Obligatory Fall Post

Quote of the Day: "The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

I feel like I make the same post every fall but I just love this time of year! There's just something comforting and nostalgic in the air that makes me remember every happy childhood memory and everything that is right in the world. From football to fall festivals, from Halloween to hours spent just sitting outside, enjoying the cooler weather, it's just perfect. It's the perfect time to go to the mountains; oh, the North Georgia mountains in late October is one of the most beautiful things you will ever experience. The year is winding down, and there is a sense of peace in the air that is hard to put into words because it touches all five senses.

Even though I didn't particularly love it there at the time, the fall of my freshman year at UGA is probably the one that sticks out in my mind, more than any other. Being on that campus is something magical in itself, because you just feel like you're a part of something important that has been handed down for decades and even centuries. When I first started, I was afraid to ride the bus around campus so I walked everywhere I went. Every single day I walked for miles to my classes and every single day I was just in awe of the beauty and the history of the campus, the school spirit in the days leading up to a home football game.

Looking back, those walks are my favorite memory from that period of my life. I guess one reason I was planning to move back there this year is because I was hoping to recapture some of that. I'm still not sure if I'll ever go back there, as of right now I'm debating following up on another dream - the one that led me away from Athens a decade ago, but I'll always be grateful for that experience.

This particular fall, I'll probably be pretty busy making up for summer and hopefully getting ready for my big 2011 plans, but the season is also my mother's favorite time of year and after the summer she's had, my goal is to make it as enjoyable for her as possible. But I also hope to take some time for myself to just enjoy life. When the weather cools, I want to visit some historical sites and return to the Kennesaw Battlefields, among other things.

I'll wrap this up with a song, performed by Jerry Douglas, that basically describes fall to me: "A Tribute to Peador O'Donnell/Monkey Let the Hogs Out."