Goodbye September, Hello October.

Goodbye, September. 

Goodbye to anxious nights looking over residency applications a fifth or sixth "one final time."

Goodbye to putting off my ever-growing to-do list...this baby is coming soon!

Goodbye to spending days in the park, finalizing our list of places we want to live and drinking the best sweet tea (thanks, Birmingham!).

Goodbye to saying, "I can't wait until we turn applications in!" 

Goodbye to tanktops and shorts.

Goodbye to the beginning of fall.

Hello, October. 

Hello to one of the most magical months of the year.

Hello to full blown, all out fall, every day.

Hello to a season that makes it easy to fall in love with life.

Hello to interview offers.

Hello to exploring cities that may be our new home!

Hello to slipping a pumpkin in my grocery cart every time before check-out.

Hello to fall dates, candy parties, pumpkin parties, and more time spent outside.

Hello to weather that is hopefully cool enough to sit outside with a blanket and a cup of coffee.

Hello to the time of the year that just makes me feel alive.

What are you saying hello and goodbye to in October?

What Marriage Means to Me.

I think you can tell a lot about someone by what their view of marriage is.

Some people hate the idea of marriage and think that it would squash their goals and dreams. Some people think marriage is the best, and can't wait until they meet the right person to become their spouse. Some people are married and treat their marriage like a burden that they just had to settle for. The list goes on and on, and I love hearing people talk about their opinions and thoughts on such a big thing.

With the crazy last couple of months and how full of transition this next year is going to be, I've been thinking about what marriage really means to me.

To me, marriage is being on a team. It's having a teammate in life, and having someone to cheer on.

It's having someone who is always on your side, no matter what. It's loving someone so much that you are always on their side. Chris and I disagree so often, but at the end of the day, I know he's always on my side. I may think he's being a complete idiot about something and just know I'm right, but I will forever be on his side. It's just how this works, and it's beautiful.

It's building a life with your best friend. From the big moments, like moving somewhere new, to the small moments, like sorting the laundry...it's all with your best friend.

It's the security of knowing that no matter how badly you mess up or how many people turn their backs on you, there is someone who is still going to love you and be on your team.

Through the twists and turns, it's having someone right beside you. To roll with the punches with you, to nod when you look over and say, "I did not see this one coming." To walk through the good and bad with you, through the mundane and the unexpected with you, through the good decisions you make and the terrible choices you make.

It's never being alone, even when you are.

I was having lunch with an engaged friend not too long ago and she was talking about some relationship issues she was having, and she said, "I mean, if it works out, great. If not, I'll be fine." When I said I couldn't imagine feeling so flippant over something as big as a marriage, she said, "Yeah, but it's different. You love Chris. Like, you're really, really in love with him still."

You should marry someone that you love. That you're really, really in love with.

I would not be fine without Chris. And that's okay. I think it's kind of taboo to say that, because we're supposed to be strong and independent and not need anyone.

It doesn't make me weak, it makes me in love. I'm in love with Chris. I'm in love with the life that we have together. I'm in love with my marriage, because of what it means to me. I'm in love with having a partner in life. It is the greatest gift I've ever been given.

So to me, my marriage is my favorite. It's the best. I couldn't imagine life without it.

What does marriage mean to you?

Why I'm Starting NaNoWriMo in October & I Think You Should, Too.

As if fall wasn't amazing enough, November brings the gift of NaNoWriMo. 

"National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel." 

-via nanowrimo.org

If you've never participated before, that paragraph alone should make you want to. 

Writing 50,000 words in 30 days is fun, exhausting, exhilarating, and totally possible. When aspiring writers all over the world are chasing the same goal you are for thirty days, it makes you feel like anything is possible. And anything is possible. 

I've done NaNoWriMo twice now, and I've loved it both times. It forces you to write, forces you to think quickly, and forces you to abandon the idea of editing until December. It's magical. It's also a month filled with lots of coffee, wine, late nights, and stress, as you can probably imagine. 

This year is a little bit different for me. November will bring me two months away from having a baby--not exactly conducive to staying up all night in an over-caffinated frenzy of writing.

While the obvious solution would be to sit this year out and try to jump back in next year, NaNoWriMo has brought me some of my very favorite ideas and words and stories. So I don't want to sit this one out.

So I'm starting NaNoWriMo in October. Here's why I think you should consider doing the same. 

To write 50,000 words in the month of November, you have to write roughly 1,667 words each day. Again, totally doable! But it is a lot. To write 50,000 words in the months of October and November, you have to write roughly 820 words each day. 

See where I'm going with this? 

My thinking is that 820 words a day for two months is going to be a lot easier for me to do in this season of life. And, when I reach the halfway point and start running out of steam, it'll be just in time for the inspiration of NaNoWriMo!

