Weekend Wrap-Up: So Long, Summer! Hello There, Fall!

A beautiful mural I passed on my walk to brunch.

I LOVE fall. I mean, who doesn't? The air is crisp, coffee shops suddenly have your favorite latte, you can curl up inside a big, fluffy sweatshirt with complete disregard and the holidays are right around the corner! Family, food, presents... oh my! I - LOVE - FALL!

My seasonal bias can be traced back to my elementary school days at good ole Eastside Christian. The school threw an annual Fall Family Fun Night every October - a night of games, moonwalks and tasty treats. I even won a few goldfish over the years with my ping-pong throwing expertise, but sadly, none of them lived to see the next Fall Family Fun Night. To this day, my brother Cale still calls me up and says 'Man, those were the days. Fall Family Fun Night... if only I could go back.' 

This weekend, my friend Marissa (who wrote the article Battling With Body Image) and I decided to wish summer farewell by perusing the Dekalb Market, which closes later this month. The DKLB Market is an outdoor market on (you guessed it) Dekalb Street in Brooklyn. They have great food, drinks, local art and sometimes even a roller derby. On Saturday, they even had a cooking demonstration, which kept us entertained for awhile while we munched on some snacks. One of the best parts of summer in the city is the wide variety of NYC outdoor markets, so we felt it was only proper to send off summer with one last market (and of course, spend a little hard-earned dough!)

Fall is a time of new beginnings, and this weekend was particularly poignant for me because I just found out that Marissa is embarking on a new chapter in her life this fall. She accepted a job managing the Southern Living headquarters in beautiful San Francisco, California!!! It's a promotion AND she gets to move to a city that's humidity-free and sunny 365 days a year (a far cry from NYC)! I am so excited for her, and a little sad... but mostly excited!

It was very, very windy... can you tell?

You may consider January the beginning of the new year, but I tend to disagree. The coming of fall reminds me that we always have a chance to begin again. With the cool air and the falling leaves comes a sense of energy and possibility that I rarely feel with any other season. Fall is a great time to 'reset the clock'. 

As the kids go back to school or you get back to work after an extended summer vacation, I encourage you to take some time for yourself, assess what you've been doing this year so far and see what you could do to start fresh. Fall brings renewal and there is no better time to make changes!

Don't worry... I practice what I preach. In late October, I'm starting school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a certified Health Coach and holistic healthcare practitioner. I've learned a lot about myself this year, and I feel completely certain that this is the path I was meant to take (it just took me awhile to figure it out, of course). I want a career where I help people reach their ultimate potential, and I know that the knowledge I gain at IIN will help me accomplish that while also giving me the tools I need to live a full and healthy life.

So happy 'New Year', everyone! I wish you a very successful year - a year full of health and happiness - a STRICTLY NUTRITIOUS kind of year!

Our brunch destination on Smith Street in Brooklyn.

I got a little crazy and went for the beet burger with a whipped lemon feta sauce. Hmm...not so sure about this one.