I love the start of fall. Okay, it's not even September but let people have their fun! I don't care how basic it is. The love and excitement that people have for pumpkin spice lattes is the type of love and excitement we all need!! I'm more of a pumpkin cream cold brew kinda gal but you get where I'm going! Just like your first feeling of the summer sun hitting your face you take the first inhale of the crisp air and you know that the season is changing. If you live in Kentucky you know you'll be teased a few times before the real thing. It's a time to welcome in the newness, reset our focus and reflect on the past season. I wonder what it would look like if we did that with our own lives, welcome change in every season!

So how do we welcome change? First, we reflect and then we'll create vision.

Reflection

Reflection is such a great tool to learn from the past. Here are three questions to ask yourself about this summer!

• What gave me energy?
• Did anything feel draining?
• What did I think was going to be energizing but wasn't? why?

As you keep asking yourself these questions you might start noticing patterns. These patterns can help you to start choosing the energizing activities and maybe tweak anything that was making you feel drained!

Reflect on all the memories that were made and the things you've learned. You can write it down, make a photo album on your phone, or record a voice memo!! 

Here are some of my favorite memories and things I've learned about myself this summer!

Waterslides are for adults too

Who said you have to outgrow the water slides at a certain age?!! In May my mom and I went on a cruise. One of the port days we took full advantage of the empty water slides and no kids. I asked her if she wanted to slide, I was fully expecting a no but she took her shoes off and headed to the top! My mom is 62!! We were laughing so hard the people around us couldn't help but laugh with us.

Discovered a love for weekend trips.

I take my rest days very seriously. The thought of not having a day to chill in between work and a trip never felt appealing to me! This summer I told myself I was going to prioritize fun. When asked to go on a trip I went back to what I wanted to prioritize and said yes! I learned that fun and making time for friends can fill your cup up just as much as rest. 

I’m going to have a sister (in-law)

My twin brother is engaged!!! Emmory has been a part of the family for awhile but so dang excited for it to be official! We told her we were celebrating my moms bday and were probably going to take pictures so she wouldn't show up in sweats (we've all seen that TikTok). She texted me asking if I was wearing jeans or a dress thinking we were getting pictures made! In the middle of me setting up the flowers in leggings, of course I answered dress. I was sure she'd forgive the lies by the end of the night. We ordered a bunch of baby's breath from a florist and filled the rest in with flowers from trader joes. I collected all the vases in mine and my moms house and used the ferns to add height!! It was perfect.

Re-connected with friends.

Having friends as an adult is hard. I listened to a podcast and it changed my views on friendships for the better! They talked about the 7 friends you have and not all of them have to carry every quality! I think so many times we drift apart or just stop hanging out with people and think that's the end of it. Let me tell you a secret i've learned, it's okay to catch up with a friend and not talk to them for a while. You're still friends! You're going to have those anchor friends that you talk to on a daily or weekly basis and then also have the friends that you want in your life but only talk every once in a while. So call an old friend and see what they're up to!

Paris 

Ya girl went to PARISSS. Let's flashback to when I  was 15 and the most pressing issue in my life was what my room theme was. I was obsessed with Paris, more specifically the Eiffel tower! My room was cI couldn't even tell you why, I think maybe I always loved fashion and nothing seemed more glamorous to me than Paris! Anyways, when the opportunity came to go, I jumped on it! One of my favorite nights we did a 7 course meal at a japanese- italian infused restaurant while the Eiffel Tower was sparkling! I did post my packing list with shoppable links if you're interested click here!

Vision

Now that we've reflected, we can think about what we want to do and how we want to feel in this next season and welcome the change it can bring. Fall brings all the activities whether it be your kids sports, school, church and friends it seems like everyone starts planning all the things! It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle before the Holidays. Here are some questions you could think about as your envisioning what you want your fall to look like! I will included my personal answers to give some examples!

• What are my priorities this fall? Will I bring any from summer?
  • At the beginning of summer I told myself that fun was my top priority. I want to keep that at the top but probably won't say yes to everything. I have some career goals I want to happen by the end of the year which will require more focus. There will be more thought behind my yes!
• Is there anything fun I want to do?
  • Jonas Brothers concert is at the top of the list. More dinners with friends, maybe try and meet new people and go on a date or too, this list is getting wild.
• Do I want to host anything this fall?
  • This past Saturday I just randomly texted the fam asking if they wanted to come over for French toast and it turned into such a fun time. Being more open to just ask people if they want to stop by or texting if I'm near someones place!
• How can I up my style this fall? What pieces can I add?
  • Here is my Fall Fashion Pinterest board!! I'm itching to shop but told myself I will at the end of September!
• Are there any fall recipes I want to try?
  • Ive been challenging myself to really slow down when I cook. Ive created a bad habit of doing the faster thing to get the meal done and so instead I've been making the guac instead of buying or making the peach compote to put on the French toast and it makes such a difference! I want to continue doing that.

So basically this turned into showing you my journal entry but I hope this helps with being intentional going into the next season! There are so many fun things about fall, lets not miss out on living it fully!