I’m sad to see October go. I truly am. It’s always such a colorful and exciting month – a time to really enjoy the outdoors because let’s face it, Winter is not always Ohio’s strong suit. I honestly can say that our October is one of the main reasons of why I missed home while living in South Carolina for grad school. Five years ago, I knew the minute I flew into the Dayton airport, seeing those beautiful fall reds, yellows, and oranges highlighting the trees – well, I knew that I couldn’t stay gone long. October was and is so nostalgic for me. For those of you that follow me on my favorite form of social media, Instagram, you may have caught a glimpse into my month via these shots, but let me share a lil’ bit of visuals of why I love where I live so dearly. It makes me happy to know that I live in a city where there are Octobers.

^ Ah, the thrill of picking out pumpkins – Nic and I purchased numerous beautiful babes from our current favorite, Renick’s, just north of South Bloomfield.

^ Find Your Influence, an application that connects brands and bloggers, was oh-so-kind and hosted a slew of my fellow Columbus bloggers and I this month at Denmark on High, a cool spot to grab a drink or food that is on High Street just across the street from the convention center. I really could be okay with a weekly get-together ladies, I love chatting blog talk. Bloggers: Find Your Influence is awesome p.s. and you all should look into it if you are wanting to connect with brands, even if you couldn’t make it to the meet-up!

^ Okay. Y’all need to download new + local start-up app Whence.co – you literally can order Native Cold Pressed Juice or a cute scarf from Rowe (to name just a few) and it be at your door in 30 minutes! Sooo cool and I love that we are the launch city and the fact that we have local brains behind this what I project to be big-time advancement in the local shopping scene.

^ Okay, so yeah. I took a photo of this unreal sunrise via my iPhone. I couldn’t get over how magical it was… and trust me, I saw other Columbus Instagrammers sharing this morning on their accounts too!

^ Just a beautiful shot of Schiller Park in German Village at the very start of when the leaves were beginning to change.

^ The Lorde ( you know her — and we’ll never be royals…) concert was AMAZING!!!! Seriously, hands down, one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a really long time. The fact that it was held at my favorite Columbus concert venue, The LC, helped too. 🙂

^ Yellow leaves + a blue sky is too pretty to let it pass you by.

^ I was so happy to find my favorite seasonal beer, Sam Adams Octoberfest on tap at one of Nic and I’s favorite date night spots, Brazenhead, in Grandview. It was kind of surprising how many places didn’t carry this beer this year.

^ Leaves, leaves, leaves. With color. While taking a walk in my parents’ woods one Saturday morning.

^ Headed south with my parents to the 44th Annual Bob Evans Farm Festival (yes, there is such a thing) at the Bob Evans Homestead in Rio Grande, Ohio. It was Fall at its finest with every Fall food and drink imaginable. Loved it. Beautiful weather. p.s. that house in the photo is where Bob lived. Next time you’re at Bob’s, look for that house on the menu and on the walls. Legendary.

^ I’m all about the juice supplements these days – adding one or two to my daily diet has sent my energy off the charts. Garden of Flavor is a Cleveland-based company and you can find them in any Whole Foods store in Columbus. This morning was particularly refreshing and almost therapeutic because I had this while hiking in my parents’ woods.

^ Mums, pumpkins, and gourds. I had fun decorating my front porch this Fall. Pinterest was my friend.

^ Oh hey, Columbus. I shot this in honor of Columbus Day on a beautiful Sunday morning downtown.

^ Meandering with Nic, downtown. I loved those mums and that awesome tree in the background. Plus, I’m a sucker for good lighting.

^ I wanna go back to Athens. Now. There’s something about this town – I just can’t put my finger on it!!! Nic went to college here and we had some great times in this lil’ town in the hills. It was a chilly, rainy day when we were here but it was still beautiful. I will be doing an entire post on Athens soon. 🙂

^ After Athens, Nic and I ventured into Hocking Hills for a short vacation. We were “busy” while we were there. By busy I mean hiking, eating, lounging, taking photos, and planning our next stop. It was only 24 hours, but a solid, memorable getaway. Plus, it was nearly peak season for fall foilage! Once again, just like Athens, I will be doing a post on Hocking Hills. Stay tuned.

