Coming full circle

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In three weeks, I’ll have lived in Chicago for one year. I left Columbus early in the morning October 25, the week of Halloween. That was also the peak of Ohio’s beautiful leaves season, but I wasn’t even thinking about that at the time. Now that I can’t have them, they’re all I can think about.

This week I’ve been day dreaming about driving around Muskingum’s campus and seeing the fall colors surrounding the lake, listening to Guster (my default fall music, since I discovered them fall of my freshman year there). It’s been cool here in Chicago the last couple of weeks, and I have been in full swing fall crazy, digging out all of my sweaters and boots from storage, and going from store to store to try to find hot apple cider mix, even though it’s too early in the season still. In Ohio, it smells like fall — it does a little bit here too, and maybe I’m speaking too soon, but as of this week, it’s not quite the same.

I’ll be in Ohio later this week, but I’ll be ahead of the leaves by a good two weeks. I’m sad about that, but I’m really looking forward to coming home during this season that is so special to me and my dad. Kevin is actually coming with me, which is extremely exciting while at the same time slightly stressful. I can’t wait for him to meet my friends and family but I hope this six-day trip doesn’t bore the crap out of him by day two. I know I’d be exhausted if I felt like I had to be charming to strangers for days on end. But, I’m looking forward to showing him my hometown and all the people in it, as well as Columbus. I’ve got a list going of places I want him to see, and people I hope he’ll get to meet.

I’ve never really had a whole lot of experience introducing guys to my parents, but I have a good feeling Kevin and my dad will get along well. If you have any horror stories though, please share, so I can worry about them tirelessly for the next several days, and therefore prevent them from actually happening.

And finally, Kevin has been warned that, while in Ohio, we’ll be visiting a Tim Horton’s drive through at least once a day. Dunkin Donuts here just pales in comparison, and soon, he too will be a convert. I’m sure of it.

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