Just some thoughts

First of all, I'm in love with this weather. 

I absolutely love fall. Let me just tell you why. It's still warmish, but the air is crisp and it feels amazing. 

The lighting changes and everything seems like you're seeing it through a sunshine filter. All the colors seem more rich, and the days just seem more cozy. Nights are cooler, which means so is my apartment! Yay for being able to sleep under the covers again! I LOVE wearing fall colors and styles. Bring on the jackets and cardigans, and all the beautiful colors! I like the way fall smells. I don't even know how to explain the non cliche's about that one, but outside smells different in the fall. Of course there's also all the pumpkin and apple spice you could ever want!

Every time fall rolls around I feel super energized but restless at the same time. This is the first year I haven't been a student so fall seems weird just being stuck inside working. At Snow I took drives up Ephraim canyon or got to walk around campus during the gorgeous afternoons between classes. Now I legitimately stay inside from 8-6 every day except Sunday. (Kinda a bummer, right? I'd love the luxury of not having to work. Do you know how many more walks I'd take if I could go in the late morning? It's so perfect then. :) )

I get the urge to do a million holiday crafts that extend clear out to New Years as soon as September rolls around, but my budget usually keeps me reigned in. ;)

I also feel much more Betty Crocker in Autumn. (Not that I always act on those feelings... but ya know. My self image shifts or something.)

 

Today I was talking with Erin about other young married couples and Matt's and my marriage... I think I've thought we were just so really struggling. The more I look back on our first year as a married couple the more I realize we're doing pretty good. :) 

No, we didn't buy brand new cars, or get to rent a new house instead of an apartment with noisy neighbors ;) but we have a pretty sweet first apartment. It feels big because we have the vaulted ceilings, and we have 2 bedrooms and somewhere to put a washer and dryer instead of having to pay for a laundromat.

 We might live off of the meat my mom and dad give us from their freezer, but we do pretty well at meal planning and budgeting out groceries so we always have what we need and usually get to spend some money on date night too. 

We've been super blessed financially with all the scholarships and financial aid we were able to get. I don't get to drop out of working and stay home to get ready for baby, I'll probably work right up until I absolutely can't anymore because I'm in a hospital room, but I do have a job and it's a job with set hours and that's been so nice. 

Maybe we don't go on lots of spontaneous play dates and adventures, but we live close to my family and we were able to go visit Matt's family in Nebraska, and really Salt Lake isn't that far to visit more family. :) We've been able to be involved in a few different callings in our ward(s) since we moved here last year, and we've seen blessings from those. We live by good friends and have an added support system through them. We're not in unnecessary debt (like how I had to specify? Yay for my car loan and student loan. :p), and we're able to pay all our bills and still have money left to our name. We're doing pretty great for little poor starving college students, right? Plus we're in love and so what else do we need? 

(Taken when we just started dating in Ephraim. Who would have thought that almost a year and a half later we'd be Mr. and Mrs. and on our way to being Mama and Daddy?)

Today has just been one of those warm fuzzy days where life seems pretty much perfect.

And now I get to go for a drive up the mountain to look at some of the leaves for family home evening with my super handsome best friend. :) Guys... Mondays aren't supposed to be this great!