I love Fall. I long for this season all year long – through winter, spring, and summer. Now it’s here. It has been here for over a month. In the blink of an eye, it’s almost over.
Lately, I’ve been in the habit of making dream lists for each season—basically bucket lists that ensure I’m appreciating the little joys each season brings. For Fall, I had built up so many ideas, and my Fall dream list grew much larger than the lists for the other seasons. At first, I was checking off the small, easy things very quickly. I made a Pumpkin Spice Latte Bundt cake I had discovered on one of my favorite blogs Mix & Match Mama early this year. I took several evenings walks before Day Light’s Savings ended. I have intentionally driven to work on the George Washington Parkway more than usual just to pass by those gorgeous fall-colored trees. I ordered a bright-colored fall coat.
Last Fall, I made a similar list, but I failed to cross off a couple of my most anticipated “to-dos”, the most significant of which was taking a roadtrip to Skyline Drive and taking some incredible pictures. I was not about to let this opportunity slip past me again this year, so my husband and I declared the weekend of November 1st our “fall weekend.” We escaped into the mountains of southern Virginia to a B&B in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed the incredible colors of fall that surrounded us while completely unplugged from the busyness off life (literally – our B&B had no internet or TV in the room). Parts of Saturday and Sunday we drove about two-thirds of Skyline Drive, and we have the most fantastic pictures. At some of the look-out points, I felt like I was staring down at a vibrant water-color painting. It was just breath-taking.
While out for our drive on Saturday, we also stopped at an apple orchard to cross yet another thing of my dream list: apple-picking. Unfortunately, everyone else within 100 miles decided to join in on the fun, so we didn’t have time to pick any apples, but we did enjoy some warm apple cider and apple cider donuts and took some more fun pictures of piles of apples and pumpkins and Fall-loving families.
After spending a full day enjoying the outdoors, we went back to our B&B and explored before snuggling up by the fire in the living room to read and enjoy the peace and quiet that a crisp fall evening in-the-middle-of-nowhere Virginia has to offer.
I have fallen even more in love with Fall now. I’ve seen it in a way I never had before, and I’m surely a better person for it.