And here is to you, KSU!

It’s August.

August is a time of change in my opinion.  The time when summer begins to wind down and first inklings of fall start to show up.  Bath and body works releases it’s fall scents, clothing stores are pulling out the long sleeves, and Wal-mart has it’s back to school aisles fully stocked.  It is a time of anticipation.  People busy with last minute trips (desperately trying to cling to summer freedom), and getting ready to send the kids back to school.  Ohhh… August.

I remember when August was a big deal.  As a kid I loved August.  I can remember when my mother used to take us to Boise to go school shopping.  It was the one and only big shopping trip we would have all year.  We would go up for the day and have dentist appointments, get new clothes, shoes, haircuts, pencils, backpacks, notepads, and the list goes on.  The very best part was Mom would let us choose a restaurant for lunch.  We would spend the entire trip to town weighing our options and making sure we chose wisely.  This was a big deal; you don’t get to eat at a restaurant just any day!!  What a bunch of country bumpkins we were!  I never put much thought into what a stressful day this must have been for my poor mother.  She had three kids to truck around to about 7 stores (including the dentist office) and one day to try and squeeze everything in, PLUS she had to listen to those same three kids fight the entire way there over where they wanted to have lunch!  I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, my mother is a saint. 

When I grew up and went to college August got even better.  August meant the beginning of school and the beginning of Football season.  I can remember the anticipation of being at the ranch packing my things in order to return to Kansas and my beloved K-State, not to mention those crazy girls that made up my family away from home.  I can remember the way it felt to arrive in Manhattan, to enter my apartment and get straight back to business as usual (which was pure shenanigans, I tell you!).  I lived for going to Varney’s to buy books and necessary supplies, as well as making sure to go and pick up my season tickets.  Oh, the way it felt to get your season football tickets.  The anticipation of the many Saturdays of Fall that we would spend sporting purple in the open fields and parking lots that surrounded the stadium, and the nights of celebration that were sure to happen even if we lost.  Oh how I love K-State in the Fall (Spring, Summer, and Winter).

As I have grown older August has not lost any allure, though it does not come flooding in with the same amount of exhilaration as it once did.  In fact, sometimes August makes me a little sad.  It reminds me of days gone by; of the things I once enjoyed and looked forward to, and of the girl I once was (not to say there is anything wrong with the girl I am now).  There are times I greatly wish I was preparing to go school shopping with my amazing mother, or to return to Kansas and my cozy little apartment and cuddle up in the living room with my roommates to talk about the school year to come.  Sometimes, I wish I could re-live those moments over and over again.  Except, that would mean going backwards and our lives our meant to be about moving forward.

So, here is to August, the threshold to the changing of a season, both seasonal and spiritual!  Here is to the final days of summer and first days of school!  Here is to anticipation and new opportunities!  Here is to games we should have won, memories we’re glad we made and nights we can’t remember!  AND, most importantly, here is to you and whatever change this August is bringing to your life, don’t worry it is going to be great!  

OOHH, and remember you are never too old for college football!