Midwest Living

There are so many things I love about living in the midwest, and almost all of them have to do with fall! When I was younger I never particularly liked the fall decorations...so many things were brown and orange that I didn't find it appealing. Now though, I love decorating for fall. To me, it is the coziest season. Rarely is it so cold that it's unpleasant, but the coziness of a sweatshirt or a warm jacket can't be beat. And the colors are so gorgeous! I love the pumpkins and I love the beauty of the leaves changing color. I love the sound of the crisp leaves under our feet and I love the smells of the fireplaces. Fall in the midwest also means football, and we all know I love that! Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite season.

And yet, I also find fall marked with a tinge of sadness in it. After all, it's the season of dying, the leaves, the plants, outdoors is shutting down. It's also heading into the end of the year. And while the holidays are an absolutely wonderful time, the end of the year always makes me reflective and a little sad about the passage of time. The fall is also when the school year starts again. While that is obviously a beginning and not an ending (although it does mean the end to our glorious carefree days!) it too marks the passage of time and the fact that my "babies" are another year older. With my obsessive personality, I find that I have to fight very hard against focusing on these things in the fall. Instead, I make sure I decorate (in those wonderful orange and browns!) and I cheer for our favorite football teams, and I soak in all the wonderful, absolutely wonderful things that living in the midwest brings us each fall!