My favorite time of year

Yes, the holidays, obviously. But I LOVE the darkness. I love it getting dark early--like 415. I just love it. And I am totally an outdoors person too. Isnt that strange? Just something about the world getting darker earlier; it is a 'cozier' time, almost. Things dont seem so rushed. People slow down a bit. Things get more relaxed. More wood stove and couch time. 

And I LOVE running at night. Join me! Haha. Sally snapped this of me last week while I was going out...I have this snappy vest, snappy reflective gloves, and a cute little band around my ankle. Just in case. I still hardly see any cars. If my mom read this blog and saw that I run at night, she would freaque out. So dont tell her. Good thing she doesnt read this. 

Maira seems to be coming around a bit--and by 'coming around,' I mean 'liking me' at all. She, for a good while, was not that impressed with me. It concerned me very much. I mean, I am used to women disliking me, but my own daughter?? But, as you can see below, we share lots of special moments. She loves, as of late, 'pony rides' and 'dinosaur rides' which, to you and me, are just piggybacks. Also, she loves (she told me this) when I call her 'sweety-pants' and 'Mae.' I often call her Mae, since it is a shortened version of Maira Elizabeth. For me.

Notice, also, the pink tutu above? She always wears it over her other clothes....

I am NOT a fan of Thanksgiving starting so late this year!! After Thanksgiving, there are only like three weeks til Christmas!! Very very stressed, as my mom would say. Tomorrow (Sunday) we will probably put up our lights and stuff like that. Meanwhile, little CS is wielding his scissors with surgical precision to make snowflakes to hang on doors.....

The folks from NJ are arriving as I write this. I am not joining them tonight (Amanda and the kids are over BaBa's) since, just a while ago, I returned from the 7th annual Winslow Tailgate Party held at my buddy Wick's (as in Wickman) house in Waterville. A bunch of us guys on faculty get together for 'rivalry weekend' (UNH clobbered UMAINE today, for example) and watch football, eat amazing pot pie, sausages, cookies, and more. A great time with great guys. AND, what makes today even more special is that, for the second year in a row, Winslow is playing in the Superbowl. Here we go Raiders!!!