trick or treat

i have always loved halloween.
it was the candy & the costumes when i was little.
college was all about the fun to be had at parties & the bars.
in 2005 it was celebrating our anniversary & 1st halloween together.
october 31, 2007 chris proposed.
now it's just an excuse to get together with friends.
it's always been a little more about the treat & not so much about the trick.
last year, elizabeth messina put the treat vs. the trick in perspective.
"here’s the thing, life is full of things that can scare you.
& growing up is wrought with bumps & twists.
so for us…its sweets, pumpkins with hearts & cute costumes."

that's my kind of halloween.
photo via elizabeth messina.

pumpkin patch & other fall activities

the other weekend we went to a pumpkin patch.
because, you know, having a pumpkin on our porch in fall is mandatory.
see the results of the fall makeover we gave our porch right here.

it's already late {late} october & fall seems to be slipping thru my fingers.
like decorating our front porch there are other mandatory fall activities
that i gladly partake in at this time of year.

carving said pumpkins.
lighting carmel apple, pumpkin and/or spiced cider candles.
admiring the red, yellow and orange leaves that appear on the trees.
giddily incorporating hooded sweatshirts back into my wardrobe.
watching football saturday & sunday.
sprinkling the house with halloween & fall decor {from target, naturally}.
breathing in the fresh air & soaking in the crisp breeze.
purchasing candy for little trick or treaters.
browsing the halloween aisle at target.
relaxing around the firepit at night with a glass of wine.
making the switch from white zin to cabernet or shiraz.
taking in a haunted house. or three.
painting my nails a deep shade of burgundy.
rediscovering my love for scarves & wearing one everyday.

dear fall,
stay a little longer.
i still have a few things to accomplish before winter gets here.
& plus, i like you way more than winter. who doesn't? xo, jl

our fall front porch

this year we finally got around to sprucing up the outside of our house.
in the spring we hauled out three bushes that were complete eye sores
& put in three knockout roses, lavender, coreopsis & purple loosestrife.
some of which might or might not have made it through the summer.

however, that's neither here nor there, because fall is here!
chris & i went a little crazy one weekend and told our porch to thank us later.

cornstalks, orange & white pumpkins, hay & an abundance of mums.
not to mention a cayenne orange welcome mat.
perfection.

each star in the sky

they say that before you get engaged there are a few things you must do.
1. drop hints on what the perfect engagement ring looks like.
2. start planning your wedding.
3. take a vacation/trip together.

ok so 1 & 2 are just things that i did before i was engaged.
i totally recommend each.
but "experts" only recommend #3, taking a vacay together.
so chris and i, in the spring of 2007 took a little vacay to nyc together.

we stayed at hudson hotel & marveled over its library & private park.
we breezed thru central park and the museum of natural science & history.
we took in times square @ 5am on our way to see rascal flatts on GMA.
we saw the statute of liberty, ellis island and ground zero.
& overlooked the city of lights from the empire state building.
&, naturally, we scarfed down nyc hot dogs, bagels and slice of pizza.
along with $14 cocktails and an outstanding dinner at tavern on the green.

i still can't put my finger on my favorite memory from that trip.
perhaps it was taking in the rascal flatts concert 5 feet from the stage.
or dinner at tavern on the green under lanterns dripping from the trees.
but there was lots and lots of hand holding on that trip.
& that's what i remember the most. & that's what i loved the most.

most importantly, our relationship survived the trip.
which meant we had surpassed our last relationship hurdle.
& getting engaged was soon to come.
i was ready when we were under the twinkling lights @ tavern on the green.
but, as you'll see, he had something else in mind.