I love Fall.

Fall, however, has notoriously not loved me.

I love the crispness of the Fall air. The change of leaves. Football games. Pumpkin patches. Oktoberfest. Sweaters. Birthdays. Halloween. Thanksgiving. It’s just my favorite season of the year!

However, the last two years, at the very end of September and into October, I’ve been plagued by absolutely horrendous sinus infections. Allergies go crazy, and I end up succumbing to pain and pressure. Two years ago, I actually got so bad that the entire left side of my face became swollen!

So, of course, when I woke up on October 1st with my nose all stuffed up and a general BLAH feeling, I immediately became paranoid. I refuse to get that sick again this year! Especially in the wake of the various strains of flu already going around.

Hand sanitizer is my best friend these days. That’s right along side of my Neti pot, which is one of the best purchases I have ever made in my life. I take Zyrtek daily, and I keep Sudafed and Muscinex on hand at all times. These are my items of arsenal against illness. I hope they work!

Now, don’t get me wrong. October is not an “all bad” month for me. I moved to Nashville in October 2006. We moved into our house in October 2007. My nephew was born in October, as was my sister-in-law. My parents got married in October.

October has definitely, on a whole, been a wonderful month for me in my life, and I am going to go into this October with optimism…

… and a box of Kleenex and my Neti Pot.