fallin'
If I could pick one single season to live in year round it would, without a doubt, be fall. There’s just something about fall that makes everything better. When September hits I get giddy. I can’t wait to line my porch with pumpkins, pick out Halloween costumes with my kids, eat my weight in pumpkin bread, and drink all the pumpkin spice coffee. Honestly, I even look forward to watching ‘Curious George Halloween’ over and over again.
I have been a lover of fall for as long as I can remember. My favorite trips have always been the ones to the mountains to see the leaves change…despite having to eat lemon drops the entire drive because of my intolerance of curvy roads. When the twins were little I used to make Brandon drive 8-10 hours, depending on how many Chick Fil A’s we stopped at, up to Sapphire Valley to spend a week in the mountain air because my heart needs it. Every time I beg and beg him to move there, but quickly change my mind when he reminds me of the months of snow and freezing temperatures. Although I might be seriously considering trading in this unbearable heat for the cold. By far, my favorite thing to celebrate in the fall is my anniversary. Brandon and I got married on the most perfect fall day in October. It was cool, crisp, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The place was covered in pumpkins and fall colored flowers. We had candy apples, and I may have convinced my uncle to make a Starbucks run, and follow me around with my coffee all morning while we did pre wedding pictures!
I think it is so important to invest time in something that heals your heart. It’s been a couple years since we’ve been able to make our mountain trip in October because, well..three kids. Even so, every November right before Thanksgiving, my entire family loads up and heads to Daytona Beach. It seems weird to make that trip in November, but if you ask any of us, it’s the one trip we never miss. The weather is cool and the beach is never crowded. The town is already starting to put out their Christmas decorations, and most of the houses are covered in Christmas lights. There is a church nearby that always has a live Bethlehem you can drive through, the Starbucks down the street is teasing their Christmas drinks, and one year there was even an ice skating rink set up on the boardwalk right beside the beach.
Every year around this time my heart starts aching for this trip. After a long year of taking care of babes, working, all the responsibilities of being an adult, barely leaving town, and honestly, living in an always growing monster pile of laundry... it’s a trip that I need to heal. I need it to be a better wife, a better mom, a better worker, friend, person…all the things. Yes, I do take my kids with me, if I didn’t I would just spend the week missing them. I think we all need to take time to do things to recoup from the struggles of daily life. Life is hard. Frankly it’s currently beating the crap out of me. Just today the girls and I started a calendar to count down the days until we leave. I may be the first one up marking the days off! My heart healing tradition is fall. My favorite chilly beach trip, forcing my husband to watch our wedding video on our anniversary, and of course, slurping up all the seasonal coffee!
Happy fall friends!
xo, Beka