On loving the weather....

I feel a bit weird about wanting to leave Des Moines considering the beautiful weather we've been having. I spent the first half of the summer in Colorado and expected to come back to hideous heat, but it was mildly warm when I came back. Then I geared up for the inevitable heat that historically comes with the Iowa State Fair. It never came. I'm always surprised when it's not 95 degrees with 80-percent humidity.

Now we are experiencing an extended autumn. It's starting early, anyway. I hope it hangs around for awhile. I love the crisp morning air and the slowly scattering leaves. But like many others, this turn of seasons always makes my thoughts turn to the holidays. For the past few years my husband and I have been working really hard to get our kids to understand the concept of true gift-giving in the spirit of giving something from the heart because you've made it especially for the person, or because the item really spoke to you as something meaningful to the person it's intended for. Even more difficult than that, we've been trying to get grandparents and other family to cut back on their giving of "stuff" to our kids just for the sake of having lots of presents. We believe that experiences and time spent together are so much more worthwhile than toys and trinkets that ultimately end up at the back of the closet of stuffed between books on the bookshelf.

In that vein, my mother-in-law gave my kids the gift of a vacation with her to Florida to swim with dolphins. They were so happy to spend the time with her, and it will always be one of their most cherished memories. I couldn't be happier for them. As we continue our quest to live with less stuff and more experiences in our life, I hope we can keep up our end of the bargain by offering those we love the opportunities to experience more meaning in their lives. And as my thoughts turn to the holidays, I'm considering picking up a tradition I gave up a couple of years ago—hosting a large Christmas party for all of our family and friends. I think it will do our hearts some good to share the laughter and friendship we've been missing since I canceled the nine-year tradition. It's a huge undertaking, but I'm giving it some thought.

We'll see how this fabulous fall weather treats me.