The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

While Andy Williams might argue with me, I think early autumn is the most wonderful time of the year.

Where I live in Utah, there are all sorts of trees covering the mountains, so they are spectacularly multicolored come late September/early October.

Here are some other things I love about this time of year:

Footall season (Go Broncos!)

Seasonal foods and drinks like soup, pumpkin rolls, spice cake (with cream cheese frosting), red wine, and hot tea

Fall fashion (especially boots)

Halloween (costumes and candy, what's not to love?)

Warm days, chilly nights (perfect for snuggling up with someone you love)

What's your favorite time of year, and why?

What Possesses People?

The Ogden Marathon took place in Utah yesterday. It's one of the many competitions (mainly triathlons, bike races, and running races) that happens where I live, in a beautiful valley in the Northern part of the state. Here in Ogden Valley (which includes towns Huntsville, Eden and Liberty) we have 3 ski resorts (Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Wolf Mountain), a lake, lots of trails, a golf course, a river, hot pots, a canyon, and yes, even a waterfall--which make these competitions not only challenging, but scenic. It's no wonder the Ogden Marathon is ranked the nation's 9th best in Runner's World magazine.

People train year-round for these competitions and while some do a particular race "just to do it," others take it very seriously. Either way, as someone who has never run a marathon, I find myself wondering why they decide to go for it. What possesses them? After all, it's such a big commitment, and, let's face it, rather painful at times. As a wife of a triathlete (who was in the "just do it" camp when he started last summer and these are some photos of him and his brother) I get that there's a "rush" and that they like the competition, perhaps a sense of camaraderie with the marathon (or bike race, etc) community, perhaps even (if they're really good at it) a sense of pride and excitement as a medal is placed around one's neck ... but as for me, I'm happy being a triathlon cheerleader who goes to spin and yoga classes and fair weather walks to keep healthy.

Then I read in the paper another interesting story. Does "Ella's Pink Lady" mean anything to you? It's the name of the yacht sixteen year-old Aussie, Jessica Watson, sailed around the world. It took her 210 days to cover 23,000 nautical miles. She's the youngest person to sail around the world alone and unassisted. Again I find myself wondering, what possessed her to take on this monumental feat?

I love hearing stories of people who break records (either their own or a standing record), make entirely new records, and succeed in something that at one time they themselves might have deemed impossible. Have you ever taken a leap of faith? Have you ever broken a record or do you have a story about someone who has?