These beautiful fall weeks have been holding out on us this month. With sunny skies, vibrant colors, and the smell of crunching leaves. I have been making the most of calmer days, cooler nights, and wanted to give you all an update on what I've been up to. 

Life at home has been somewhat slow—Cooper has been cuddling up on the couch, reading the daily news, barking at falling leaves, and eager for me to take him on his mid morning walk. He's 5 years old and still acting like a puppy yet he makes a great colleague. 

Fall walks and hikes have been my go-to. Before the weather falls grim and cold, I want to make the most of the sunshine. This is probably my favorite time of year and I wish it lasted longer than a month. Ben and I have been taking advantage of our weekends to be outside as much as we can. This past weekend we hiked the falls and canyons of Starved Rock. 

Like most this time of year, I've been embracing cozier evenings by starting the Game of Thrones series, lighting a Trader Joe's pumpkin vanilla candle, eating some chocolate truffles, painting my nails a pretty wine color, and snuggling up in my TJ Maxx woodland plush blanket. Pure bliss. 

October is the month where I gather my lists of things I need to get people for the holidays. I've always been two months ahead of the game so I can allot for last minute gift shopping for people just in case. My sisters and I always go in on gift giving for each other—I think we all just get joy from the excitement and easily enough, we all just provide hints or our own wishlists so I can mark them off and focus on my parents' gifts a bit more. In recent years, I haven't been too keen on receiving gifts as I have giving them—it just makes me feel good and this year I want to be a bit more personal with the gifts I give. 

This month has been all about giving myself grace. Time. Pause. Patience. And allowing myself to just be. I get very caught up in plans, feeling a great sense of overwhelm about my goals and where I want to be. For example, my ongoing wellness journey. Waking up early has never been easy for me, and on days when my body tells me I want to sleep—I let it. Instead of kicking myself, ashamed about not making the most of my morning or getting a workout, I just need to let myself make it through the four "quarters" of my day. Knowing each quarter (morning, mid morning, afternoon, and evening) I can improve or do something else to make progress. 

As it gets colder and we move forward into winter...coming...I'm looking forward to the warmth the holiday season brings as people gather. I want to move forward in gratitude for peace, family, friends, and loved ones. And take on each day with a new and better mindset.