#EmbraceFall -- A Colorful Recap

We have spent the last two months oogling over your stunning #embracefall photos on Instagram. When we first started talking about fall in September we had no idea we'd still be running around in sandals or hiking in shorts come mid-November. It seems that this year's fall is doing a slow waltz + refusing to let Mother Nature's close the curtains on this colorful facade. Not that we're complaining -- like every one of you; we're loving all of this beautiful weather. However, winter needs to happen!

A cold front rolled across the United States last week, so...winter is coming, marching forward with a frigid melody + heavy drum beat. While we work to wrap our minds around this change of weather, let's take a quick second to sooth ourselves with the colorful photos y'all shared with the #embracefall hashtag on Instagram. Feast your eyes out, while you prepare your stomach for a Thanksgiving feast later this week...

Paved Paths

Since we're all trying our darnest to balance real life responsibilities with our urge to explore it's only appropriate to kick off this little #embracefall recap with the realities of adulting -- fall colors from paved paths. We don't always have enough time or energy for big adventures but that doesn't mean we can't find mind-blowing beauty right near home!

Mountains + Lakes

What is it about rolling mountains + calm lakes that bring out the awesome of fall? Well, mountains are pretty self-explanatory; they're mountains. But the lake water isn't even warm enough to jump into but we seem to be drawn to the water's edge just to soak up all the beauty around us. There's something there that just exudes peace.

Dirt Ribbons

Oh, the trails! We all love the time we get to spend on trails + if we can get out in the peak of fall the crisp weather + bright colors make every step worth the effort, whether we're running, backpacking or plain ol' wandering! The trees seem to be hugging us + sprinkling lucky leaves down on our heads.

Adorable Shoe-fies

This may be a girl thing, but fall is the perfect excuse to dig up adorable boots + shoes to frolic around in. After a summer of simple sandals + before a winter of function-beats-fashion boots fall is the perfect time to pop a little sass into your life with your footwear.

Leaf Love

There are a bajillion things to love about fall but at the end of the day, our favorite bit is always the leaves! The trees that offered up fragrant buds in the spring + shade greenery in the summer give us a crazy beautiful color show before kicking their leaves down to the ground to prepare for the onslaught of winter. Photos never capture all the colors, but it sure is fun to try! ...this is why we love fall! It's fan-freaking-tastic + so incredibly full of color! From the looks of the #embracefall Instagram feed it looks like every single one of you had a blast this fall -- climbing mountains, wandering city streets, running beside orange trees + gulping down pumpkin spiced caffeine. While the weather is officially pushing us on into the winter season, don't be too quick to give up what you loved about fall as winter is pretty darn welcoming of those chilly weather habits we've picked up! Flannel is on point until it's too hot to wear long sleeves + the trails we loved covered in leaves become a new sort of beautiful when the snow starts to fall! Here we go...leaf'ing fall behind + sliding right into winter. Enjoy it, before the heat of the summer seeps out of our bones into the cold wind of winter.