Inviting smells, tastes, and textures means it’s officially fall. And marching band, which should never, ever be forgotten.
The summer was so dry, I began to wonder if there would be any color to the leaves, but after receiving some much needed rain over the past few weeks, the colors have been quite beautiful. My friend Neal and I took a Sunday afternoon drive and with a little tweaking on his computer, we came up with the above photo. Fun, eh? I’m exceedingly thankful I live in a part of the country where I get to experience all four seasons.
With the arrival of fall comes a wonderful perk of working in education: fall break! Having a four day weekend prompted me to head south to visit my dear friends Brian & Meghan in Texas. While I have been fortunate to see them several times over the past few years, this was the first time I had taken a trip to visit them. Navigating my way through DFW, and not getting lost once!, reminded me just how much I miss living and driving in big cities. *sigh*
The relaxing began almost immediately as I took advantage of their backyard hammock. As I lay in the sunshine, I was overcome with the realization that I had nothing to worry about, was on vacation, and could fully live in a moment of repose. These moments are few and far between in my life and are thankfully embedded in my consciousness when the pace of life becomes frenzied.
The afternoon and evening included local sightseeing at the Fort Worth Stockyards
with an evening at the Texas State Fair in all its deep-fried goodness.
Big Tex & me
a deep fried pop-tart
Cotton Bowl
A visit to the 6th Floor Museum in downtown Dallas (the building where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK) was a saddening, yet educational experience that left me with more questions than answers.
Our afternoon was spent at IKEA! To say the least, it was an interesting experience to eat quality food at the store restaurant, browse the myriad of display rooms, and walk for what felt like miles looking at furniture and home accessories.
The evening was not complete without a jaunt to downtown Fort Worth where we took in the sights of the Bass Performing Arts Center
and ate fancy and delicious cupcakes at The Cupcakery.
On Sunday, October 23, I was fortunate enough to attend Game 4 of the World Series to see my St. Louis Cardinals play the Texas Rangers!!! Bucket list item...check!
Brian was proactive in buying tickets weeks in advance, long before the Rangers and Cardinals clinched their respective divisions. The World Series coinciding with my fall break was a true gift and definitely made this St. Louis girl proud to root her team on, despite a humiliating Game 4 loss. However, how about those games 6 and 7? 11 in 11, baby!
On my way home from Texas I was pleased as punch to pick up the new Coldplay album
Mylo Xyloto and lovelovelove their new song “Paradise.” I’ve also been quite enamored with Sara Groves’ newest offering
Invisible Empires and the Civil Wars
Barton Hollow as of late.
As far as my personal knitting factory is concerned, business is booming! Behold my latest creations:
Debbie Bliss’ baby sandals pattern
child’s play crown (one size fits most) from
here
adult fingerless gloves from
Knitty And I continue to add to my yearly total of books read, including these newfound favorites:
-
The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
-
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Scriptures and passages resonating within my heart, as of late:
“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see.” ~ John 9:25 (NLT)
“For where two or three gather together
because they are mine, I am there among them.” ~ Matthew 18:20 (NLT, emphasis added)
“Make me strong. Make me wise. Make me human. Amen.” from the opera
Dead Man Walking“Screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail.”
~
Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 7
"This is your life. Are you who you want to be?" ~ Switchfoot
Now to look ahead to resting & spending time with loved ones over Thanksgiving and pondering how I can be a part of
Advent Conspiracy this year.
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