Falling for Fall

Today was one of the most colorful days I've seen. The sun was scarce, so I couldn't catch a shot with it hitting the trees, but it was lovely :)
Snow isn't too far away, which you know I love. The freezing temps are already here at night. Yes.. my favorite time of the year is here. Cold...Halloween...Snow...Fall colors...Fall smells...sigh.

If you read Marianna than you know the BIG secret. You guys are too funny on your guesses too. NO, I'm not pregnant, and NO, neither is Marianna. NO.. I'm not starting a watermelon farm, Shephard :P
My sis Amy is in Texas and she has moved in with Marianna for awhile. They have become good friends in the last few months and Marianna is helping her out. Almost like a guardian angel :) Hopefully Amy will be able to move up here within a few months which will be a big change for both of us. We weren't so close growing up, and when we just started to get a chance, her life changed. Something I'll post about another time.
Her moving up here will be a good thing. I will have some help, I will have family around, and I think it will be good for her too.
I will also have some freedom to get out some and travel, and you know what a goal that is for me.

I had a whole other post in my head for today, but I'm just not up to writing it tonight. So I guess it will be a Friday post :)
Oh and the cookies are out there.....we'll see what happens!

**UPDATE: I'm stealing this from Marianna's blog. She wrote it perfectly, so why should I write it again?

Well, I think it's time I give some background info on Amy. She is not embarassed by this at all so I am letting y'all know a little bit about her. Amy was in a prison til yesterday. She got parolled early because she's been an exemplary inmate. She's worked her ass off in such a positive way that the guards & wardens, along with her employer, have pushed to get her to be parolled early.

I think there are two types of people in the world. Bad people and good people that make a mistake in life. I think GOOD people need to be given a second chance because they just need a way to thrive & be able to overcome their faults. There's nothing tragic about what she did in life ~ she made a mistake. It wasn't something that was hurting anyone except her own emotional state. She has a son who is nearly 7 years old & she misses him immensly. He misses her too. I have seen her get teary-eyed many times when she talks about Cody. He lives in Fort Worth & he is the love of her life. So, a couple of years ago, she made a mistake. And she has paid her time.

She needed a second chance in life. I'm not judging her past or who she was back then. I didn't know her back then. I know the Amy I've come to know in this past year. I've been corresponding with Amy for a while now, and, about a year ago, I went to visit her for the first time in prison. She was in a place about an hour away. The prison has been an eye-opening experience for me. I have come to appreciate my life, as meager as it is. You don't appreciate the value of life until all your freedoms have been stripped away from you. I have grown so much in the past year with our visits. I went to see her for the most part ~ once a month, on a Saturday. We would visit for 2 hours. We would laugh, cry, talk... it was just an experience I needed to live out. These past few months, whenever I went to see her, the guards all would brag to me about Amy ~ how much of a great job she's doing & how much they can see changes in her.

Amy has improved 100% since I first met her. I have seen her when she was down & seen her when she was UP. VERY UP. Since last week, we came to find out that she was going to be parolled early. It has been an intense week for me, and then combine the issue with Scott ~ yeah, you can imagine I've been going ninety to nothing! So, with many phone calls placed & a few miles on Inga, I went to pick her up from another unit that released her this morning around 11:45. I don't think I've seen more gratitude on a human being.

She got to talk to Leesa on the phone ~ for HOURS! LOL ~ and also to her son. They really needed this conversation. He hasn't known where his Mama has been & he won't know til he's older but it was good for them to be back in each other's lives. We will arrange to go up to Fort Worth to see him.

Do you see what I mean about helping someone that needs it? I feel that I know Amy & I know in my heart of hearts that she isn't going to risk anything to violate her parole. She'll be with me until July 07 & then she'll be released for good from Texas. She'll be able to move to Montana & start a new slate ~ a new chapter in life. Amy will never go back to that hell hole. For any of you that think that prison is easy ~ 3 squares a day & a roof to live over your head ~ lemme tell you. It's far from the glamorized life we see on the TV. It's a cell the length of your car & about as wide. Except, in that cell, you have a bunk bed & 2 girls in there. And a toilet near your head with a sink. And a small table. Plus a couple of very small footlockers for personal stuff. Can you imagine having to shower in a small stall & having to use the smallest bars of soap in the world? Can you imagine having to eat breakfast at 3:30am? Can you imagine having a light shined in your face several times a nite & sleeping on the coldest slabs of a mattress?

Granted, Amy did things in her past to get her put in there, but she, of all people, need a 2nd chance in life. She needs to have her son back & she needs to be back in society. Prison was not her place. It was a mistake and now she's back in the real world. I'm grateful to give her the opportunity to start new in life. I think she needs it. I have told her she can start a blog here if she wants. I think it would be good for her to be able to talk about things. If she does, and if she wants to share the address, I may let y'all look at it. If not, then so be it. She may need her own place for a while, ya know?