a day among the leaves.

My goodness, where does the time go? You'd think being unemployed I would have all the time in the world to get stuff done, stay on top of things. But I've found that it's quite the opposite. Not having a schedule keeps me flitting from one thing to another, unfocused, often unmotivated and leaving a lot unfinished. Couple that with the fact that I'm still living out of boxes and have no space of my own and I'm going slightly mad.

So, as a remedy I find all sorts of ways to distract myself and run away! Probably not the best coping mechanism but sometimes you've got to work with what you've got.

Regardless, I've spent the last couple of weeks venturing out of the basement and enjoying the fabulous fall weather.

Falls on the east coast were spectacular with all the trees, the variety of colors and the thick carpets and canopies of leaves everywhere. But I always missed the gold shimmer of the aspen trees. Their small, nearly round leaves rattling like coins in the wind.

A few weeks later (this morning, in fact) the colors and leaves are mostly gone, leaving behind a lonesome, ghostly scene appropriate for the spooky celebrations to come. Here we found the remnants of an old abandoned mill standing sentinel beside the cascading water in Little Cottonwood Canyon. 

Who needs a job when there are mountains to be climbed and fall days to enjoy?

a new goal.

Fall, for me, is always a time of renewal. I realize that’s the opposite of what it actually is, the harbinger of winter and months of death and dormancy but the cooler air and rich colors bring a bit of vibrancy and revitalization that I love. Perhaps it hearkens back to all those years as both student and teacher, the start of a new school year, a notebook full of the blank pages of possibilities, the smell of anticipation and new clothes, ‘bouquets of newly sharpened pencils’, the works! You’ve got a clean slate, unlimited potential, so many new things to learn and discover. I love it! (plus I love the sweaters and boots and pumpkin flavored everythings, they’re like a happy bonus!)

This year especially, though I’m not a part of the onslaught of scholastic beginnings for the first time in years, I’m in great need of a personal re-beginning. And you are going to be my witnesses and maybe I can convince you to be my cheerleaders and goal auditors. In addition to stepping up my job application/hunt efforts I’ve decided on a few goals that need some focus through the rest of the calendar year (and possibly beyond.)

First up, harmonica lessons! I’m super excited about this. Maybe more than I should admit. I love taking classes and since I’m not doing the school thing myself I decided to check out the community ed offerings and when I saw beginner’s harmonica I knew I’d found a winner. I’m sure you’ll hear more about this as the weeks go by.

Next, mountains. I was so looking forward to living near them again and yet I’ve only been in them a handful of times since I’ve been home. My new goal is to go on a new hike at least twice a month while the weather holds and then bust out the snowshoes come winter. I’ve already enlisted a friend to help me with this one!

I’ve been a bit homesick lately for the DC area and all of the amazing things that are available there. Museums, concerts, road trips, history, you name it. Everything is so close and accessible. It’s not that there isn’t anything to do in Utah, you just have to look a little harder to find it. So, each month I’m going to find at least one tourist-type event to participate in or site to see.

Between some crazy travel and losing any sort of control over or access to a personal kitchen I’ve managed to gain quite a bit of weight over the past year, which hasn’t helped me feel great about myself. I’ve got a few ideas for getting back into the swing of healthy eating and exercise that I’ll be putting into action in the next week or so and I’ll let you help keep me accountable there as well! (more info when I get started.)

And finally, in an effort to step outside of myself and my own problems and worries, I’m on the lookout for a cause to champion. I love to serve and haven’t made an effort to do so recently so I’ll be participating in at least one service experience each month with the big goal of finding somewhere to give my heart. There are a lot of causes I believe in and places I’ve donated to monetarily in the past. That’s not in the unemployed budget so I have to step up and give my time and that extra commitment has made me realize that not all causes are created equal. I want to find something that truly speaks to me and makes me want to spend an entire Saturday hard at work rather than just soothing my conscience by writing a check. Does that make sense?

Re-cap: monthly service experience, monthly tourist experience, bi-weekly mountain experience, harmonica lessons, lose weight/healthy living (details to follow). Think you can keep me motivated and accountable?

a fall hike.

I'd been planning for months to take a trip out to Sky Meadows state park in western Virginia and there was always something that got in my way; an increase in the number of Saturdays I have to work, various social commitments, hurricanes, the usual. This weekend I'd planned once more to try and make it when we got word of the monster storm headed our way and I was afraid I was going to have to cancel yet again.  But the odds were in my favor this time and I dragged a few friends with me to do some hiking. 

About an hour west of DC, the park sits on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by horse country and vineyards. Translation: It's beautiful! The drive was unexpectedly smooth (I-66 is notoriously yucky at all days and times) and quick and we were able to spend about 3 1/2 hours hiking through fallen leaves and enjoying views like this:

The weather held, slightly overcast and cool, a perfect fall day. It's nice to know there are little bits of heaven not too far away and places to go to recoup and recover from the grind and perpetual push of day-to-day living.

After we'd exhausted ourselves we decided it was time to venture on to part 2 of the day's outing, a late lunch! We followed some winding, tree-lined roads through the countryside and into a little town called Middleburg where we ate lunch at a fabulous little cafe. (Thanks, M, for the suggestion!)

The Upper Crust bakery served us up some fantastic sandwiches on fluffy homemade bread, a delicious slice of chocolate cream pie, a to-die-for chocolate croissant, and a few cookies for the ride home.  We all left feeling delightfully sated and ready for an afternoon nap!

