Autumn is on its way, the leaves are starting to slowly change to amber and auburn, and soon they will litter the ground in heaps and piles. The cool crisp smell of autumn will arrive as well, it has already teased on certain mornings. The unfortunate craze of pumpkin flavored everything, from pumpkin spice to pumpkin flavored chips (yeah it is going to happen one day). Autumn is a widely favored time by a lot of people, for me, it means just little bit more.

Autumn, to be more specific, the month of September, marks the moment and time where I made a decision that has affected my life since. I remember it like yesterday, it was about one in the morning and I had just finished hanging out with a friend. I needed to take a walk to clear my head and decide what is happening. It felt like I walked the entire downtown three to four times before my legs needed to stop and rest, I had to be at work in less than five hours but my mind wasn’t going to let me rest until I made a choice.

I sat atop a parking garage that overlooked the entire downtown, this is where I made my choice to pursue Kelsey. I dropped my plans and chose her and that I would make different plans, better plans with her forever. It started in the middle of summer where we seemed to talk a bit more, hanging out a bit more, going on random adventures together. I had a feeling that I ignored, thought nothing of it. “No way a girl like that would be interested in me” I thought to myself multiple times but from many conversations that we had together I also thought that she needed somewhere better, she deserved someone that treated like she was his whole world. That without a second thought, he would lay down his life for her, that her happiness is what matters most to him. Did I think that that guy was me? No not even close to the thoughts. If anything, I thought that I was just the typical good friend who would remain a friend, it is funny to look back and think about that.

After I made the choice to change the situation, to pursue her was around this time in September. Sleep didn’t matter to use, we started to hang out in the late hours of the night. We wouldn’t meet up till like ten or eleven at night due to our work schedules, we would get together from sitting in each other’s car huddle together talking about anything and everything, to meeting for just a few minutes because those few minutes together is something we looked forward to sharing. I remember telling her that we are going on a friend date, I remember feeling nervous and thinking “what is this? I don’t get nervous” yet there I was, heart pounding, sweat building, words escaping my mouth. But once I saw her, once we got in the car and drove off together, my nerves disappeared and smiles and laughter slid its way in. We walked that small town in Rockford together, we smelled the leaves and the rushing water, we looked at the little stores and I watched her eyes light up at the small antiques. Little did I realize that friend date would lead to dating which led to engagement which led to a life together. Now I sit here smiling because every night, I get to look at her, my lovely Kelsey, even in her sleep, my heart still flutters at the sight of her beautiful face.

This is why autumn means a little bit more to me; it was the start of the rest of my life.