I absolutely love fall. I love the cool weather where you can wear a t-shirt or a sweatshirt and be comfortable. I love the idea of a fire, changing leaves, and the fall fragrances. And I love what happens in the fall. Football, Thanksgiving, beautiful tree lined drives, and a burning Harvest Yankee Candle.

I’m sitting at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR waiting for my husband to complete his workday and am just so thankful to be here. I now understand why my friends Kelly & Geo want to live out here. Granted, it rains a lot and is cloudy most days out of the year (I do happen to like this weather) but I believe we could not have picked a better weekend to be here. Fall is in FULL bloom here complete with brightly colored leaves of red and yellow, millions of fir trees, crisp clean air, and the kind of drizzle that stops just shy of being annoying. Nashville has not really begun to experience fall yet because it has been so warm and is still lacking in rainfall. I hope November turns out to be beautiful as I will be disappointed if we skip from summer to winter.

I grew up in what I would consider an ugly part of the country. I am not trying to forsake my roots and am proud of my West Texas heritage but after living in Nashville and visiting places like Oregon, I just don’t understand the choice to settle for an ugly landscape. True, there are other things that matter like family, heritage, personal taste, and business. I also know some people highly value the West Texas sunsets and that it is not “ugly” to them but I cannot imagine settling for an uninspiring locale.

We drove the Historic Columbia River Gorge yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me why I love the outdoors and how I need those experiences in my life. A simple hike can inspire courage, an adventurous spirit, and a lightheartedness to my life that I can somehow seem to lack when I like in an indoor rut. I did not do any research for this trip which is amazing in itself and am loving the go with the flow vibe. I’m just so thankful and feel so blessed to have an opportunity like this and to not have to “do” anything else while I’m at it.

So, I definitely recommend Portland in the Fall.

The LBD Dual Significance: Carpe Diem! Seize the day! Count your blessings!