If I could wake up every day to the smell of crisp leaves and campfire I would. Maybe that's what heaven smells like.
Well, this weekend I was in heaven. Every couple of years or so, my family rents a cabin up in northern Wisconsin to stay and get away from the business of the city. When we aren't camping in Peninsula State Park or in Petoskey, Michigan, we find that this is a nice escape in the middle of October. It's the perfect fall getaway.
We were lucky with the timing of this trip because everyone in my family was able to go (except for Cooper, unfortunately, he had to stay home). I was able to catch an afternoon train, Emily was able to also catch an afternoon train, and Melissa was able to meet us there on Friday with my parents waiting for us with a cozy fire and all of the Wisconsin cheese curds we could have dreamed of.
Fish Creek is one of those really quaint beach towns, kind of touristy, but it's on the edge of the Peninsula and a little farther north of Green Bay. It's got small farms, pumpkin patches, privately owned marinas, beer fests, boutiques you'd never really buy anything from but go in and look anyway, and cozy little coffee shops that overlook Sister Bay. However, what I love the most is just how vibrant the trees are this time of year up there. Chicago never gets the rich oranges and reds that scream "FALL IS HERE". We got really lucky with the weather, it was mid-50s and sunny pretty much every day.
Friday
On the first full day, we explored the area around our cabin a bit and were happily reminiscing the memories we had made from visiting so long ago. We used to bring a lot of our close family friends with us and would have crazy memories of playing intense card games, swimming in the Lake, or getting lost in the forest.
Where to go pumpkin picking...
We had originally planned to go pumpkin picking at one of our favorite pumpkin farms, Schartner's Farm Market, but they (sadly) didn't have the mules to carry us into the patches as it was a low season for them this year. However, we were still able to pick out some pumpkins from the previous batches and were just as pleased with the selection they had on the trailers. I would still highly recommend this farm during their high-season at the beginning of October.
We walked around Main Street and visited all of our favorite candy shops and antique places. It began to get dark very early there, at around 6, and we were all really hungry and picked up some delicious pizzas at our favorite restaurant, Wild Tomato. I would suggest ordering takeout from them to avoid the long waits because it's a poppin' pizza joint!
Saturday
After waking up to a big fireside breakfast in our cabin, we had planned to start the morning off easy and headed off to go explore more of Peninsula State Park and hike around the scenic beach shore and Eagle Bluff area.
Where to go camping...
This was one of our other favorite camping spots because they had everything: a fishing pier, bike trails, kayak and paddleboard rentals, and a large outdoor amphitheater that we got to watch our favorite Northern Sky Theater performances at amongst the brushing pine trees and twinkling stars. Although we did not get to see a show this year, it was great to be back in a place that is filled with memories and has continued to be maintained for years.
My family loves how slow-paced it is up there—being able to just walk around and cruise our way around town as we pleased. Our afternoon consisted of a bit more shopping and dog petting. Fish Creek has some CUTE dogs. We also picked up some coffee at the Blue Horse Beach Cafe and watched the sailboats go by. We ended the night with dinner at the Cookery along the bay—I had one of the best cheeseburgers of my life. Who would have known Wisconsin does cheese and beef so well ;)
We didn't want to say our goodbyes to Door County. It was like it used to be: morning and night bonfires, waking up to bacon and eggs, going to the pumpkin patches and fall fests, stuffing our faces with Apple Cider Donuts, playing endless games of War, and having room and time to breathe in the clean and crisp northern air. All of us enjoyed our time together in one of the places we love the most. 
Never did I think that balancing a pumpkin on my head would inspire a blog post, but here we are! I can't believe October is halfway through and the leaves have just begun to change. This past weekend, my best friend Ellie was in town for fall break and so were my two sisters—the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the beautiful fall weekend and go to a fall fest. While we weren't exactly pumpkin picking, we bought pumpkins and then persisted to place them on our heads. We are the real pumpkin-heads.
Maybe it wasn't exactly balancing the pumpkins on our heads that inspired me to write, but hey, I gotta embrace it. It's been a hectic past couple of weeks.
I've been told that my junior and senior years of college are going to be the hardest. I mean, I was told that in high school and I was like "Are you kidding? I get to go home for lunch!". It doesn't seem like you get seniority in college because that's when you start to realize just how real your life is starting to get and how much time you don't have.