^ We stayed in a cottage at The Inn at Cedar Falls. No other words but it was awesome!!! Blog post coming soon. I also recommend using your or signing up for a AAA membership to get a discount.

^ Um, yeah. So this is the Restaurant at The Inn. A log cabin. In the middle of Hocking Hills. With AMAZING food! I’m talkin’ can hang with the big dogs in Columbus. Worth the drive. So cozy, country, and delicious.

^ After cruising back home (at a measly but safe 35 mph in the Hocking Hills – those roads are windy!), we decided to stop by the Pumpkin Show to get some good food, see the winning pumpkin, that also set a new record of 1,964 pounds (you thought that was the year listed on that baby, above, didn’t you?), and also to show support for my father who was in the parade for his bid at the State School Board of Ohio, on the ballot this coming week…Kinnamon is the name. Dad, you like how I threw that in there? 🙂

^ The morning after Nic and I got home from our little Fall getaway, I hopped on a plane to New Orleans to visit my best friend for her birthday. We picked up one of my other best friends from the airport a couple of hours after I got in – our first stop was Oak Alley Plantation, about an hour outside of the city – which was absolutely stunning (post coming soon). The hit flick, Django supposedly filmed some their scenes here – I actually read that this was Leonardo DiCaprio’s character’s plantation – aka Candyland. I’m going to have to watch the movie again to make sure. Regardless, this place was awesome and must-see when in Louisiana.

Saturday night, we all went to dinner to celebrate Katy at SoBou (which stands for South of Bourbon Street) at the W Hotel. We ordered a ton of small bites. I ate so much. I miss you, sweet potato beignets. You were everything I could’ve wanted and more. Everything was sooo delicious! When I think of New Orleans, food and music are it! It’s amazing!

^ We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, which is on Canal Street in a great location, within walking distance to everything we did. This above photo was taken on Royal Street, which is famous for its antiques stores. Although obviously there was no sight of fall in NOLA, I loved the weather – it was 75 or 80 the entire weekend! Perfect weather for walking and exploring the city.

^ Pat O’Brien’s is a legendary NOLA establishment. I had to go. We actually stopped in here for lunch – it was okay, but we got their famous drink, the Hurricane. A lil’ too sugary for me, but memorable. My mom told me that she visited Patty O’s when she was about my age – it was crazy to think about that while I was there!

^ Cafe Du Monde was also on my must-eat list before I visited this weekend. I had been to New Orleans one time before and never made it to this historic establishment. They are famous for their coffee and beignets. I will talk more about them in my upcoming post. Beignets and decaf coffee at 9:30 at night. And the place was packed.

^ Once my plane landed from New Orleans, I went straight to the source for more sweets to keep me on my sugar high from those Cafe du Monde beignets – Pistacia Vera in German Village. Hello, new Fall Menu. Blog post to share coming soon.

^ Mandatory 2014 Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) Instagram, courtesy of Starbucks. Well, I paid for it. Like $5 at that, actually. Hmmm, oh well. This one was a Frappuccino which I didn’t even know they made but the day was 75 and sunny so it was a necessity. Plus, I needed a good Insta shot. Only kinda kidding.

^ Bucket list: Check. Threw a Housewarming Party. A Halloween one at that. Complete with lots of puppy chow, meatballs, chili mac & cheese, an apple cider cocktail, an Ohio State football game and WIN, and a dance party. Thank you, Pinterest, the Buckeyes, and our super fun friends.

^ Guess who that chick is? No, really. Is it Amanda or GAC? Trick question. This is GAGV- Girl About German Village. I can’t get enough of that quaint neighborhood.

^ Gettin’ artsy with my man downtown. Throughly enjoyed this reflection of the Statehouse so I had to capture it. Nic wasn’t so sure. I hope he likes the finished product.

^ I am sorta, kinda tree shopping, sooo if anyone could tell me what this is, that would be great. I love it. Totally took this in Lancaster, Ohio.

^ Oh yeah, and that winning Circleville Pumpkin Show pumpkin? This is it. Carved with Brutus. So cool. The detail was perfection in real life. We naturally had to get our picture taken with it on Beggar’s Night. Lincoln looks thrilled.

Happy Halloween!!! Thanks for reading!