Fall in Hawaii

In case any of you were wondering, I LOVE fall. It is my favorite season. I love the colors, I love the crispness in the air and the sound of crunching leaves under my feet. The weird thing about my obsession with fall is that I've only experienced a true sense of "Fall" a hand full of times in my life. I was born in Little Rock, but my father was in the Air Force so we moved quite a bit. We moved from Little Rock to Hawaii to Florida to Georgia and back to Florida again. And now, I'm back in Hawaii with MY family. So as you can see, I'm no stranger to a tropical climate.

Anyway, there is one Autumn that will always stand out in my mind as being the epitome of my favorite season. It was in 2001; the year I spent in Arkansas after my graduation from high school. I was living in North Little Rock with my second family, the Godbees, and my friend Ashley (whom I've mentioned many times, I know) invited me to ride up to Fayettville with her and her family to see a Razorbacks game. She and her most of her siblings all graduated from the University of Arkansas (where the top picture was taken) and her brothers, Josh and Chad were still attending at that time. So, I got a great tour of the campus and it was seriously like a fall lovers dream! It even smelled wonderful. It was that smell that you can't just nonchalantly breathe in and out- oh no, you have to take it in- breathing deep and allowing the crisp air to fill your lungs and rejuvenate you in every way. It was such an array of vivid oranges, golds, reds and yellows that I couldn't help but marvel at the talent and imagination of our Creator. It reminded me how blessed we are, even in this depraved world, to be able to see His handiwork all around us.

All that being said, I tend to get a little sad this time of year since moving to Hawaii over 3 years ago. Fall in Hawaii means, more rain and the temperature going from 87 degrees every day to 80 degrees. But racking up over 14 years in a tropical climate (between Florida and Hawaii) over my life has not eradicated my love for crisp, cool weather and I have to admit, it's hard to get into the "fall spirit" out here. Still, I try.

Since I cannot change the weather, I influence my mood with food. Even if it is a not-so-crisp 87 degrees outside, somehow a hot bowl of chili can still warm me up on the inside. I made a big pot of turkey chili last night and topped it with sour cream and cheddar cheese and some corn bread on the side. Tonight, I plan on making another fall favorite for me...grilled cheese and tomato soup. YUM!



So, for all of you who are blessed to experience my perfect fall this year, take a deep breath, enjoy a bowl of chili and a good book on the couch by the window and roll around in some leaves...for me!