Goodbye, October.

Fall in love with the colors of autumn.

There is a lot to love about fall. Apples, apple cider, apple-cider cinnamon donuts, cooler temps, cozy sweaters, leather boots…I could go on and on. But my favorite part about the transition time between summer and winter is the amazing colors found in nature. From the time I was old enough to hold a rake I’ve had a loving relationship with leaves. I grew up in a very wooded area and our back yard required A LOT of raking. When you’re a kid, the last thing you want to do is spend your weekend raking leaves. BUT…this annual chore gave me the opportunity to connect with nature in a very specific way (and supplied a great sense of accomplishment!) We would rake the leaves, collect them on tarps, drag them to the ditch, and light them on fire! To this day the smell of burning leaves instantly snaps be back to my childhood. I love that.

BACK TO MY ROOTS

Like people and snowflakes, no two leaves are the same. I find comfort in this fact. They turn various shades of yellow, orange, and red, all perfectly imperfect in their own way. I took the images below on a recent trip home to Rockford, IL. The park near my parent’s house was bursting with color. I’m grateful I was able to take some time to reconnect with nature and roll around in the leaves for a while.

SOARING ABOVE THE TREE TOPS

This year I was treated to a brand new vantage point for soaking up the fall foliage – aboard a helicopter! Nick had client work that required us to travel west of Chicago, which is where I was able to capture the rural images below. The suburbs look pretty darn adorable in the fall. The expanse of tree tops, bursting with color, was unlike anything I’d seen before.