish list items. we walk around saying, "when we do this...." & "when we travel here...." & "look at these new hiking boots that are on sale!..."(and in last night's case, we purchase) we generally don't visit REI (because it's dangerous for us) unless we're planning a trip to hike or camp. that visit to REI is like the prolouge for the upcoming plans!

so, yup - another season of love, season of change in the old married world of m & j.

***

in other news.

i guess life has seasons too.

elementary season, high school season, college [i don't know what i'm doing] season, purgatory season, kid season, grown up season. well, at least that's the seasons that i see from my little chair.

today marks the 4 year anniversary of my college [i don't know what i'm doing] graduation. yay! i graduated!

but, holy moly. 4 years seems like a long time....

no one cares about my cool college stories anymore. no one really cares that i went to UT, until football season rolls around. no one cares that i had a freggin' blast while i was there. that's old news. that was so 2005. there are fresh new baby graduates popping out every semester.

so, what does this mean?

does that mean i'm seasoned and know what i want to be when i grow up? (no)

does that mean that i'm still paying for my education? (absolutely)

does that mean that i still love UT and get butterflies when i hear rocky top? (oh, heck yes!)

does that mean that i have found my career? (meh - i've got a great job, maybe not a career)

does that mean that i've hopped on the baby train because that's the next step? (nope)

does that mean that i've fully accepted the fact that i'm "grown up"? (ummmm, let me think - nope)

i sometimes feel like i'm in the purgatory season - i'm not in college, wild and free. but, i'm not "grown up" either. can i just live in purgatory forever? i kind of like it here.

does purgatory mean that i'm just a bum and have not really accomplished anything, or love people i have met, the job that i am so thankful to have, or anything in between? no - i'm truly blessed - in whatever season of life this is called.

but, what does 4 years really mean for me?

since may 7, 2005 -

*i have lived in 3 different cities

*held down the same job for 3 years - big deal since the first year i was out - i had 7 W2's - don't ask

*gotten married

*owned my very own puppy {it's kind of like a kid, right?}

*bought a new car

*bought a house

*planted my first flower garden

*currently making it thru the worst financial crisis since the great depression

*made some killer friends

*kept up with golden old ones

*become closer to my family than ever before

*learned to diligently thank God in the good times, and seek Him in the tough ones

*lost 30 pounds

*learned to love to run

*taken on a healthier lifestyle

so, i guess my last 4 years of being a "grown up" haven't been that bad. maybe i am "growing up".....

*pat myself on the back*

eh, whatever. go vols! bring on another year!