Final Summer Five on Friday

Phew. All I can say is TGIF. Let's not waste any time.

Welcome, Friends.

Let's get down to business, shall we? This weekend, the seasons change, so you may see a trend in this week's Five on Friday....

 

Five on Friday! Courtesy of Christina of Carolina Charm, Darci of The Good Life, April of A. Liz Adventures, and Natasha of Hello! Happiness

1. Autumnal Entries. Lately my eyes have been drawn to the gorgeous mums and pumpkins lining porches. The wheelbarrow in the picture above adds a unique touch, don't ya think? Here are a few more of my favorites:

Hay bales are perfection this time of year.

 

Those corn stalks make this entrance something special!

 

Oh my gosh that tartan looks so cozy- I just wanna curl up and rock a while!

 

This batty door gives a neat effect with not so much effort!

2. Engagements on Engagements! Apparently, Fall isn't the only new season right now... In the past week, I've seen FOUR girls I know get engaged. And not just girls I know... Girls that are my age. And you know what's the craziest thing about it? It's not that crazy. While I still have a couple more years left of school, lots of my friends are on their way to the "real world." (!!!)

What I love the most is that the two newly engaged girls I know very well (Yay, Morgan and Juleah!!!) are smart, and beautiful people; I know they've been raised to take marriage seriously. I'm certainly not worried about their engagements ending in a terrible downward spiral a la Miley and Liam (19 miiiight be a little young to get engaged- or be swinging around practically naked on a wrecking ball, but that's neither here nor there...).

I've been "oohing" and "ahhing" over Morgan's ring in class this week (nothing like beautiful bling to wake you up in an 8 AM!), and I loved hearing about how her sweet fiance proposed. Can't wait to hear his side of the story at the next Clemson game! As for my good friend, Juleah, who I met at Girls State four years ago?

Rain or shine, near or far, we've supported one another. Thankfully, I'll be near on her big day.....

I'm gonna be one of her bridesmaids!!!

Eeek! The last time I was a bridesmaid, I was a senior in high school, bridesmaid-ing (now a verb) for my awesome cousin Jana! Now, the people getting married aren't my cool older cousins- they're my peers! Me oh my, am I getting "old!"

I adore weddings! A celebration of love and happiness? Count me in!

3. Fall fashions. I can hardly wait to start having the weather just a bit chillier, like it's  been the past few days. While I love summery sun dresses, I'm a little ready to switch things up with a sweater or two. Something I don't usually think about but have been paying more attention to lately: nail polish. How cute would this color be to ring in fall:

 

Loving Essie's Raspberry Red.

I still like my girly colors, so this is a great compromise of cheer, and a not-too-bright, more-seasonally-appropriate tone.

4. Fall festivities. I'm not saying it'll happen, but I am saying that I wouldn't hate completing everything on this list...

 

Okay, actually, after reading these, I know all of those things will not happen- I don't enjoy corn mazes! I'm not exactly a direction-diva (AKA: I suck at navigating where anything is), so after my first time trying to find my way through a corn maze, I realized it wasn't all that picturesque. (Also, it wasn't like Harry Potter's final task in the Triwizard Tourney, so that's always a disappointment.) What I hope I get checked off? Jack-O-Lantern carving, cider drinking, and apple picking! Such classics!

5. Faith. Soon I'll update you on school, and when I do, maybe you'll see why faith rounds out my Five on Friday. I wish I could say I take full advantage of my faith and use it to fuel my life on a daily basis, but sometimes, it can be a struggle. However, I'm trying to help myself remember that even in stressful situations, I'm not alone. This is John's favorite verse, and I had no idea until he saw it written on my reminder board this week:

 

An oldie but a goodie (heh, get it? because everything in the Bible is old? ....), this verse kind of reminds me to snap out of it! Don't get down, because God is there for ya! Yay!

With that being said, I hope you all enjoy a fabulous first fall weekend.

Song of the blog: "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys (thanks for the best mixed CDs ever, Aunt Christie!)
Lyrics of the song: "Woah oh oh oh, I gotta love that keeps me waiting!"