Fall Bucket List

• drink a pumpkin spice latter
• snuggle by a fire
• tailgate at one football game
• oogle a guy in a peacoat
• go apple picking
• go pumpkin picking 
• dress in layers and leggings
• kiss in the rain
• have a scary movie date
• crunch leaves
• watch hocus pocus
• visit a street fair 
• bake pumpkin bread
• sip apple cider
• wear dark nail polish
• splash in puddles
• enjoy homemade pie
• carve a pumpkin
• wear uggs
• devour some halloween oreos
• break out some blankets
• inhale the fall crisp air
• take a foggy AM walk
• stay warm in a cozy cardigan
• watch ABCs halloween marathon
• get spooked at a haunted house
• make a yummy crockpot stew
• jump into a pile of leaves
• read by a fire
• toss back a pumpkin ale
• go on a hayride
• make some chili
• breathe in the scent of firewood
• go to a halloween party
• shop for new fall clothes 

Weekend in Pictures

Just a few snapshots from this past weekend! 

Looking forward to the start of October and all of the fun memories to be made :o) 

Letting Go

If there is one thing that I have learned about myself, it is that I have a difficult time letting people into my life AND I have a difficult time letting them go. I wish I could pinpoint exactly why I have this issue. I'd like to believe it stems from my experiences with broken trust and bruised feelings at an early age. Or maybe it is a result of my desire to have everyone like me and to have no conflict with others.

The past year or two, I have found myself at crossroads in life where I have had to reconsider whether or not I wanted to continue my friendships with some people I once held near and dear. More than once, the conclusion I have come to has been that it is time to distance myself from said people. Well it's become increasingly apparent the last week or so that it's time to let go of someone I once considered one of my dearest friends.

I've been struggling the past couple of days mainly because this person said some things that I feel has brought our relationship to an end. She acted up and forced me to take a stand. She avoided me when I was trying to reconcile and rectify our differences. I was hoping that we could settle our miscommunication, however after my many attempts to reach out and do exactly this ... she has failed to respond to or acknowledge my invitations to talk. Although I know this break in the friendship was a long time coming, it bothers me that I did not get the closure I had hoped for. 

While scrolling through my twitter timeline this afternoon, I stumbled across a tweet from none other than Mandy Hale (the single woman). She had linked to her tweet an blog entry written earlier in the summer, but that is entirely relevant to the situation I am going through right now: 

HOW do you let go and move on from ANYTHING in your life that no longer fits, no longer works, no longer brings you joy but pain, no longer brings you sunshine but rain? 

You take a deep breath, you say the words that you never imagined yourself saying, and you walk away. Battle-scarred and scared and unsure about the future as you may be, when you KNOW in your heart that this is not the person, not the job, not the opportunity that God and the universe intended for you, there is no other option but to walk away. To let go and move on. You cannot allow yourself to settle for anything that you know is wrong for you. Leaving the comfortable shell of a secure situation, no matter WHAT it may be, is one of the scariest things a person can do; but think about it…what would happen to the butterfly if she refused to exit her cocoon? She would never grow, never change, never acquire her wings.  

Letting go is not for the faint of heart. It’s the hardest thing most of us will ever have to learn how to do…but still, we must do it. Loving oneself demands nothing less. 

Sometimes in life we have to create our own closure. Sometimes we have to decide when enough is enough and walk away. I urge you to find a way to peacefully close the door on the past so you can walk away with your head held high and with no regrets. Because at the end of the day, sometimes it takes opening a door to get to a new place… 

…and sometimes it takes closing one.

I pray that God will help me let go and find the strength to release the wrong relationships so that I have room in my life for the people who understand my destiny and can call forth my seeds of greatness. 

Here's to a new season of life and creating my own closure. It's time to let go. 

Labor Day Weekend

I had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend with my family. We decided to change things up a little bit and celebrate the holiday down by the water, versus a barbecue at some one's home. Family members packed sandwiches, tuna buns, cookies, brownies and chips to munch on all day long. Another gentleman who joined our festivities, grilled burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings and pork chops! We had soda and water galore, sipped on beer in red solo cups and played games such as soccer, volleyball and brain quest. The weather was absolutely gorgeous - blue skies and a nice breeze off the water. Some of the little ones went swimming in the ocean, while others of us stayed on the sand and soaked up some rays. It was such a fun way to celebrate Labor Day and to spend quality time with family. I hope this becomes a NEW family tradition - it's one I wouldn't want to miss :o)