Hello October.

[♥]

Happy October, friends!

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I love new beginnings. The start of a new season, month, or even a fresh new week inspires me to create goals and a “clean slate.” So the fact that today is not only the start of a new week, but also the first of the month? Time to push the reset button.

October is the true beginning of fall, the first full month of the season. Chilly weather, pumpkin EVERYTHING, and the anticipation of the holidays gives me so much energy. On top of that, I’ve finally stopped resisting and hating my new nine-to-five schedule; I’ve accepted that this is how adult life is.

That being said, I think it’s time to ease back into some of the things I “gave up” when I started working, blogging being one of them. I’m also going to get back to making some improvements in my life – finishing up my dental work (I still have quite a few cavities), making a doctor’s appointment for an annual physical and to get some advice about my IBS, and looking into therapy as a more serious option.

It feels right to be blogging again and I’m thinking that this time it will stick. Hopefully you’re all still with me… or at least some of you are.

Does autumn inspire you? What changes are you making in your life these days?

Also, I would definitely love any and all advice on how to go about finding a therapist. The main reason I continue to put it off is that it seems so incredibly daunting. Shoot me a quick e-mail if you’ve had experience seeing a therapist/counselor!

Fall Colors.

I may be diving head-first into the Christmas season a little early, but I'm simultaneously enjoying every last bit of autumn. That includes consuming all pumpkin-flavored things - coffee, lattes, muffins, Hersey kisses, and Pop Tarts - and enjoying gorgeous days that bring out the beautiful fall colors.

These pictures are from my most recent trip to northwest New Jersey to visit Erik. I tried to capture the colors, but we were in the car so it was the best I could do.

Autumn Goals.

{♥}

In recent years, I've discovered how much I cherish autumn. Sure, summer is fun and filled with barbecues, flip flops, beach trips and warm days, but it's a time to be laid-back. When fall arrives, it feels like a fresh start to me (probably because it's when school starts) and is a time for goal-setting.

Just as I listed a few goals for the sunny summer months, I'm setting a couple more for this season.

Journal every day in October. Considering my month-long quests to do one particular thing every day (vlogging in August, blogging in September) have been pretty successful, I decided to take it offline and journal once a day in October. I have Joy Juice journal prompts in my inbox begging to be written, and while I often get overwhelmed and therefore ignore them because there are so many, responding to one per day is definitely something I can do.

Go with my gut. Inspired by the two most recent Molly Mahar videos/newsletters and my boyfriend's encouragement, I am going to attempt to abandon my tendency to over-think and simply make decisions. I'm an indecisive person and, because of my need to people-please, I utter the phrase 'I don't know' or 'I don't care' way more often than I should. So for the next few months, if I have a preference, I'm going to say so; when there's a decision to be made, I'm picking what I truly want and not what my brain tricks me into thinking is the 'smarter' choice. This challenge is in place for the remainder of the year, but I hope it becomes a habit after that.

That's it, really, since I have my year-long goals and monthly intentions. There might be a daily November challenge if I can think of something worth doing every day again, but we'll see.

spring has sprung.

Over the weekend, we had a terrible nor'easter that blew through New Jersey and ripped it to shreds from Friday night through Sunday morning. There were downed trees, live electrical wires, black-outs, and flooding. Lots and lots of flooding. We got really lucky - no power outages, just a boil water notice for a few days after the storm. I'm just glad it wasn't snow.

This week the temperatures are expected to hit sixty and I am beyond thrilled. As I write, the sun is shining and the skies are blue. It's still a little chilly, considering it's only 10:30, but I'll take it. Looking out the window and seeing such beautiful weather energizes me and motivates me to be all sorts of productive.

Daylight savings time snuck up on me, and even though I dislike having to lose an hour of sleep, I'm so happy to have more daylight. Even just having an extra hour and eating dinner when the sun's still up is enough to make me start preparing for spring and summer, my two favorite seasons.

One thing I definitely miss, though, is walking around campus on days like this. My college campus was gorgeous; it was the "typical" image of what college looks like. Although I'm sure I would currently be sitting in class, itching to be outdoors, I would gladly take it if it meant being able to walk across campus, lounge on a bench and read, or go for a jog. I miss it so much that I just sent an e-mail out to my girlfriends, hoping that we could have our next meet-up at school so we can get nostalgic and wander campus aimlessly again.

With tomorrow being my brother's birthday and St. Patrick's Day, this week is going to be wonderful. Mostly I'm just excited because I get to make cupcakes, which I plan to decorate adorably even though my brother couldn't care less. Like, I'm more excited to bake than I am to drink. Go figure.

march is my month.

Yay, it's March!

I am so in love with the idea of spring this year (more so than usual) because I am damn tired of the snow. I want chirping birds, green grass, budding trees, and sunshine. I am ready.

Additionally, I have made a snap decision that March will be Pull My Shit Together month. My attitude and health need tons of work that, up until now, I have been putting off. Since I'm already in love with Mondays for their fresh-new-beginning quality, the fact that March starts on a Monday is my sign from the universe that it's time for me to start.

In the next few days, I hope to come up with some goals for myself in terms of feeling better physically, mentally, and emotionally. I keep putting it off, thinking that I'll find the perfect day when I'm 100% motivated and will bounce out of bed, ready to put together meal plans and to-do lists and goals. But since that day has yet to come, I think it's best that I force myself to start taking it more seriously, even if it means taking a few baby steps every day.

the one where i talk about trees too much.

The weather this week has been absolutely beautiful, albeit a little out of season (I wore shorts today out of complete necessity). But it's been sunny and warm and delicious. After driving around for work and errands on Monday and Tuesday, I'd really wanted to go out and take a bunch of pictures of my neighborhood.

One block over from my house. I can't remember why I didn't take one of my actual street.

