I LOVE AUTUMN

Actually, I usually end up calling it fall, but whatever...

I have a big, deep, full of emotion post that's brewing in my head, but it'll have to wait for some other time. Like, when I'm not at work.

Till then, what I love about this time of year

1) Colder weather. I love sweaters. I love hoodies. I love wearing jeans & long sleeve stuff and this year I've even missed wearing socks & shoes (abnormal for me--but, it does mean I don't need to worry about my pedicure)

2) HALLOWEEN. I don't get a kick so much about dressing up anymore. But, I LOVE decorating for the holiday. I already have. I'd love to go all out, but I guess that'll have to wait till I own my own place (whenever that is)

3) Going to the apple orchards. My family did this a lot while growing up. We're planning to go again this year. My dad planted 2 apple trees this spring, but no apples have showed up yet, so...Mmmm. Apple pie, apple cider samples, caramel apples and just wandering around the apple trees. My absolute favorite apples are Jonathans. They're SO good. They're just a little bit tangy or sour or something--they have a bit of a bite or kick to them. FABOO.

4) The smell of fall--something my brother and I have commented on many times before. It's a combination of woodsmoke, wet leaves, baled alfalfa/hay, burning leaves, and crisp air. "It just smells like fall".

5) Drinking hot drinks in the morning--chai or chocolate chai, hot cocoa, mocha, etc.

6) The leaves turning such a pretty array of colors before they begin to float to the ground. Around this part of the country, there are so many varieties of trees and so there are so many colors to see. If I ever were to move, I'd miss it SO much.

7) Jumping in piles of leaves--haven't done that since I was a kid, but ooh, did I love it back then.

8) Fall thunderstorms--so much more romantic and dramatic than those in the summer.

9) Haunted Houses--ooh, scary fun!

10) An excuse to get all the blankets out of storage b/c it's getting colder. I love sitting watching tv all cuddled up in a blanket. It seems silly to do in the summer (just turn the damn A/C down, so it's not so frigid!), but in the fall, bliss.

11) Nostalgia. This, more than any time of the year, makes me remember all the good stuff from when I was little. And, man, did I LOVE shopping for new fall clothes and school supplies each year!