Cranberry Kale Smoothie {Gluten-free and Vegan}

Most of the time, as of late, I am struggling to believe it’s mid-November. Sure the calendar says so, there are lots of holiday decorations at the stores, I even saw the pictures from the first snow my family and friends got earlier in the week in NY. But, being my first year here in Southern California – the excessive sunshine and warmer temperatures are making it really hard for me to believe we are just a few weeks out from Thanksgiving. I have been a tad concerned that it would be hard to get into the holidays this year, with this new drastic change in lifestyle and scenery.

Fall in SoCal

On my run to the beach yesterday morning, I passed by a home with a huge tree with beautifully vibrant leaves, falling so haphazardly all over their yard. The tree was more bare than not. I was mid-run and had a really great stride going, but I had to stop and take it all in. Snap a photo or two. It’s the little things in life, this like, that I may have once took for granted, that can now literally stop me dead in my tracks, leaving me with an immense amount of gratitude. I wonder how many people pass that very tree in a day, not realizing just how special it is. It is maybe one of just a few trees like it in our entire neighborhood. Only the second that has caught my attention.
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