Fall Leaves

I love Fall. I always thought I was a spring girl until a few years back when I realized I was more obsessed with everything that came with Fall than I was with the Spring. With Spring, at least the notion of warmer weather would be around the corner, an obvious reason why it can be liked by so many people. However, Fall is definitely the intro to colder weather around here... and you never know when that colder weather will happen. We got some snow last week, which pretty much shocked everyone in town, and I actually had to put socks on, instead of just throwing some sandals on for work. What a pain! *lol* But, Fall is still my fave. I love the scents mainly: cinnamon, pumpkin (pumpkin spice lattes anyone?), nutmeg, spice, etc. Everything brings good memories and makes me feel all warm and cozy. Plus, this year the colors on the trees have been phenomenal... so pretty!

I am always sad to see Summer go, especially this past summer. We actually had decent weather for once (still, no tan was received), so it was nice to be able to go outside and do things... or stay inside and enjoy the AC when it was just too hot. That usually was the case, which is probably why I didn't get a tan. details, details... I went on a couple road trips, spent a lot of time with my boyfriend and got back into a gym routine that I am still continuing now. August was a rather sad month, as I lost one of my Grandma's. I wouldn't say she passed away due to one thing, as it just kind of came on, and 17 days after she entered the hospital, she passed due to everything that had been infecting her body. It was definitely a hard month, but also a good month for bringing that side (my dad's) together and catching up with people I hadn't seen in years. I miss her every day.

But anyway, I think a lot of people start things over at the beginning of the year since it's a new start and they can focus on something for the next 12 months ahead of them. I think Fall is a great time to start things, as that's when school started and your mind is usually in that mode to pick new challenges up and work on them for awhile. As I mentioned, I have continued with my routine regimen since the beginning of the summer and love it. I do Zumba 2-3 times a week, and then hit up one day for regular cardio on the machine. I honestly get bored doing that cardio work now, but know I need to add some new things in so my body doesn't get bored. It's fun. I also have focused more on eating more whole foods than processed. I love my frozen lunches,  but for the last month I have been making meals in my crock pot to eat for the week and I just feel better about it. This week: Salsa Chicken in a wrap. Yum!

Now that it's October, Fall is certainly in full swing. Halloween is upon us and although I don't think I will be doing much for it this year, I still enjoy the time leading up to it - checking out the costume stores in town, or on websites to see what people are snatching up this year. The boyfriend's one nephew is going to be Po from 'Kung-Fu Panda'... he's gonna rock that costume like no other! And his little baby brother is going as either a giraffe or a puppy - which will be super cute!

Time to get out my boots, scarves, hats, gloves... and light those pumpkin and spice scented candles!

Music and Memories...

I am currently working on perfecting my "90's Summer Hits" playlist on Pandora and it played one of my absolute favorite songs: "The Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe. I have loved this song since it's debut in 1997, and although isn't a "summer song"... I allow it on my playlist because I love it so much. It also brings back a lot of memories from that time of my life - which is pretty common with any song I ever listen to. As hard as I try not to associate songs with certain events/life experiences... it is very hard and usually impossible. This song is a great example.

"The Freshmen" brings me back to my sophomore year in High School. It was currently in between winter and spring, and the group of friends that I hung out with listened to the radio like it was going out of style, we loved it! I am not sure why this song attracted me so much, but it still is one of my favorites today. Anyway, one of my good guy friends and I had started to taking a liking to each other around the time that it came out. There was this one Friday night, and a bunch of my friends and I were over at another friends houses just hanging out. It was getting late, and I needed to go but needed a ride since I didn't drive there (I didn't have my license yet). So my guy friend had driven there himself, and everyone suggested that he take me home. I shouldn't have been nervous about this, but everyone knows those butterfly feelings always happen when you're around someone you like! The drive wasn't very far, but we had some time. By chance, "The Freshmen" came on the radio and my only thoughts were, "If he kisses me goodnight during this song (we had kissed before), that's what I will associate it with and do I want that? Do I not want that? Oh... what to do, what to do?" The song was still on when we pulled into the driveway and that moment approached. I think I freaked myself out too much and pretty much rushed out of the car just to avoid the situation. Plus, I never knew if my mom would be staring out their bedroom window waiting for me to come home - as if I wanted her to see me making out with a guy in a car. *lol* So the kiss never happened during the song, but I still always remember this situation. Lesson: Although I didn't want to associate the song with that moment, I still do.

An actual relationship never happened between us (normal high school drama), but there was always this connection between us. I always considered him my high-school sweetheart that never happened, although we had plenty of chances. It's funny to look back at it now though. Him and I met up a couple years ago just to catch up, and the topic of us back then when we were young and 16 was talked about... including the "what ifs" of that timeframe in our lives. Silly? Probably, but it was fun.

Oh, the memories and the power of a song... who knew!