team fall vs team Christmas

Are you team fall in November or do you go all in on Christmas after Halloween?

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and my mom always stayed on team fall with our decorations until the day after Thanksgiving, when we would put up our Christmas tree, bake Christmas cookies, listen to Christmas music, and fully transition over for the holidays. Last year, Cassidy and I didn’t get our tree up as early as we would like, and I found myself wanting to keep it up through January because I felt like I hadn’t gotten to enjoy it yet (#retaillife). This year, for all the reasons 2020 has had to offer, and #retaillife, I kind of want to celebrate the two simultaneously more than in years past, and I feel like it’s been the big debate on social media in the last week especially. I don’t think I’m quite ready to set up my tree or dispose of my pumpkins, but I am welcoming the Christmas spirit, but also still dressing for fall, but sometimes lighting a Christmas candle, but also sometimes a fall one, maybe it all just depends on the day... Now that we’re less than a week out from Thanksgiving, I will probably hold out this final stretch.

Have you decorated for Christmas yet? Have you started listening to Christmas music? Maybe most importantly, have you started your Christmas shopping?

falling for fall in 2020

I love fall. I am as basic as it gets, and I’m not ashamed. Maybe it’s because I’m the daughter of a football coach, so my family’s life always revolved around the peak of fall, even though my dad will have a spring season for the first time in his upcoming 56th year of his coaching career, but this year is certainly no exception. There is just something about this season I wish I could hold onto forever. Maybe it’s also that it seemed to be more challenging to have some of the classic fall experiences, but I have savored every little moment I could, and I’m certainly grateful for our getaway in October to enjoy some of the season. I love the leaves changing, and I always wish they could stick around just a little longer. I love the foggy mornings and crisp chill in the air. I love the long shadows and the warm colors. I love all the pumpkin products that sold out wayyy too early at Trader Joe’s this year. I love caramel apples and going to the pumpkin patch (which was one of the things I didn’t get to this October). I love the mums on the front porch. I love the fashion and finally being able to layer after a warm summer. 2020 has been a whirlwind, I’m sure we can all agree, but there is just something about the freshness of fall that always gets me.

a season passed

Does anyone else feel like time has stood still during this? More so in the sense that we haven’t really missed out on any events, haven’t had anything going on, or anything on the calendar to look forward to. The FOMO is just from missing interaction with people and having events. Not that they’re happening and we’re missing out. It feels like time has been on hold. The world has been on hold.

Except winter turned to spring and spring barreled through and now June is over.

A season has passed during this time, while life has been on pause, the world keeps turning at the same rate. A groundhog day but the days have gotten longer and hotter. It’s crazy to realize we have spent a quarter of the year in this state. Here in Ohio things are opening back up, although it’s definitely not returning to a completely “normal” status just yet. But we’re progressing forward. Kind of? A new normal. The juxtaposition of how quickly this summer is flying by has created a bizarre sensation because it also feels like time is standing still.

Do any other introverts (or extroverts too) feel like you’re going to mourn this quiet time at home? I know it’s going to be a huge adjustment for me on the other side. The quality time with my #quaranteam (Cassidy & Winnie, of course) has been so special, and minus the reality for potential contagion of a deadly disease and global pandemic where I recognize so many others are hurting, I am going to look back on this season with fond memories. We are in the depths of an unprecedented time.

WFH: puff the magic sweatshirt sleeve

I’m a sucker for a puff sleeve. This little feminine detail easily takes a casual sweatshirt up a notch. I’ve linked a variety of takes on classic piece that are perfect for WFH pandemic edition, but make it fashion. While we’re all seeking out comfort, it really is these small touches that make me feel just a little more pulled together. I’ve found that creating more routine makes me feel more accomplished. The first couple weeks were all jokes and memes and just “getting through the next couple weeks,” but I feel like reality is setting in that this is the new normal, and we don’t yet know when it will be phased out. We have to find ways to feel productive and valued, and if a puff sleeve on a sweatshirt does the trick, then by all means! I know I feel better when I feel good about what I have on. This is a weird time and it feels like clothes and fashion may seem frivolous, but in reality, it really does matter. How many times have we heard that feeling good about yourself makes you accomplish more and perform better… interview tip number one, right? So why can’t I be both comfortable, and pulled together? Take some time to do something that makes you feel good, whether it’s a swipe of lip gloss or a walk outside. Or, enter puff the magic sweatshirt sleeve.

the one where Easter was in quarantine

Growing up in a football family, our holidays sometimes looked a little different and weren’t altogether “traditional.” My sister always says those are the ones we look back on and remember, while the “traditional” ones, though no less special, sort of run together and become difficult to discern between in memory. We’ve spent Christmases in hotels & Waffle House with a trip to Disney following a bowl game, Thanksgiving carry-out on the floor, or with an entire football team and their families in the dining hall.

As I’ve gotten older, my family hasn’t always had Easter together, but even as Cassidy and I have started our journey together, it’s always been pretty consistent. We spend the whole day serving at church, often followed by brunch together. This year for the first time, his family was close enough for us to travel and spend it with them; however, the coronavirus forced us to alter our plans. We ended up streaming church online, and made a big meal for just the two of us that resembled Thanksgiving. Although I for sure still wore the dress I had planned. While it was obviously definitely different this year, wherever this Easter found you, I am sure it is one we will all remember.

Thankfully, the meaning still remains the same. He is risen!