Goodbye, Fall.

Dear Fall,

As you come to a close and winter swoops in taking all of the pretty leaves away I would like to acknowledge a few of the high points that you brought to me this year. It has been a hard few months but you never failed to be crisp, beautiful and filled with warm beverages, lots of oversized sweaters, boots and some good memories. (I’m wearing a scarf, still in sweats, surrounded by tea and feeling a bit sappy, I blame it on the nyquill.) So, thank you fall, for these good times.

Love, Jamie

Pumpkin Patches: This year I went to the patch with a group of girls from my grad program. These three girls have single handedly gotten me through the first 6 months of graduate school. Without their sarcasm, homework advice, vent sessions, company doing endless hours of homework at Irwins and constant friendship I genuinely would have dropped out. Of course, my pumpkin carving turned out sub-par as usual, but this was a great day. Got legitimately lost in the corn maze, picked pumpkins, drank spiced cider and ate enchiladas.

Dinner at the Space Needle: Samantha was in town and we surprised her with dinner, one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen and a perfect night.

Cabin: This is our first fall at our new cabin and it is safe to say that I am obsessed with it. Floating the lake, volleyball, dirt bike rides, learning to shoot a gun, pretty hikes, near-death hikes (more to come on that), walks around Leavenworth.

Baking: This recipe may or may not have changed my life. Gluten-free and delicious.

[See:http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/31/deep-dish-cookie-pie/]

Tennis: I beat my brother in a game of 21. It’s the little victories that matter.

Coaching: I coached the most talented, funny, beautiful team of High School girls in volleyball this fall. They were the highlight of my year and got third at state.

Helping Link: I volunteered at Helping Link and got to spend 10 weeks with these kids. So. Funny.

WWKD: One of my closest friends Tina talked me into going to a Ke$ha costume party with her this fall. If you know me, you know that I don't really do costumes, or glitter, or copious amounts of hair spray, or crimpers or large gatherings of people that I don't know. But, I really love Tina. So there I was at her apartment, in sweats, hair in a pony and she transformed us into Ke$sha in about 15 minutes. Tina, I will happily be your "boy-friend stand-in" any time you want. What Would Ke$ha Do. [Side note: Never, ever throw cheap store bought glitter on anyone's head. In someone's costume excitement they hurled a whole tube of glitter on me while yelling "you sparkle!" and then did an awkward circular shimmy around me. The glitter proceeded to get stuck in my scalp and eventually stained it pink... one of my graduate professors asked what I had been up to that weekend when he saw the glimmer in my hair. Low. Point.] 

Movies: Footloose, Moneyball, The Help, One Day - Each wonderful in their own way.
Books: The Help, On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – read them. now.