This morning I woke up feeling incredibly excited.  September 1 was here, meaning that the month of August, with its seemingly long and drawn out days, earthquakes, hurricanes, and just overall “bleh” feeling was over.  A new month was here, meaning that a fresh, clean slate had arrived.

Not to mention that September marks the beginning of fall.  My friend Rose pointed out to me, as she loves everything there is to love about autumn, that the season technically does not commence until September 23 at 5:04 a.m. EDT.  However, the beginning of September, to many, means the beginning of fall–in some sense.

In the past, I always considered spring or summer my favorite seasons.  What student didn’t love spring break or summer break, after all–they were times to travel, hang out with friends, and take a break from studying or trying to figure out what to do with your life.  As I’ve gotten older, however, I have come to adopt a devotion to that season wedged between the months of beach vacations and the months of thick coats.

Autumn, for aficionados, is a very special time.  The weather begins to cool down, replacing balmy temperatures with the relief of crisp, refreshing air.  The trees know that it is their time to shine, showing off their amazing, God-given gift of changing their leaves from vibrant green shades to warm, orange-brown hues.  Light jackets and cozy scarves emerge out of storage, as do boots and tights and other fun fall fashion staples.  People begin to crave hot drinks as opposed to iced drinks.  Oh do they.

My friends and I, along with probably half of the country, are obsessed with pumpkin spice lattes.  Fall means that pumpkins are in season, and whoever came up with the idea of infusing pumpkin flavoring into coffee was beyond brilliant.  My first experience falling in love with fall (no pun intended) involved a pumpkin spice latte, so the beverage will always hold a special place in my heart.

Now, I love D.C. in the fall and think that it is gorgeous.  My favorite city to see in the fall, however, is New York.  My friends and I began a tradition a couple of years ago that, in order to commemorate our favorite season and have some time together, each fall we take a girls’ trip to NYC.  New York in the fall is a more chilled out version of the city, and it is fantastic.  One of my fondest memories is from our girls’ trip last year, when my friends and I strolled down Fifth Avenue wearing our cutest boots and scarves while sipping on pumpkin spice lattes, enjoying the glittery windows of Tiffany’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.  Good times.

Hopefully I’ll be able to make it up to New York sometime this fall.  I’m also looking forward to another joy of fall, a.k.a. the beginning of football season.  Next month Leon and I are headed out to South Bend, Indiana, to attend a Notre Dame game and enjoy the beauty of the campus during my favorite season.  Fall is the perfect time to travel to a new place, whether it be to Indiana (in my case) or to Paris or even Rome.  There’s just something about exploring a new place in autumn.

Even hanging out at home during fall, however, is a treat.  I’m looking forward to curling up on my couch with a hot beverage and snuggling with Leon.  That’s another good thing about fall–it’s the perfect time of year to snuggle.

So, even though it’s still technically summer, I’m definitely in a “fall” state of mind.

 

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