Friends and Fall Blessings

Fall is such a fun time. I love the cooler weather and the many-colored leaves. I love pumpkins and candles and warm soup. I love craft nights with friends spent in joyful anticipation of the holidays and I've even grown to enjoy the constant need for raincoats and rain boots. (!) It's a fun season with lots of unique things to delight the senses.

I also really enjoy spending time celebrating this season with friends. I like the meals which seem to include so many extra "special touches" as everyone is collectively interested in making yummy treats and decorating their homes. It's so enjoyable to get together for anything from coffee/tea to a meal. Taking time away to stop being busy with "stuff" and instead taking time to sit and be with people is a blessing which I do not take for granted. The holidays are so full of activities and school and vacations, etc., that each time we do sit down with our friends it feels like something extra special.  I'm grateful for these moments.

There are a lot of people with whom I would love to be able to sit down  with for a cup of tea and/or an entire day. Blogging has allowed for such friendships, as it has also pointed out the difficulties involved in being able to easily get together. I'm glad to know the following women through blogging and, if travels and life circumstances ever allow, I would so love to enjoy face-to-face fellowship time with them! I asked a couple of these ladies to tell me what it is that they like best about the fall season and I'll share what they said below.

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First, there is my friend Heather who blogs at Do Not Let This Universe Forget You. I am very, very blessed to have had her for a "real-life-in-town" friend first. I met her at church and we rather slowly got to know each other. Then Heather got married (yay!) and moved away (boo!) and so now we have to communicate in ways which do not involve sweet potato fries. (Come to think of it, that might actually be a good thing. However, sweet potato fries are really awesome and if you can share the plate, all the better!)

Heather says of fall:

Fall is upon us! And while I’m still somewhat mourning the loss of Summer I have to say I miss it less now that I’m in a much more humid climate. So, I’m definitely looking forward to not feeling like I’m drowning when I go for a walk with my husband. But the thing I’m most excited for is making my first Thanksgiving dinner *drumroll* for my in-laws! I’ve already got my menu together and I can’t wait for my very favorite holiday with the newest people in my family.

You have fun, Heather. I love hearing about how much you love your "new life" but we still miss you here!

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Then there is Barbara who blogs at Stray Thoughts. I think I "met" her through my stint at 5 Minutes for Books. However the meeting occurred, I'm grateful for it. This past month she has been focusing on 31 Days of Inspirational Biography which was an interesting series but how she walks out her own "everyday life" on her blog is very encouraging and inspiring to me. I love how much she loves her family. (It shows!) I love that she asks me to pray for them just as she also has prayed for mine in specific cases. She is definitely a "bloggy blessing" and I am glad to know her.

Here is what Barbara says of fall:

What do I look forward to during the fall season? Cooler weather. I have always lived in the southeast where it is very hot and humid during the summer. The cool but not cold autumn weather is refreshing and invigorating. The beautiful fall colors would be another big plus for autumn. So is looking forward to having the family together at Thanksgiving. Apple cider, caramel popcorn, and hearty oven meals are all lesser but enjoyable parts of autumn. And not too long afterward is Christmas!

I forgot to mention my own love of caramel corn earlier. Glad to see that it didn't slip Barbara's mind!

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I can't remember how I met Bluerose's Heart either, but I'm glad that I did. We married the same year, our boys are the same ages and our husbands share the same name which is interesting to note. (It certainly makes connecting easy!) The thing that I particularly appreciate about her though is how honest she has been in her struggles. When she has an issue that she is dealing with, she does not sugar coat it, nor does she exaggerate it. She quietly and humbly tells you where she is at in life and it is always interesting seeing how her thought processes develop on any number of things through the book reviews which she writes on her site. I wouldn't mind a mom's night out with her!

Here is what she says of fall:

Fall is my favorite season (even though I might say the same about spring after a long winter). We start spending a little less time outdoors, making me feel a bit more productive. Our days start filling with more read alouds and movies, competition for lap space and candles, pumpkins and cute hats, along with recipes that don't seem to make it on the menu the rest of the year and family we don't see enough. Fall seems like the warmest season of all!

I love how she put that last sentence. Fall does seem like the warmest season of all in many ways!

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Then there is Amy at Hope is the Word. I do recall that we also met through 5 Minutes for Books which adds to my gratefulness that I spent some time reviewing books over there! Amy has inspired and encouraged me in so many ways - through her success and her "failures." I love how she shares about her family life on the blog, letting us know what she and her four beautiful children are up to. I could spend heaps of time with Amy in person, I feel quite certain, and it might just be to commiserate how crazy life sometimes feels. She has prayed for my family for many years now, as I have for hers, and perhaps one day we can meet. (That would be so, so fun.)

I feel tremendously blessed to know her through her blog and highly recommend that you check it out (especially her Read Aloud Thursday posts if nothing else). Here is what Amy has to say about fall:

As a native Alabamian, my favorite thing about fall is that it signals the end of the heat and humidity of summer. As much as I love summer (and I do!), at least by November we're usually able to put up our sandals and pull out our light jackets for most days. (However, it should be noted that we've spent plenty of Thanksgivings in short sleeves and shorts!) I'm also usually really glad about the fact that we've reached the season for which soups and chilis and such are welcome fare. It makes menu planning much simpler! I always look forward to the holidays, and then after the holidays I usually embark on my January Reading Binge. There's much to look forward to this time of year!

Yes! There really is so much to look forward to this time of year.

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There are, of course, a host of bloggy friends who I have come to know and love over time and if you don't see a particular name here that you were expecting to, don't think too deeply or take offense by that. Time and space are limited (as always seems to be the case) but I did want to mention these few amazing ladies here today. I'm thankful for the blessing which they are in my life, for their constant presence across the miles, for the way that they share their lives with me and allow me to share mine with them. Most importantly, I love the way these ladies love their God and strive to bring glory to His name. I admire them each quite deeply.

I would love to hear what YOU most love about fall. Several of you are so gracious and kind to leave comments through which I have had the pleasure of getting to know you. I love do love consistent comments (don't we all?) because I feel like I can get to know a person better through them! Please DO take this opportunity to share your favorite thing about fall and also to leave a link to your blog in the comment section below. I would very much enjoy hearing from you.

Blessings!