first of fall: frocktober!

Autumn is...

birthday month pumpkin spice hay rides kettle corn weekend trips sweater weather burnt orange scarves plaid changing leaves crisp mornings harvest festivals the state fair thanksgiving fireside evenings pumpkin patches pumpkin everything s'mores camping apple cider harry potter butterbeer halloween movie nights scented candles couch cuddles tights & boots spices hot drinks cozy socks caramel golden days

And... it's Frocktober. 

Happy first day of Fall, friendlies! 

This season is starting off quite well. I am 26 weeks along today, and my baby and I are sharing a pumpkin spice latte to celebrate. Of course, he has no choice in the matter...but I've got to start him early on the finer things of life.

And, of course, Frocktober -- which will be in full swing starting next week! The collage above is a little recap of last year's Frocktober dresses. It was probably my favorite year so far. I was able to remix a lot of my favorite dresses into completely new outfits. Last year was such a year of growth in all areas - career, marriage, family, life goals. Looking back on last October brings a lot of those things to mind, and I can't believe we're nearly a year past it!

For those of you who don't know, Frocktober is my month of dress-wearing. An entire month of dresses! Read more about it here. As I said, the collage above is my Frocktober 2014 challenge. You can also check out 2013 and 2012. This will be my fourth year embarking on this personal style adventure - and, admittedly, the most challenging yet! October will be weeks 28-31 of my pregnancy, so utilizing my existing wardrobe is going to be a pretty tight fit. My main motivation for participating in Frocktober has always been to challenge myself to find new purpose and appreciation for what I already have - avoiding shopping for the month and bringing new creative life to my dresses and other accessories. I'm going to do my best to stick to it.

If you'd like to join me, I would be more than happy to induct you into the lovely Frocktober Sisterhood. My challenge to you for the month of October is to not only be creative and innovative with your existing closet, but to also try to avoid purchasing new clothes. Think outside the box. Have a clothes swap with friends, or go thrifting, or consider using your clothes budget to purchase from a company that gives back - like Krochet Kids intl. or another cause that really speaks to you. Take the month to be intentional with what you wear and how you wear it. 

Follow along with me starting October 1st! And definitely let me know if you're joining me in the challenge.

#frocktobersisterhood

summer's end

I was recently feeling disappointed in the end of summer, lamenting that August has arrived when I feel like we haven't crossed nearly enough "summer" things off of our to-do list.
It's been an odd sort of summer, cool weather and days spent cooped up in the office or huddled under an umbrella. Very odd indeed.

That being said, I was completely rejuvenated by a post I read this week by Christin Willis over at We Heart Photography.
She posts these adorable "little love stories" that I always love to read.
It was called "The Bucket List" - it immediately caught my attention because Dusty and I have an in-progress Bucket List for our last year in Lynchburg!

Christin and her hubby Jacob had a similar experience - they decided to sit down and write a summer bucket list. But by the time August came around, Christin was lamenting over the lack of strikes through their fun summer activities.
She then had a miraculous discovery: the end of summer (aka the official "first day of Fall") isn't until September 22nd. 

That means we still have a glorious month and a half of summer love in the air, and while school may be starting and everything on our summer-to-do list may not be perfect, and some things may not even happen at all...the spirit of the bucket list is much more than that.

The point is, there’s a reason you make a bucket list. The bucket list reminds you of that romanticized dream of summer (or life). It takes you back to the moment when you imagined yourself frolicking, dancing, enjoying your life. Not all of the things on the list will turn out the way you thought. It might be freezing on the scooter ride day and the bed and breakfast might be more of a bugs and breakfast; but, on the night of live music and dancing, your husband might look at you, and see the young, free-spirited girl he fell in love with, and he might just smile and think, “I am the luckiest.”

- Christin Willis, We Heart Photography

I couldn't have put it any better myself!

I'm off to plan that sunset hike, and try and see when we can spend a day floating lazily down the James river...