fallfallfallfall

 That's right, blogglings. It's that time of year again. If you've been following along for any amount of time, you know that I absolutely adore Fall. Today was the perfect Fall-type day: the sky was a deep blue with fluffy white clouds puffing along, there was a cool breeze blowing just enough to be comfortable. It just felt like Fall was in the air. On that note, and considering that it's finally September (EEP!), here's my list of what i'm looking forward to for Fall this year:

- cool days

- leaves changing colors

- mugs of tea in the evenings

- cardigans

- pumpkin carving

- making applesauce

- stubbly cornfields

- long walks in the woods

- fires to sit around

- pumpkin flavored everything

- boots

- corn mazes

- snuggling under blankets and reading or watching tv

- burning candles

- crisp air

What's your favorite thing about fall?

♥♥Kristin

Longing

I have this theory that every person has one season, one time of year, where they feel the most like themselves. The season when they feel the most alive. For me, that season is Fall. Actually, to be precise, it's the four month span of September through December. I just love the transition from the heat and the green to cool nights and colorful trees. I love the way time seems to slip by in blue skies and falling leaves until before I know it, it's Thanksgiving, the segue into the Christmas season. Soon the leaves have all fallen and the weather is getting colder - perfect for cups of tea to warm my fingers and cozy blankets and books. And then the Christmas season is in full swing: decorations and lights are everywhere and the whole world feels just a little bit more cheerful. I absolutely love everything about it. There's nothing quite like it.

And now here are some photos I've been aching over:

{all images via}

What is your favorite season?

♥♥Kristin

It's That Time of Year.

I was outside raking leaves earlier today and I was reminded why this is my favorite season. The scent of dead leaves, strange as this may sound, is one of my favorite scents in the world, right up there with freshly ground coffee and cookies baking. I was breathing it in, the cold wind stinging my fingers and numbing my face, and though I was so cold my toes began to tingle, the crispness in the air made me feel so alive. Being cold only makes it feel that much better to come inside, brew a cup of tea and make lunch. Food tastes better after a morning spent outside. As of now I'm thawing out on my bed, wearing a comfy hoodie with my warm laptop resting on my legs. I'm going to have to go to work later, but for now I'm just going to soak it all in. Lazy, cozy fall afternoons are my favorite.
♥♥Kristin

Oh, Hey November!

{{via}}

 Some things I'm looking forward to this month:
- Thanksgiving: we always go to my Grandparents' house with all of my cousins, eat too much food and have too much fun (If such a thing is possible.)
- The Christmas season is soon starting! It's one of my favorite times of the year.
- Drinking hot tea while I do my homework
- I'd thought about doing NaNoWriMo, but I've decided against that. 50,000 words is a lot, and I'm so busy with school and such. Instead, I'm just going to write, without a goal, just for fun, to see how much I could actually write in a month. Maybe next year?
♥♥Kristin

On Halloween.

I've never been the biggest fan of Halloween. My parents never really celebrated it when I was younger, and now I still don't celebrate it. I don't mean to offend anyone by this, not at all, but here's the way I see it: Halloween is based off of the pagan holidays. The anti-christians. I'm sure you've heard this numerous times before, but here's the history of Halloween or All Hallows Eve: It was believed that on this night, the spirit world and the human world overlapped and that the dead would come back to life and cause sickness and suffering. The costumes and masks were worn to mimic the spirits in order to please them. Bonfires were built to sacrifice animals and crops as sacrifices to the Celtic gods. It became a night to celebrate spirits and witchcraft and dark magic.

The history of this holiday is all about the devil, and to some extent aspects of it are still focused on him with all the talk of vampires, werewolves and ghosts. I understand that for many, the holiday is no more than a fun evening to dress up in a cool costume and visit your neighbors for some candy, but the pretense of it makes me uncomfortable. That's just the way I see it, and I want people to understand my views. Please, don't take offense.
♥♥Kristin

Driving at Dusk//Snippet {6}

The strangest things can make me sentimental. Things like driving with the windows down in the October Indian Summer into the sunset. The scents of fall and sunshine waft through the windows, and I can't help but feel at peace with the world. As evening falls, the indirect sunlight of the golden hour bathes everything in the glow that makes your daydreams seem touchably close. For now, this moment is everything. Life contained in the soft breeze that caresses my face.