My normal days are filled with waking up, getting dressed, making sure I eat something, start my internship work, go tutor for an hour, go to class, eat, somehow exercise or attend a meeting, try to do homework, and then sleep (hopefully). My routine changes and fluxes based on what week it is, and it's a good routine, but a busy one.
Usually, when I'm feeling the weight of my days, I try to confide in a friend (typically Ellie) and we facetime the night away watching Bob's Burgers or literally just playing the new Mario Kart app while we facetime. It's the perfect way to check back in and reset.
Everything we do is based on time and lately, I've been trying to cut back on saying yes and giving myself a break. I need time to go to a pumpkin patch, watch Shane Dawson's Jeffree series, drink some apple cider, or go to the Dollar Tree because why the hell not.
I know that the work I need to do will get done because that's just the person I am. I'm always one step ahead, but recently its proved less than helpful. When I try to get too far ahead, I end up caring more about getting it done than actually actively participating in the work that's being done.
That's why I know balance is key—in all things life. If you're also feeling like the calendar pages are turning and you just can't seem to find time to pause and reflect on what's happening around you, you'll miss all of the great opportunities to grow and literally live a more fulfilling life because of it. Sure you have to get an assignment due by Monday, but it can wait because you have a life besides your work.
I stress about little things all the time: is the laundry done, do I need to email that one person back, did I go to the bank, am I going to have enough time to eat today, and on and on. Reminding myself that I need to release the gas pedal every now and then really helps when I enter that mindset of worrying about every single thing that needs to be done. Committing to one task at a time is the best way to go about it—and being present while doing it.
I'm not an expert on balancing all things life, but I sure do balance a good pumpkin.
It's been a while since I've done a roundup of all of my favorite skincare products, and this time of year is usually when my skin thrives before it gets insanely cold—that said, I have compiled all of the products I've been using since August and will continue to use and enjoy this month. I'm pretty lax on the amount skincare items I use, but I like to switch off with them ever-so-often to see what works and what doesn't.
I gotta say, the Clinique Moisture Surge is my favorite light-weight moisturizer to use at the moment. I think I recieved this as a gift and instantly fell in love. I have normal-oily skin, so this being a gel-cream doesn't over hydrate my skin or leave it feeling dewy the next morning. It doesn't leave a thick layer of residue and really refreshes my skin and neck. I like to apply this at night, usually after I shower for the ultimate hydration and revitilization of my skin.
On days when I feel like I can ration my Clinique moitsurizer, I have been using the Évolué Day and Night Cream which does the trick! I also use a pea-size amount of this cream and apply it all over my face and neck in the morning and night. I find that moisturizing regularly really helps prevent more breakouts from occuring and evens out my oilyness.
For clearing my face, I have always continued using the Simple Micellar Cleansing Water as it never fails to rid my skin of impurities and dirt. I use a little bit on a cotton pad every morning and am amazed at how much it can actually pick up. It's my tried and true—definitely recommend as an alternative to gel cleansers.
Recently I've been dealing with really dry and heavy looking undereyes, so I've been reaching for the Nourish Organic Renewing & Hydrating Eye Treatment that gives me instant relief and brightening. Staring at a computer pretty much all day really strains my eyes, so I make sure to treat them well and pat this cream on with my ring finger.
I have to add one more moisturizer to the list because I can't decide which ones I love the most, clearly, so the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ is another tried and true facial cream that I use when I'm really feeling like my skin needs extra love. It absorbs so quickly and is one of those winter moisturizers that you need to apply almost everyday to prevent frostbitten dryness.
For when I'm feeling a pamper night and need an extra skin boost, I've been using the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to deeply clean and renew my acne-prone skin. Every now and then I get terrible, deep breakouts (like the ones that hurt) along the side of my hairline and t-zone.
Most charcoal masks I've used from the drugstore counteract with my skin and leave it feeling either red and irritated or with more surprise breakouts the next day. This really flushes out all of the gunk that my face (sorry it's gross) accumulates throughout the day and my pores feel so refreshed and clean. These are truly the only products I've been using on my skin lately, and with the assortment of different lotions, my routine stays pretty constant. Remember—less is more! What's in your skincare regimen?
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