(Not Your Average) Autumn Bucket List

I've never been one to fawn over fall. I get it. People like wearing sweaters and being cozy and sh*t. Great. To be honest, autumn makes me a little sad. I get nostalgic for being in the band and the crisp football Friday nights. Fall is the season in which I lost my Papaw. So I'm never exactly thrilled about all the feels it brings. Ya dig? But there are some bright sides. Fall is a beautiful season everywhere. Autumn = prime running/race season. And there is the crown jewel of fall.. HALLOWEEN. (the only thing I care about tbh). Sooooo to combat all my sappy feelings, I made a fall bucket list! But it's not a bucket of fall like I saw Bath & Body Works was selling. That actually makes me want to vomit a little bit. Come on.

1. Perfect the pumpkin pie smoothie
This is a delightfully festive drank and a healthier alternative than the pumpk-- okay I'm not even going to say the word. Recipe and photo courtesy of Alexis at http://www.hummusapien.com/pumpkin-pie-smoothie/

2. Visit the Patch

Two years ago my friends and I visited a local pumpkin patch (pictured to the right). We ended up in chilly, blustery, misty weather that was less than ideal. But the experience was fun! And the pumpkin patch itself in combination with the dreary weather looked like the set of a Halloween horror film! I felt like a kid again. And we stopped to eat/warm up on the way home with our new babies (pumpkins). It was loads of fun!

3. Dedicate a day to my love for Pride & Prejudice and watch all the film adaptations. And anything with Colin Firth in it. Or Keira Knightley. Oh also, Harry Potter. Basically a 24-hour British film festival in my pajamas.

4. See what a new city looks like in the fall : Boston

I was lucky enough to grow up in a southern Ohio town that transforms into a red/gold wonderland during the autumn months. Absolutely gorgeous. A trip to my hometown is glorious, but I'd still like to see what other cities look like it the fall! So I'm going to Boston! I have an even better excuse to go there. My bestfriend lives there! Salem, here we come! ;)


5. Road trip through the Carolinas
While we're on the subject... Last year I was en route to Florida in late October, and we drove through North and South Carolina. We only had a brief glimpse of the foliage. Stunning nonetheless. But I can only imagine the burst of color in the mountains!

6. Make welcoming decor!
I'm a sucker for flowers. I cheated a little because I already did this over the weekend, but I made this dope wreath (to the left) with my Mamaw! She's a pro. I'm not.


7. Pick apples!
I am particularly divalicious when it comes to apples. I favor the honeycrisp. I've actually said, "If it's not honeycrisp, I won't eat it." I may have been a little dramatic, but what better way to satisfy my apple-demands than to pick the darn things myself??


8. Camp
I have a fantasy of wandering into the red and golden wilderness with homemade granola bars and a tent.

9. Have two epic Halloween costumes - not one.. But two!
Halloween is the crown jewel of autumn. This is THE Holiday for my friends and I. We look for reasons to have more than one costume. I can't share my ideas with you because they're so epic. ;) But let's say one involves a couple o' well known Saturday Night Live characters. 

10. Friendsgiving
My friends are too good to be true. When we argue, we are fighting about who loves the other more. It's a losing battle. No one ever gives up. Friendsgiving (Thanksgiving + friends) is the perfect way to do that arguing- over a festive meal!

Invincible Summer

I have developed a theory that people personify the season they were born into. I was born in February, the coldest month in winter. Although winter is the least favorite, harshest season to some, I think it is lovely. The snow falls and covers everything in sparkling sheets of white. The air is crisp, and the nights are bright.

My best friend, born in October, is a warm fall day, easygoing as the quiet breeze that gently removes the dried leaves from the trees and places them on the ground.

Another best friend, born in May, is the epitome of cheery spring flowers. She is always pleasant, and she brings the sunshine when she walks into a room.

And I love so many people who were born in the summertime. My Papaw, my mother, my great-grandmother, two sisters, my uncle, and another best friend were all born in the heat of the season. They are all fiery and playful and full of energy. I would love these people fiercely no matter what, but their fire certainly balances out my ice. They are my sunshine when I am too brisk. They are full of life when I am empty. Yin and yang. Which explains why missing Papaw, one of the loves of my life, has been so hard. His heart completed mine.

My grandfather's birthday would have been today. This summer has been undeniably hard without him. He adored every summer activity.

Grilling,
golfing,
gardening,
running,
sitting on the porch,
snoozing in the sun,
walking on the beach,
taking in the waves,
soaking in the rays,
watching the fireworks,
drinking sweet tea,
laughing in the grass.

All of these remind me of him.

"In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." I really did. Papaw is my summer, as I am the winter. He will always be in my heart, thawing the ice that's been freezing there for years. He is invincible.

Happy birthday, my love.

If you wish to make a difference in the lives of those suffering from cancer, please consider making a donation to the American Cancer Society C2C Run http://main.acsevents.org/goto/cupcakes4acure or specifically pancreatic cancer patients, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network,  https://netcommunity.pancan.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=796

xo,
JB