Admittedly not my best work, but at least I'm writing. Writer's block is really hitting me hard. I was kindasortamaybe considering doing NaNoWriMo this year, but at this rate I can't see that happening!
♥♥Kristin

Why Fall Is Better

Than summer:
a. It's not so HOT
b. It's so much more colorful. There are so many shades of red, orange, yellow, dark green, and even brown in Fall. Summer is just an overabundance of green.

Than winter:
a. It's cool, but not so cold that I don't want to be outside for long periods of time. It still gets warm in the afternoon and I don't need a bulky winter jacket.
b. In winter, everything is brown and the sky is always hazy.

Than spring:
I'll admit, spring is my second favorite season, but fall is still slightly better, if only because I think the colors are richer and everything looks more defined. Plus, it doesn't rain as often (with this fall being the exception, I suppose).

So, yes. In my mind, fall is just absolutely the best. If only it would last longer.
♥♥Kristin

Oh, Hey October.

I know, I already posted once today, but tomorrow promises to be hectic (as Mondays always are) and I like to do the month intro posts as close to the first day as possible. So, you'll have to excuse my faux pas. Here's what October promises:

- My birthday!! (of course, it's only at the end of the month, but I'm anticipating it already. Why does 19 sound like such a big change from 18?)
- Autumn is going to be in full swing, and I couldn't be happier
- Finding Nemo 3D and bowling with some of the best people in the world
- Pumpkin flavored everything!
- Scheduling for next semester (Honestly, I am just ready for the current semester to be over!)

What are you looking forward to this month??
♥♥Kristin

Art, Cows, and Fried Oreos.

{via pinterest}

 Where can you go to experience all of the above in (relatively) the same place? Why, the fair of course. I regret that I have no photos of my own, but I forgot my camera :( I was really disappointed with myself, but anyways... the fair. We go at least once every year. There are so many things to see and do. They have the livestock exhibit, which is where the cows come in, but there are also a lot of other animals to look at. My favorites are the rabbits, which are completely adorable, and the llamas in the petting zoo. I'm a real sucker for llamas. In another building, they show produce and baked / canned goods which are awarded prizes. There's also, in the basement of the fire hall, all different kinds of art. This is my favorite part. There are crafts made with perler beads and such, woodworking, flower arranging, paintings and drawings, and my personal favorite and the area that I could peruse for hours, the photography. All of these are awarded prizes as well. Every year I think that I may enter a photo, but I never end up doing it. Maybe next year? Finally, there's the actual fair. Here's where the fried oreos come in. I tried them for the first time this evening, and it was arguably one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. Of course, I say that about most food that is either fried or chocolate. The fact that it contains both is just an added bonus. I also had french fries (with salt and vinegar. Yummy.) as well as fresh squeezed lemonade. There are food stands everywhere, all terribly overpriced, but hey, it's the fair. I think that every type of food they sell is either fried or sugar coated (or both). Heaven. Of course, there are rides as well, but these are also frightfully expensive, and mostly kiddie rides anyway. We rarely go on the rides. The fair is something I look forward to every fall. When it's over I always have the slight twinge of disappointment, but I know there's always next year.
♥♥Kristin

There's Just Something About Today.

I didn't take this picture today, but this is pretty much how today looks.

Today is just one of those fall days. Everything looks clear and crisp and sharp. The light of the sun has a slightly golden glow.  The sky is a deep gorgeous shade of blue and the clouds look so close I feel like I could reach up and touch them. Today is one of the days that makes me want to take a long walk in the woods with my camera and some tea, taking deep breaths of the fall air and just taking everything in. There's a very small window of time in which days like this occur, usually in the last three weeks of September, and every year I wish there was a way that I could make it all last just a bit longer, because I never have enough of time to soak everything in.
♥♥Kristin

Recently // A Few of my Favorite Things.

Here are some things I've been obsessing over lately:

 Music: 

Tenth Avenue North's new album, "The Struggle."

Sidewalk Prophet's {relatively} new album, "Live Like That."

The song "Long Ago" by Hawk Nelson (not necessarily new, but I've been listening to it a lot lately.).

