The changing of the seasons

Happy fall, y'all!

Hope you're enjoying the beautiful colors of the changing of the leaves, the fields that have turned a gentle shade of brown, and the cooler temperatures that cause you to turn the heat on in the morning and the AC on in the afternoon.  I really miss Minnesota in the fall, especially after seeing Cassie's photos of the beautiful colors of Duluth!  Don't get me wrong, I actually hate most other things about fall, like being cold, not dressing appropriately because it warms up so much during the day and I'm dressed for winter, etc. But, I guess I'll take it because it means that Christmas music is right around the corner!

In working with my teachers, each Friday I send out an e-mail blast with information that is relevant to them and important announcements, etc.  I think the opening of my blast summarizes my thoughts from a couple of weeks ago and I'm going to recycle them here...

I have a confession, I REALLY want to be a blog reader.  I know that sounds so silly and strange, but it’s true.  I want to be in the habit of reading awesome blogs from people throughout the country or world, people that I might not even know, but am so captivated by their words that it doesn’t even matter. I’m obsessed with reading other people’s stories and learning about their lives and experiences.  I read 2 or 3 blogs on a semi-frequent basis, all people that I know.  In one of these, the message has had a resounding impact on me lately.  Her blog’s theme: love where you live.  This totally rings true.  For me, every place or situation I’ve been in thus far in my life, I’ve loved it. I loved high school and didn’t want to leave.  I felt the same about college.  I felt the same post-college.  And now I feel the same about the Delta.  However, there are days that I find myself racing home following afternoon meetings, only thinking about the e-mails that have accumulated in my inbox.  I sometimes regularly forget to slow down and enjoy the sights, sounds, and experiences around me.  

    Yesterday I took a vacation day and played in a fundraiser golf tournament.  Yes, it was 100 degrees outside and miserably hot.  However, even though I had a ton of e-mails and phone calls to respond to, and I didn’t work for a day and felt even more behind, I was suddenly overtaken by this beautiful, nostalgic feeling that I should spend more time looking at the world around me rather than only looking straight forward.  I decided to do just that and ended up taking a MUCH more round-about drive home stopping every so often to capture sights that I only glance at as I drive past.  I’m including one of the pictures here that I captured yesterday—use this as a reminder.  Slow down.  Enjoy your surroundings.  Explore. Sleep because you know you need it.   Laugh with your students.  Love what you’re doing.  You might not be perfect at this, no one is, but you’re making a difference and you need to tell yourself that.  And of course, love where you live.

While I recognize this blog is short and I do have a ton of e-mails and whatnot to be responding to.  I want to leave you with a few of my favorite shots from the last couple of weeks after I took the time to slow down and enjoy my surroundings.  I hope that you'll do the same.

 A perfect cloudy morning with the sun trying to shine through...

It's totally by chance that I entered Sunflower County at the same time as this crop duster.

One of my favorites and probably the last of the cotton season.  The same field that Ingrid, Sara, and I came upon while driving--so beautiful that you HAVE to stop and take pictures.