SEPTEMBER

(Autumn speaking) Usually I love September.  The days are cooling off, the leaves are changing, the deer are a sight to see, and the elk a beautiful sound at night to lull you to sleep.  Plus, it’s my birthday month!  Who doesn’t love that?  Yeah, right.  Not this year.  I don’t know what we did, but we both agree we must have done something to tick the world off because this has not been a great month. 

Honestly, I don’t even remember much about this month, except work, work, work, and bad luck.  Chris has been extremely busy this month.  It seems everything happens at once.  Not only has he been busy with major projects at work, but he’s had deadlines on the farm that he’s had to meet.  I think he’s now a professional fence builder!  And thanks to his family.  Without their help, we would have been up a creek without a paddle.  Because this school year has so far proven to be especially time demanding for Autumn, Chris’s family was out there many times pounding posts or nails with him, while she had to be doing school work, and feeling guilty for not helping.

Fence building isn't the only farm work that's made everyone busy this month.  They've also had to get all the haying done, and it doesn't help when something goes wrong with the baler.  Even Tip is tired of Chris and Shawn working.

Before I get to the bad luck, here’s a bit about the normal happenings:

Our friend, Ammon, who went to high school with Autumn came to visit over Labor Day weekend.  We’ve been trying to get him to visit again for years, so when he agreed we were very excited.  It was lots of fun playing games and just catching up.  We even got him out there, pounding fencing nails!  (Cautionary note- The work on a ranch is never done.  If you are going to be a guest at our house, most likely you will be put to work at some point.)  Okay, that cautionary note is just a joke, but right now I can’t think of a family member or close family friend for which that hasn’t proven true!  Anyway, on Labor Day we took Ammon to Blackfoot to the Eastern Idaho State Fair (it’s a tradition for us to go), and had a good time there too.

I guess September has been full of canning, too.  Autumn used to get 2 weeks off for potato harvest when she worked in Grace.  Now, she wishes she could just get one week off for canning. J So far, she’s only bottled peaches and pears, and made grape jelly.  But there’s more jelly juice in the freezer, berries and apples to pick and juice, and another box of peaches that needs bottled sitting on the kitchen table.  See, that’s why she needs a week off!

The best thing about this month was receiving our letter from LDS Family Services, stating that we were approved for adoption!  Now, we wait.  But we are not just going to wait, we are going to do what we can to help get the word out.  Including, asking you to not only keep us in your thoughts and prayers, but also to help us get the word out.  Also, Autumn participated in the Footsteps For Fertility 5K in Draper, Utah.   A special thanks go to Kimmy and Allison for supporting her in this.  This race not only supported the cause, but there was also a drawing for a free IVF cycle, offered by our doctor.  We didn’t win, but it was a neat, feel-good experience.  Plus, there’s another race in October, Pound the Pavement for Parenthood!  Hope to see you there!

Autumn and Kimmy at the Footsteps for Fertility 5K.  Allison somehow got out of a picture.

Now we’re to the good stuff, or rather, the not-so-good stuff:

Actually, the bad luck has mostly come in a two week stretch (as I’m writing this I realize we have 1 more week of September, and I pray the bad luck streak is over).  Here’s how it went: 1^st bad thing to happen- Chris slices his arm open on barbed wire on Labor Day (that’s what he gets for not taking a day off).  We go to the Emergency Room to get stitches.  #2- Let’s just say we can’t use our dryer anymore and we are lucky to have a house still.  #3- (2 days later) It’s Autumn’s birthday (not the bad part).  She has a horrible day at work, Chris has to work late, and…here it is…he hits a deer on his way home.  #4- (4 days later) A deer hits Autumn and wrecks the car, on which we had just put 2 new bumpers and gotten it back from the body shop less than 2 weeks before!  #5- (4 & 5 days later) Autumn goes to the E.R.  Dang ovarian cysts!  (Don’t like sharing this, but it helps prove my point) #6- (same day) Chris’s dog, Wrangler gets shot by a neighbor.  Or so we think (stay tuned).  

Clearly, the deer hit me.

Ugh!  If it weren’t for being able to see how we were blessed in all this, we would cry.  But you have to recognize the blessings.  #1- Chris’s arm only took 6 stitches, and really wasn’t bleeding too bad.  It was just too wide to heal on its own.  It could’ve been a lot worse.  #2- My house didn’t burn down.  Need I say more?  #3- It was a fawn that Chris hit, so it only put a tiny dent in the bumper and the license plate.  It doesn’t even need to be fixed.  #4- No one was hurt.  So many things could have happened differently that would have changed this outcome.  #5- Well, it’s annoying but not life threatening.  #6- (see P.S.)

As September comes to a close, we say, “Good riddance, bad luck!”  And we welcome October and the better circumstances it will bring.  We hope.  :)

P.S.  As I was writing this, Chris got home from a 4-wheeler ride to cow camp.  Guess who he found there?  Wrangler!  See, things are looking up already.

Random Pics

 A smoky sunset

 They've been a little elusive lately, but they're still here.