One of the reasons I love autumn is the way it transforms my town. Even though I'm finished with college and have been out of the town's public school system for years now, it's still back-to-school season. Driving or walking through my development reminds me of walking to and from school, and now that the leaves are finally falling, it brings back memories of raking them into a big pile before jumping in them.

Eventually, I'm going to have one hell of a time raking all of these.

My development is your typical idea of suburbia. The houses are cookie cutter in structure, although there are quite a few homes that have grown to ridiculous sizes. Lawns are manicured, basketball hoops litter the driveways and streets, and kids are running up and down the street all the time. But I think my favorite part is the fact that on every lawn, centered and just at the curb, is a tall red oak tree (or at least I think they're red oaks; whatever they are, they're really pretty).

On the main street that connects my development.

On Wednesday, The Boy came to visit and we went for a walk around the neighborhood and I brought my camera along for the trip.

Oh, how I adore them. They seem to go on forever and because they're on both sides, they create an awning over the streets. And it doesn't hurt to have this to look at when you're lounging around in your front yard:

[all photos from my flickr]

happy september!

I am so stoked for autumn this year, even though I don't really have any idea why. I sat down to write why I love autumn and basically everything I came up with I already mentioned last year. Interesting. Seriously, I was going to start this post in the same way, with my schpeal about how I never identify autumn as my favorite season despite basically loving it.

So why do I secretly love fall, despite being a spring-and-summer fan at heart?

Well, there's the cool weather. By the time September rolls around, I'm glad to be done with the frustrating heat and humidity. I love opening all the windows in the house and hearing the leaves rustle in the wind.

Hand in hand with that is the leaves changing colors and falling. It's so lovely. First, all the leaves turn wonderful colors and look so pretty against a crisp blue sky. It's so refreshing, especially if I happen to drive down a highway during this time, because then it's different colors as far as the eye can see. Then, the leaves start falling, and while it is a tad depressing to see naked trees, the sound and smell of fallen leaves is amazing. Whether it's listening to them blow down the street or hearing people step on them as they walk by, I love the crunching sound. And the smell? I can't get enough of it. It's especially strong after it rains, even though the sight of wet leaves is less than pleasant. Unfortunately there's a limited time span in which fallen leaves are appealing, because after about two weeks of them blowing all over the place and taking over front lawns, they get to be quite annoying.

One of things I am always most excited for are all the autumn-related flavors. Particularly pumpkin. And I get my pumpkin fix with none other than the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks.

[picture from Starbucks]

Oh, it's divine. It's rich and creamy and warm and comforting and just wonderful. I'm so torn, though, because on my new diet, I'm supposed to avoid most things with dairy and coffee. Although, it's not like I ever over-indulged. In past years, I only got two or three throughout the season. That should be just fine, I suppose. But another discovery I made last year was Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses. If you've never had them, go find some. Seriously. I made my discovery at Target, so maybe you should start there. They are really good. Trust me.

Even though it's not officially fall yet, the beginning of September seems to make me expect that autumn is just around the bend. Here's hoping it shows up soon.

breath of fresh air.

I don't give autumn enough credit. Whenever I'm asked about my favorite season, I automatically blurt out summer! or sometimes even spring! If only allergies didn't exist! Winter has it's perks, but I'm not a huge fan unless snow days are involved. Even if they are, large amounts of snow are less fun as you get older. Last year I could be found muttering profanities under my breath as I trudged to class in the below-freezing temperatures, trying not to slip on the ice.

Then there's autumn. When I was little, I'd say I didn't like it because it meant going back to school. But there is something about autumn that I love that I don't automatically acknowledge. I really do love when the leaves turn colors, when they fall off and crunch under my feet. Autumn has a particular scent, too, especially after it rains and the fallen leaves get a bit mushy. I'm learning to appreciate this in-between weather, when it's not disgustingly hot but not freezing. I'm a big fan of long-sleeved shirts and sweaters, more than I'd like to admit. Sure, nothing beats a sundress or a cute tank, and I'll be a little sad to pack them away once we get a little farther into autumn.

As I've mentioned before, I'm a whore for all things seasonal. Candy, food, decorations, accessories.. you name it, I want it. Bad. Autumn has a lot of flavors and themes that I find very comforting and wonderful. For example, it's taking every ounce of will power I have to not hit up Starbucks every day for their Pumpkin Spice Latte, which I swear is liquefied pumpkin pie. No joke. If you haven't ever tried one and are a fan of pumpkin pie, please, please do. You will thank me. And become a slave to Starbucks.

Today I was at Target looking for fancy-schmancy printer paper to use for my resume* and, upon making my way to the check-out line, caught a glimpse of some bags of Hershey's Kisses. I immediately made my way over there, because after my last encounter with new awesome flavors, I knew I was in store for something good. I glanced past the caramel-filled ones - been there, done that. Then. THEN. I saw them. PUMPKIN. SPICE. KISSES. I just about died. I also grabbed a bag of Candy Corn Kisses. It took everything I had not to consume both bags on the drive home because they are delicious. Whoever is coming up with all these flavors is a genius. Kudos to you, Hershey's. The candy corn ones are a bit strange and after eating a few, it tastes more like white chocolate than candy corn. But the pumpkin spice? Will be my demise if I'm not careful. Mmmm.

*Why am I printing my resume, you ask? Because I've got two interviews coming up. Yup, I'm pretty awesome. I'm a little nervous about having to confidently explain away my in-the-toilet GPA, but overall I haven't really psyched myself out. My first one is tomorrow at 3:30pm, then the other one is next Friday at 1pm. Of course there should hopefully be more on the way, once I get a chance to get back on the school's job search system and apply for more. Let's just hope that at least one of these interviews results in a job offer, because then I'll be able to finally let out a huge sigh of relief.