the fleeting days of autumn

I've come to dread the chirp-chirp of my alarm in the morning. It's all too cheery for a time when my eyes are still droopy and the sky still inky black. It takes me awhile to muster up the courage to crawl from the billowy folds of the blankets, the pleasant weight that never fails to lull me into slumber. I've even taken to setting my alarm ten minutes earlier, knowing full well that I'm not going to get out of bed when it actually goes off. Once my feet hit the floor, I know that the day has started and there's no crawling back into bed, hence my trying to prolong the inevitable.

Nevertheless, the days have been passing quickly, settled into a regular routine of work and school. I've been making a conscious effort to spend time under the vast blue sky every day, a vain attempt to seize each sliver of the fleeting autumnal hours (how can it be that tomorrow is November?). Hours that consist of piles of leaves, the ones that have already drifted lazily from their perch on the tree, lots of socks (my feet are perpetually cold), plaid flannel shirts, sunshine-y, cool weather, hot apple cider, mustard yellow anything, planning for and anticipating the upcoming holidays, and just plain living.

It's evening as I write this now. The fairy lights are still twinkling from the patio umbrella, decorated with tissue paper pompoms and chinese paper lanterns. The embers of the bonfire are still glowing, chairs arranged in a half-circle around it, and the remnants of s'mores and homemade pretzels and memories of a good time linger, a feeling that's almost tangible. I'm curled up into my favorite easy chair, the one with the fluffy sheepskin and overly plush back. The last guests from our party just trickled out the door -- I'm not a huge fan of the holiday known as Halloween, but this little (what has become annual) get-together is one of my favorite parts of October.  It's nights like these, reflecting after a party, that make me so very thankful for friends.

sweater: thrifted / jeans: american eagle / boots: my mom's / belt: forever 21 / scarf: my grandfather's

Tomorrow is November. October is a time of full blown fall, but by the time this next month rolls around, it's more of a blustery, wintry feeling. Yes, I'm sad to see October go, but I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and the Christmas season (because let's face it, the weeks before Christmas are just as good, if not almost better, as the day itself).

Life. I like it.

How have you been spending your days lately?

ps guest posting over at beauty like a kaleidoscope today -- come say hi!