laugh

every day is a fresh beginning,

every morn is the world made new. | sarah chauncey woolsey

it's monday, and truth be told, i am tired. i'm really not sure why i've been so tired lately, discounting, of course, last thursday evening's visit back to my teenage years!

this fall season has gone by so quickly, it's been quite crazy. last night at PORTICO, we said goodbye to phil and marisa aud, who are leaving us for a church in georgia. i'm really excited for them, i love new beginnings, and they really have waited so long for this, but they will definitely be missed. enjoy your adventure, my friends!

it's been 11 months since i have seen the majority of my family, and i am counting the days (38 days, 10 hours, 19 minutes) until my plane leaves. i'm so looking forward to spending a week with them, especially with my favorite little people... who are looking less and less like little people every day. one thing is certain, i will laugh. just look at that picture! how could you not laugh with such awesomeness happening just for your entertainment?!


so, no matter what this week holds, enjoy it. and don't forget to laugh!

october

happy october!

october is perhaps one of the happiest of months, as it is the entryway to all things fall and orange and gold and dark red and pumpkin.

to celebrate this joyous month, here is a poem capturing the essence of my most favorite of seasons.

october
by robert frost

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost--
For the grapes' sake along the wall.

how i love thee...

there is a cool breeze blowing through my kitchen as i type this, reminding me that in spite of the hot, humid days we've been experiencing, fall is just around the corner.

this fills me with glee.

i tried to explain to someone last week why it is that i get giddy when fall emerges like a glorious sunrise. i don't think i explained it well, i am not even sure how good i will do now.

but there is something about the cooler days, when the sun turns the leaves, and everthing under them, golden.

...when apples are the fruit of choice and pumpkins have their coming out party.

...when a new routine fills the days.

...when we start thinking about the holidays; where we will spend them, who we will laugh and eat and be merry with.

...when friends will start asking where the pumpkin pies are.

...when, of all the times of the year, i feel most alive, most like myself, and most like anything can happen. even the things i spend the rest of the year thinking are impossible.

this is why i love fall.