What I'm Looking Forward to this Fall

The other day I noticed something different in the air, something that suddenly made the world seem right and perfect and as if everything was the way it was meant to be. After a moment I realized what it was: the temperatures had fallen, the humidity had dissipated, and my city was experiencing its first breeze of fall. Otherwise known as the best time of the year.

I look forward to fall all year because it is a season of fresh air and beautiful weather, and a time when I get to enjoy so many things I love. This fall will be no different. So in celebration of this wonderful season being only days away (and wishful thinking that my city will get the memo and start giving us fall weather more often), here are the top three things I'm looking forward to this fall.

The "Typical" Fall Stuff

I mean, who doesn't love pumpkin flavored treats and the excuse to wear boots and bundle up in sweaters? I am the stereotypical autumn-loving girl, and I'm not ashamed of it. There is something that feels so warm and cozy about the fall season, and I can't wait to immerse myself in it again. But really, just the weather that comes back around fall is enough to make me ridiculously excited. One of my favorite things ever is sitting outside in the patios of restaurants and cafes, but that's pretty much impossible during the dog days of summer. Now that the humidity is going down and gentle breezes are picking back up, I can't wait to be outside hearing the birds chirp and watching the sky change colors. I know, I sound like such a hippie. But I love nature, and any excuse I can get to be a little closer to it is good enough for me.

Learning New Things

Blame it on my college withdrawals, but something about this season makes me feel like it's time to start learning things again. The difference now is that I'm not required to, of course, and I can choose exactly what I'd like to become an expert in. It's an awesome freedom, but it's also a big responsibility. I've been learning that a lot about free time lately. I love it and I really wanted it in my life because of the craziness of the past two years, but it's not as dreamy and simple as it sounds. If I want to really make the most of my free time, I'm going to have to choose to be disciplined about it. So I'm working on coming up with ways to do that.

For now, I do know the two things I want to focus on. The first is bible studying. I want to get deep into a book of the Bible like I once did with Hebrews, because it was one of the best experiences of my life. I just need to set a schedule to be more intentional about it. The other thing I want to focus on is reading fiction. I've read a lot of nonfiction lately but since I do want to write a novel, I've realized it's time to go back to my first love, fiction. Sense and Sensibility and Narnia are two of the books I'm looking forward to. I'll let you know what else I add to my TBR list ;)

My Birthday Weekend

The reason I'm looking forward to this weekend actually has very little to do with my birthday. I am excited to turn 23 in October (though mostly perplexed because how did that happen so quickly?), but it's what will come in the next few days that I really can't stop thinking about. My church is taking a couple hundred of us to their first young adult retreat, and I cannot wait for it. I haven't been on any sort of church camp since my senior year of high school. And there is something to be said about camp and retreat experiences. There is really nothing like getting away from the busyness of life to focus on God and listen to what He wants to say to you. It's just an added bonus that this retreat happens to be right after my birthday. I mean, what better way to bring in my 23rd year of life?

So what are you most looking forward to in this season? Tell me about it in the comments! :)

(for a list of picture sources, click here)

#life #2015