I now feel perfectly rejuvenated and ready to handle anything Mr. Frankenstorm may decide to throw my way!  Happy weekend to you all!

Happiness is...a weekend full of accomplishment and bits of unexpected pleasure.

It's been a busy couple of days.  Here's just a snippet of what filled my time:

• A walk around the neighborhood enjoying the gorgeous weather and this view

• Finishing this book (review to come)
• A Twilight movie marathon with some super fun friends
• Discovering that my shoes look perfectly at home among the fallen leaves

• Completing a 5K with my roommates to help out a local high school
• Making this sweet potato pie (and a pumpkin ice cream pie which tasted divine but was not beautiful) in honor of Pie Day* on Sunday

• Listening to this album while getting started on making some Christmas gifts (details and updates of the projects to follow)
• Breaking out the exercise books and sitting down to the keyboard after a long absence
• Slowly working on the NaNoWriMo project....current word count 5863

All in all, a highly eventful weekend.  How was yours?

*My musically inclined friend, K, has made a yearly tradition out of Pie Day. Since by the end of Thanksgiving Dinner one's stomach is generally so full of turkey and stuffing and so forth that the requisite pumpkin pie is almost torture to squeeze in, and therefore is hardly enjoyed to its fullest, the pie is now given its own day. Generally falling on the Sunday before Thanksgiving one and all are invited to bring and/or sample the smorgasbord of pies without having previously gorged on a week's worth of food in the space of an hour or so. Last night's celebration was again a success filled with pumpkin, pecan, pear cranberry, mini key lime, chocolate, peanut butter, peach, and peanut butter raspberry with chocolate ganache, just to name a few! Delicious!

Happiness is...the onset of fall!

Today it became fall. This past week we've had some lovely balmy 70+ degree days and glorious hints of sunshine in the midst of our seemingly perpetual rain.  But overnight fall settled in. There's a definite chill in the air that precludes rolled-down windows and necessitates layering.

I love fall. (I really love spring too, but we're not going to go there today.)

I love slipping back into socks and sweaters.  I love boots and tights and scarves and not having to shave my legs every day.  I love curling up under my down comforter again and indulging in a mug of hot cocoa or herbal tea before bed. I love the crisp, cool air and kaleidoscope colors of changing leaves.  And I love crunching through those leaves when they give up their hold on the branches and collect on the sidewalks and in gutters.

I love pretty much every single thing that is and can be pumpkin flavored. (Steamed milk, ice cream, cookies, cheesecake, soup, bread, waffles, cupcakes, pies, smoothies, you name it!) I love Halloween with all its trimmings and trappings; pumpkin patches and jack-o-lanterns, witches' cauldrons filled with dry ice and those giant fuzzy lawn spiders. And everything resembling ghosts (I have a soft spot for ghost motifs.) I love the yearly ritual of watching the animated Disney version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And of course, the candy.  And I love following it all up with Thanksgiving which ushers us right into the next best time of year; the Holidays!

While hunkering down in the basement and doing a bit of scrapbooking after my early morning hike in the drizzle and damp I was going through some of my photos and, feeling a bit of melancholia, decided I must do a farewell to summer post.

So, in no particular order, or rhyme or reason really, here are some things I will miss about summer. (*Note-this will in no way diminish my enjoyment of fall!)

Green leaves and the noonday sun

Garden fresh fruit

Going barefoot

Flowers in the yard

Outdoor events and gatherings

How about you? What are things you look forward to with the changing of the seasons? What are the things you'll miss most? Which season is your favorite? As always, I'd love to hear from you! (I heart comments almost as much as I heart banjos and fiddles!!!)

Happiness is...a new play list.

The anger of Tropical Storm Lee is upon us and Fall is here with a vengeance. The weather is dark and gloomy, it's rained practically non-stop since late Sunday night and I actually have natural cause to wear a sweater to work (as opposed to simply wearing it due to an over-exuberant AC system.)  So, what better way to celebrate than with some new music?!

I spent over an hour in traffic last night on my way to the temple but it sailed by thanks to the melodious sounds of the following:

1. Don't Rain on My Parade                     Barbara Striesand
2. Heartbroken                                         Meaghan Smith
3. I'd Rather Be With You                        Joshua Radin
4. Bells of New York City                        Josh Groban
5. I and Love and You                             Avett Brothers
6. Honeysuckle Rose                               Jane Monheit
7. A Little Opera Goes A Long Way        Sky Sailing
8. Fallin' For You                                    Colbie Caillat
9. Haven't Met You Yet                           Michael Buble
10. Let My Love Open the Door                Sondre Lerche
11. Come By Me                                       Harry Connick Jr.
12. 1, 2, 3, 4                                              Plain White T's
13. Ain't That a Kick in the Head                Dean Martin
14. The Friendship Song                            Carbon Leaf
15. Wait So Long                                      Trampled by Turtles
16. Your Personal Penguin                         Davy Jones
17. Helplessness Blues                               Fleet Foxes
18. All the Pennies                                     Mindy Gledhill
19. God's Been Good to Me                      Keith Urban
20. the 59th Street Bridge Song                  Simon and Garfunkel
21. Say Hey (I Love You)                          Michael Franti
22. Fly Me to the Moon                             Frank Sinatra

It's a bit eclectic, just the way I like it; a little old, a little new, a little traditional, a little quirky, a little soulful, a little sing-along.

What songs or sounds are your own personal background music of the moment?