The song "Ten Thousand Reasons" by Matt Redman.

Books:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (not to be confused with 50 Shades of Grey.).

 I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak.

Come to the Well by Mark Hall (lead singer of Casting Crowns!) ((This isn't a novel, but I'm including it anyway. It's actually really good. I was thinking about reviewing it on here?))

Food/Beverage:

I've been drinking hot tea like it's going out of style.

Nutella is delicious. The end.

Pizza flavored Pringles are strangely addicting.

Fall foods (ie, anything with pumpkin in it. I'm a sucker for pumpkin flavored food. Baked oatmeal, waffles, poptarts, bread, cookies, milkshakes, you name it, I'm there.)

Fall Things:

Cooler temperatures.

Leaves starting to change colors.

Drinking tea without sweating.

Wearing jeans and shoes that are not sandals or flip-flops.

{{All images via my Pinterest boards}}

♥♥Kristin

Just Little Things.

They're what make today perfect:

1. It's just fall enough outside to wear jeans and my favorite comfy sweatshirt.
2. Nowhere to be (Tuesdays are my favorite).
3. Bread and Nutella.
4. Hot tea and my Kindle.
5. Pandora (Hawk Nelson station).
6. Homework that's actually fun.
7. Being an introvert who enjoys days exactly like this, with noplace to be, nothing to do, and minimal human interaction.

♥♥Kristin

Fall {Because}.

Fall. Colors are brighter, more vivid. A strange hope fills the air. This is the season of second beginnings. Pervading death is overtaken by life. Without endings, there are no second chances. As fall blends into winter, the more perceptive sense a stirring beneath the silent surface. The forgotten season sets the stage for everything to come.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Maybe things didn't go perfectly. Maybe the flowers didn't bloom as brilliantly as they could have, or the tree's leaves grew thinly. Fall erases these mistakes, leaving a clean slate, allowing time to regroup, and always a second chance at perfection.

♥♥Kristin

Oh, Hey September.

This month is not quite so exciting as the summer months, but there are still some things I'm looking forward to:

- Getting into the school routine
- Cooler nights
- Hot tea in the evenings
- Comfy sweatshirts
- Moccasins ♥
- Youth weekend near the end of the month
- Leaves beginning to change color
- The official (calendar) start of fall

♥♥Kristin

The Perpetual Summer (Another Snippet of Sorts).

As one season fades like ombre into another, I always get this same sentimental-nostalgic feeling both for what is left behind and for what is to come. Each season feels perpetual, and perhaps is in some way. As Summer quietly gathers her possessions and makes ready to leave in a blaze of autumn-tinted glory, she leaves a few things behind, a snatch of laughter or a memory of a glorious sunset to keep me warm in Autumn's chill. As Autumn sets up house and throws up her warm-tinted decoration in attempt to ward off the cold, she carefully chooses which possession of hers to leave me with when the time comes. Season layers onto season, and each is gone but never forgotten.

♥♥Kristin

Fall is my Favorite.

I know this is far from original, because apparently every blogger's favorite season is Fall. (Funny how summer was the favorite a few months ago. But I digress.)
There are so many (cliche) reasons that I love Fall: I love the way the leaves begin to show their true colors. I love how the heat and humidity disappear. I love the moody grey color the sky takes on around October. It's the perfect background for inspiration.

Beyond that, there's just a special feeling in the air that comes with Fall. I can't even really describe it. I can't tell whether the feeling comes because Fall is my favorite season, or if the feeling is what makes Fall my favorite. It's a feeling of change, but the best kind. The kind that means you are moving forward and away from the past. It's a feeling of second chances. Though it seems strange amidst all the dying, it's a feeling of hope (call me crazy).

Fall also means back to school. I've touched on this already, but I'm ready to go to school - or in my case, to college. I enjoy learning (with math being the main exception) and doing school work. Nerd that I am, I find back to school shopping to be immensely enjoyable. New notebooks, folders, pens and pencils are the best.

To me, Fall means a fresh start more so than January 1st. It's a new school year, and especially this time around, I can be whoever I want to be (namely, me). Fall is coming, and somehow I have the feeling that this will be the best one yet.

{{All images via my Fall Pinterest board}}

♥♥Kristin