The Autumnal Owl

Today, more so than putting in depth thought into composing strings of well harmonized words, a cheerful list seems more appropriate.. so here it is.

Things I Adore about Fall:
    Every single thing they sell at Williams Sonoma. If i am sitting at home on a weeknight, the thing I honestly most crave is to be dropped off there with some kind of tea.  It's not just a store, it is a full fledged activity for me.  If they allowed it, I would move in for the entire season. It just makes me want to be an old woman throwing fall dinner parties.
    
     Candles! Whenever I'm home, I light one in every room. Thank the Lord I have a mother who appreciates them as much as I do.  Pumpkin or cinnamon flavored ones everywhere I look would be ideal.  If it were up to me, I would turn off all the lights in my house and fill it with enough candles to fully illuminate it, but I imagine my family would protest.

     Music! There is definitely a genre for ever season in my eyes.  In the fall, quiet acoustic music with just a little touch of jolly hits the spot.  Right now I'm really into Ben Kweller and Good Old War.. both have been appropriate for my autumnal mood.  Of course, those who know me are aware that I would argue Bob Dylan deserves a place in every season… but in this moment I love him probably more than I ever have, which is quite a feat.  The soundtrack for You've Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally can often be found on repeat in my room as well.

     Food! I love soup, I love hot drinks (coffee, tea, cider, the works), I love spice cake (I've made 2 in the past 48 hours, I love anything pumpkin or cinnamon.. just oh… i  could go on and on.

    The Weather… I love waking up to cloudy mornings, having coffee, and dressing up in boots and sweaters.  There's something about a little chill that makes morning so much more enjoyable (probably because I'm obsessed with the fall morning scene in You've Got Mail!).

     My House and My Family!  My house is an excellent "fall" house… candles everywhere, warm colors, lots of blankets, my precious chubby dog.  My mother has excellent taste that seems most fitting for this wonderful season.  My family sitting around watching football in my precious home never ceases to put me in a jolly ole' mood.  Today I'm thanking Jesus for the constant peace and pleasure this season and this home bring me :]
    

You.. Yes You.. You're Perfect.

     I'm in Berkeley, California this weekend visiting my beautiful friend Andi Davis and I cannot believe how quickly I've fallen in love with this place.  I can't get enough of the restaurants, the people, and the wonder it has to offer.  We went to San Francisco today and covered much more ground than we originally intended!  We met up with Joel Mcknight and his roommates and roamed around Chinatown and had fantastic pizza in Little Italy.  Sitting in Stella Pastry and having a cup of coffee with these amazing people I once again gazed around and charasterictally got lost in my own thoughts reminding myself...this life is amazing. 
     I think it was Mark Twain who once said the "coldest winter i ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" and oh was he right! We left wearing jumpers and tanktops and ended up covered in San Francisco evening fog and snuggling up to each other on our walk back to BART. 
     I think the picture I posted today deserves a little more explanation than the past  few.  Walking through the Berkeley campus yesterday I found myself surrounded by student clubs offering memberships and free teeshirts and the likes... then i turned and saw this guy sitting on a wall out of the corner of my eye holding nothing but this sign.  I cynically looked around for some item to be sold or basket for donations but couldn't find anything of the sort.  I wandered over to him thoroughly inspired and realized that indeed he was simply reminding everyone walking by of their beauty with no hidden intentions!  We talked for a few minutes and I told him how much he had brightened my day and he reiterated that this was exactly his purpose.  He claims that his goal is simply one smile a day and that he will be perfectly content every night with just this.  These are the acts of uninhibited kindess that give me such crazy hope for humanity.