Seasonal Celebration in a SNAP!

Admittedly, I am a Floridian who never truly experienced any other season before my college years except hot and hotter. The fall colors, brisk weather, and crunchy leaves underfoot were never aspects of my adolescence that I was lucky enough to enjoy. My first year as a freshman at Vanderbilt was my first official fall and I took major advantage of the opportunity! As a creative form of self-expression to celebrate my novel and individuated seasonal experience, I wanted to document each moment to my heart's content. My friends and I organized a relatively impromptu Fall Photoshoot, capturing photos of ourselves frolicking in the auburn and chestnut leaves, swinging from the trees, sporting cool windy weather gear (okay, cool for me.. the Floridian... notice the Uggs and wool sweater :P), and just relishing the experience of a lovely day in  a new home with new friends.

The genuine quality of the photos and the naturalism of the day as a whole is truly evident and I look back on these memories fondly and with an eye to the vivid color scheme, for it truly painted my life with color and added a vibrancy to my first semester that I had never anticipated. In memorium of this special event, I recently submitted one of the pictures into a photography contest exemplifying what true friendship stands for and how confidence and support is provided to me by my friends. This month, being International Women's Friendship Month, has encouraged me to look back upon all of the close bonds I've rendered here at school and to appreciate what I've been blessed to share and experience.

My suggestion: Follow in my footsteps! Share a spontaneous, fun day out in the Nashville scene--be it downtown, in the lovely Centennial Park, or even just among the tree-lined sidewalks of Hillsboro--with your friends and capture the memories!