FALL!!!

I have always looked at Fall as a time to reflect. As the leaves begin to change and fall from the trees, our lives, too, begin to take on a new chapter. Bring back the days of pumpkin bread, soups, warm flannel sheets on the kid's beds, hot chocolate and spiced apple cider, making my home cozy with the scents of the season...a new cranberry orange candle or cinnamon scented pine cones, nights of snuggling in soft, down blankets, warm fuzzy pajamas, pumpkins on the porch, oh...how the list goes on. Although I am a sucker for the long, lazy days of summer, I must admit that I am eager for these cozy, fall days. How lucky I am to look outside and see the brilliant vibrant colors that splash around outside of my window, the red that blazes across the mountains, the frost-tipped grass in the mornings that shimmer, yes...I am lucky to live where I live, and be surrounded by good beauty, good friends, and a wonderful family. Which brings me to my next point...every fall I take a few days and allow myself to feel a little melancholy. Not because it is cold and my summer days are gone, but because fall brings on the realization that another year is coming to an end. My kids are getting one year older, one year closer to beginning their own lives, also, one more year has passed that I have been without loved ones who have gone on to the next life, and I, who still feel 18 inside, am adding one more year to my life. Do I want time to freeze? No, that would be silly. Time equals memories, and there are SO many more to make, but, pause...I wish I had a pause button to just sit back and look around whenever I want to. Then, when I am ready to go on I can resume and continue playing the game. But, alas, that won't happen. So NOW is the time. This is the time to love, live, laugh, and enjoy. And now that the cold is here and we are drawn to the warmth of our home, it is time to cuddle a little longer, listen a little closer, love a little deeper, and enjoy a whole lot more! I am blessed. I love my family, I love this time of year, I love all that I have. I couldn't ask for more. So welcome Fall...and thank you for all that you bring to my life.
Picking out pumpkins at our favorite pumpkin patch...

Having a picnic in our front yard under the beautiful changing leaves of our tree...

At the Pumpkin Patch...

After the final football game of the season...