Every morning I wake up at 5:17 (yes, 5:17) am and curse the fact that it is 5:17am. I absolutely hate those first few minutes, lamenting the long day ahead, and desperately wishing to plop back down in my feathery soft pillows and warm blankets. The first step out the door is chilly and cold and I clutch to my fleece Columbia jacket - so unfashionable and baggy - dreading the cold. It's my least favorite part of the day.

But then as I wake up on my drive to work, I see the sun come up and I see the leaves turning golden red. It's a beautiful sight. The sky sometimes is lit up in beautiful shades of lilac and goldenrod, and against the shadows of the trees it's quite breathtaking. The country drive I make every day seems to get beautiful as each day passes. I know I often forget how beautiful the fall is, because I am dreading the cold and long winter - but this time of year truly is remarkable.

I love walking outside at night - any given night - and smelling embers of a bonfire.

The advertisements for pumpkin-flavored

anything.

The ominous look of a foggy, wet sunday morning.

The buds of mums and the golden tips of dried up cornstalks.

Bumpy, ugly pumpkins with coiled stems and dirt all over.

What do you love about fall? October? this very day?

ciao, xo