Falling in love with Fall

I love the fall
I love October in the fall
I love being married in the fall
I smile more in the fall
I spend more time outside in the fall
I enjoy watching the leaves actually fall


Fall beckons me to drink more hot tea than coffee
Fall beckons me to trade my flip flops for leggings and boots
Fall beckons me to take trips to the mountains
Fall beckons me to admire brightly colored leaves and long walks in the park


This fall I want to make an apple pie from scratch
This fall I want to take more trips to the park
This fall I want to make my own fall wreath for our front door
This fall I want to sip cups of warm apple cider on the weekends with Allen on our front porch
This fall I want to remember to thank God for the cooler weather, the beautiful leaves and the restfulness my soul feels with His gift of Fall.

This is Maggie. She is a mutt. She makes me happy. She whines when I come home and wags her tail and licks my hands because she is so happy to see me. Most of the time she looks depressed. In the photo she doesn't because her mouth is hanging open. That's the only way she looks happy. With her mouth open. We got her at the pound. I can't imagine not having Maggie in my life. She makes me laugh when I give her a bone and she hides it under couch pillows or in our bed. If I catch her she freezes as if to say "what? I am just hanging out" and she refuses to continue until I leave the room. I don't know how I managed to get through life without a dog. They can seriously improve your life.

My dream dining room

I would love love love for my dining room to look like this. As of right now my dining room houses an old armoir, a love seat and a coffee table. Oh and Maggies crate.

One day....

The Angry Earth

Sometimes on the way to work I listen to the radio. Sometimes I listen to silence or my own thoughts trying to sort them out in my head. Other times I call my mom or Allen or I plug in my ipod. When I do listen to the radio I listen to talk radio. I like the personalities in the morning, they make me laugh and that’s always a nice way to start your day. One of the stations that frequently keeps me company on my 45 minute commute is NPR. I always feel smarter after listening to NPR. I feel like it speaks from an unbiased view point and I learn more about the world on the way to work in way that doesn’t bore me.

Today I just happened to be listening to NPR. I listened to people report on the tsunami and earthquake that hit Indonesia and Samoa. I listened to the reporters based in those areas speak of destruction, death and loss. Students on the way to school, elderly getting ready for their meals, workers walking to catch public transportation – all wiped out within minutes. Impossible for them to reach higher ground in the five minute span that the waters receded and then washed over people and buildings.

I can’t even imagine it. I can’t imagine the terror those children faced. All the people faced in those last moments of their life. The relief will flood in. There is enough good in people to send money, to send medication and to go themselves. The United States is declaring money for a federal disaster for American Samoa. Just last week the United States declared the county I work in as an area for federal disaster area for relief money.

Even though the loss of such life saddened me on the way to work this morning, I couldn’t shake the feeling and realization of the biblical ties to all the natural disasters. CNN’s headline today reads “The Angry Earth.” I am the first to admit that I don’t know much about the end times. I haven’t read revelations in a long time, and when I did read it I don’t think I really understood it. But I know enough to know that worldwide disaster will occur. Natural disasters will precede Jesus’ second coming. This morning my heart flickered with a warning. It was a wake up call to me. Thank you Holy Spirit. Even if I am long gone when God sends his Son back to Earth, I am thankful for the Holy Spirits reminder this morning. I pray that I can respond not only in emotion but in action as well.