Fall, please

On Sunday Lev and Jack and I went on a family walk. Our walks used to be extended nap time for Jack (not that there is anything wrong with that), but he is beginning to take in all of the surroundings and look at the sky and the squirrels and the trees and the leaves. The secret to life: see the earth, enjoy the air, love the animals. Babies know this, why do adults need to be reminded?

photo by Lev.

today today today

Today I walked to Trader Joe's on my lunch break and I can say that it is officially COLD out. I love the change of seasons--as soon as you think that you just can't take another hot day, the air blows colder and then, suddenly, you've got your gloves on. I love fall clothing, too. Wool! Boots! Yes!

Tonight Lev and I are having a date. We're going to this vegetarian Indian restaurant in Lakeview that we love. I'm planning on eating an absurd amount of food. And round two of the date is, um, Costco. What can I say? We are romantics.

This is the first weekend in three weeks that I'll be able to enjoy from home. I was in New York for my grandfather's funeral, and then at a work conference, and then back in NY with Lev to visit family and friends. I love NY, but I really love my apartment. Lev and I have decided that what we'd love most of all would be an apartment in NY. That's for real, too--but it has to wait until he graduates.

While in NY I got to catch up with some wise and wonderful friends, relatives, and in-betweens. The smart people in my life remind me to stop, breathe, smile--and go forward holding onto newly considered ideas and expanded plans. The future is fluid.

a great man.

My grandfather passed away on Thursday, October 6 at 9:20 pm EST. He was 92. Born in Brooklyn, he lived his entire life in New York. He turned Publix shirt company from a one-factory operation (and before my grandfather's time, it was an apartment operation ran by my great-great-grandmother) into a union company with factories all over the country. He was a hard worker and a person who never forgot where he came from; he was also a loving and kind man who will be missed by his family and, as I discovered at his funeral this past Sunday, everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. He was an avid walker who took special notice of the birds and the squirrels in his neighborhood; I believe I got my love of watching the neighborhood squirrels from my grandfather. My brother and I will miss his wisdom and his ability to confound us with word problems and, as my mother so eloquently eulogized, "his lap to sit on." It has been 25 years since I climbed onto his lap. I miss you, Grandpa.

Sheldon Berdon. November 12, 1918–October 6, 2011. Photo taken 1980. 

I am thankful

...for my health. I was in a serious bike accident 3 years ago--a woman opened her door into me and I was thrown through her driver's side window.  And next friday I'm finally going to an arbitration hearing regarding the case. Today I was thinking about a friend of ours who sustained a major head injury at this time last year. He basically has to relearn a lot of things, will probably live at home with his mother for a long time (if not the rest of his life), and he also had to undergo multiple skull/brain surgeries at the time of the accident to prevent his brain from swelling too much and killing him. As much as I am dreading this arbitration, I am forever grateful that I am here, now.

...that I have a fiancé as caring and wonderful as Lev. I know that I kvell about him on this blog, but he is the best thing that ever happened to me. Yesterday I was "very tired" (read: in a Bad Mood) the whole day and not only did he put up with me, but he made jokes, took me to Kmart (TV antenna=a Lizzy necessity), and cooked an amazing dinner. I'm unbelievably thankful that he is in my life.

...that I have a supportive, loving family. Not only do I have a stable and affectionate relationship with my mother and father, but I am doubly blessed with a wonderful stepfather, as well. Earlier I was having a genuine wedding/financially-motivated freak out and I spoke with my mother. She completely calmed me down, and pointed out that the wedding industry is built to make everybody feel poor! Yep, she said it and so did I!

...and, lastly, that it is SPRING in the Chi! (Well, sort of. We are getting there.) I snapped this proof-of-spring picture on my way home. You can barely see it, but there are leaf-buds on that there tree!