Fall.Is.Fun

Seriously, there is nothing better than Michigan in the fall. The colors were in full bloom this weekend and I was able to enjoy the leaves while I was home. The car rides with my family included lots of "oooohs!" and "aaaaahs" over the colorful leaves and we even took the golf cart out (yes, I'm from a rural area) to stake out the property and get some close ups with the beautiful changing leaves.

It's always quite funny when I go home, because home is such a stark contrast to my new home in Maryland. For one, I would never wake to the sound of gun shots in the woods. The only gun shots I would hear in this area would be from a homicide. In Michigan? Just the hunters. I probably wouldn't be wandering through a dress shop and hear the woman comment that she just ordered a wedding gown in camouflage. Ah, the joys of living in an area where hunting is truly a religion. I often comment that I feel like Reese Witherspoon in "Sweet Home Alabama" when I travel home. I leave the hustle and bustle of a big city to live a quieter, slower paced lifestyle.

And that's why I love my life. I get to enjoy city living most of the time and can also appreciate rural America when I travel back to see my parents. There's just something special about looking in the backyard and seeing sand hill cranes and deer, with the colorful leaves poking through and a combine or two with the irrigation system in the field.

Have I told you lately that I love fall? The only thing that would have made this trip would have been apple picking and pumpkins. Because that? That's fall in Michigan.