Of course, it won't technically be NaNoWriMo, because for that, you have to start November 1st with a word count of zero. But, it is a way to participate. Especially since I know that otherwise, it's just not going to happen this year. 

So I'm going to do it. In a few days, much like the past two Novembers, I'm going to curl up with a blank page and a cup of coffee and start to write my little heart out. 

You may not be in a similar situation to me, but if you've already decided your reasons for why you're not going to participate this year, why not jump in and get your feet wet in October?

Because you never know what type of magic might come from simply deciding to start. 

Are you planning on participating in NaNoWriMo this year?

Apple Recipes You Need in Your Life.

A few weeks ago, I shared some of my favorite pumpkin recipes, because it's nice to see things from Pinterest that other people have actually tried. 

While pumpkin is my favorite part of fall, I think that apple-flavored foods--specifically, apple-flavored fall desserts--are absolutely delicious. These recipes often get overlooked due to pumpkin spice everything, but trust me, they're just as delicious. 

Layered apple pies from Dashing Dish

These were so easy and so delicious! And actually relatively "healthier" than most fall desserts. 

Apple Braid by Eat, Live, Run

Side note: I made this with pre-made crust instead of making up the dough, and it was still delicious!

Apple pie pull-apart bread by The Comfort of Cooking

SO easy and so delicious! And your house smells incredible while it's cooking!

Rustic chicken with apples and bacon by Seasons and Suppers

Caramel apple cupcakes by The Baker Mama

This is a recipe adapted from a Rachel Ray magazine, and hands down, these are the best cupcakes I've ever made. 

Do you lean more towards apple or pumpkin desserts during the fall?

24 Weeks: Things I Want to Remember.

Remember that one time when somehow I was 6 months pregnant? 

I would just like to take a minute to ask WHY everyone says 9 months of pregnancy when it's 10?! Anyone? That's just a mean trick. 

• I can watch him move from one side of my stomach to the other. Yes, it's amazing, it's a miracle, but it's also the weirdest thing in the entire world. 

• This week was the first time I've seen a ton of people I know since it's been very obvious I'm pregnant, so it was also the first time I've had a ton of people just walk up and grab my stomach. NOPE. Not a fan, friends. Not a fan. 

• I couldn't go to sleep last night, so I got up and cleaned. This is very unlike me, so we're gonna pin it on the baby. I get it kid, you want to come out and live in a clean environment. Messaged received.

24 weeks down, 16(ish) to go. 6 months down, 4 to go. 

Happy first official week of fall! I hope you're celebrating with a fancy fall drink and entirely too much pumpkin. Baby and me certainly are!

just write: here + now.

don’t worry about tomorrow,
for it may never come.
we can raise our cups to yesterday,
but it’s already gone.
let’s just focus on today,
no matter how hard it may be.
I kind of like the here and now,
because here and now has you and me.

Remember: You are Spending Your Life.

At the start of every month, I share a monthly to-do list called Spending Your Month. It's my way of remembering that we get to spend our lives.

One thing I keep hearing about having a baby is that "The days are long, but the years fly by." I can't help but think this is true in most areas of life. We all of seasons that feel never-ending, weeks where we wish the universe would just cut us a break already, months where no matter how hard we try, we just can't seem to make ourselves believe that life is good. But then once those seasons are over, we comment on how time is flying by, how we've grown so old out of nowhere. 

This summer seemed to last forever. I was so sick for most of it, Chris was working all the time, and it just wasn't full of the things I love about summer. It seemed like the never-ending season of meh, and I was pretty sure that I was going to be stuck at 3 months pregnant, throwing up everything I ate, while home alone forever. But at the same time, where did the summer even go? Because now we're in the last week of September, and this baby will be here in just a little over three months. 

Time passes at the rate it passes. No matter how badly we may want to reach out and freeze some moments forever, or use a fast-forward pass and skip over some moments, we can't change the rate at which time moves. What we can do, though, is choose how to spend it. 

We really have to remember that we are spending our lives. Whether it feels like it or not. No matter how much free time you have or how much of a choice it feels like you have about your life, you're still spending it. From what you do on your commute to work, to your lunch break, to before bed, to your day off...whatever you do, you're spending your life. And you're choosing how to spend it. Whether you're making good choices or not, they're still your choices about how to spend however much of life you may have left. 

So with that in mind, let's spend our lives for good things this week. Let's spend it on the things that make us happy. On things that are productive and will make our future-selves thank us. Let's spend it on the things that matter and on the silly things that don't matter at all. Let's spend it working on what's important, and relaxing with people who are even more important. Let's spend it on the things that make us feel alive. 

Most importantly, let's just remember that we are spending it. So stop and get a milkshake on your way home from work. Wake up a little early so you can watch the sunrise. Write a letter. Binge-watch your favorite show. Buy some flowers. 

It's your life. So spend it, and spend it well.