happy fall!

As we navigate our first year here in Arizona, we find that there are a number of "firsts" that we pay closer attention to than we might have if we were still living in the Midwest. Yesterday was a case in point -- the first day of fall. Typically, I've always looked forward to fall. What's not to love about the cool, crisp air, the changing leaves, apples, and pumpkins? Here "in the valley", the first day of fall is quite a bit different. We still see apples and pumpkins...at the grocery store. Are there cider mills, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches around here? I have no idea! We also see triple-digit temperatures. Whew! 

This is what the first day of fall looks like in the desert: 

I can't complain about the gorgeous blue skies that we see here on a regular basis.

As we got ready to head to Lincoln's baseball game yesterday, I snapped a picture of the clock that is on our patio. I'm not sure if you can see the temperature in the lower right corner, but it indicates a temp of 102 degrees. Thank goodness for shady spots at the baseball complex!

You know it's football season when...

you enter the family room and see the helmets lined up in front of the tv.

Each week, Lincoln places the team matchups on the entertainment center. The losing teams get tossed aside and then it starts all over again the next Sunday. It's become a cute tradition. I think I'm the only one in the house who still doesn't know which teams are which helmets! I need to get with the program.

Seems like football season is going to require a bit of a mental adjustment this year as game times are gonna feel wonky here in the desert. In Illinois, it wasn't difficult to get used to watching a typical 1:00 EST Sunday game at noon CST. Here in AZ, however, the 1:00 game will start at 10 a.m.  Perhaps the games will start with Bloody Mary's instead of beer?