Feeling Fall-y

For how old I am, you'd think that the passage of time wouldn't strike me as it does.  But here I am again, surprised that it's October and the start of spooky season.  It's going to slide very quickly into the rest of the holiday season but I'm not particularly mad about it.

September found us on the road quite a bit.  We did a quick long weekend up in Michigan to visit Bryan's family, where it was fall already with cooler temps and the leaves turning red and orange.  I was in London sometime in the middle of September for work, which is arguably one of the nicest times to visit that city.  It all feels like a blur now.

I spent the last part of official "summer" turning stone fruits into pies.  Zero people complained but it did feel like we were eating a pie per week.  Then it felt like all of my hold books at the library came in at the same time so my nose was jammed into books for most of the month.

The youngest nephew just turned two.  He is a silly, mischievous boy who loves his big brother over all things and we were really happy to be able to celebrate his birthday with the whole family.  Bryan and I were in Portland for his older brother's second birthday, which felt like it was just yesterday.  Both boys are zooming around on bikes now and turning golden tanned in this Texas sun.

I think, more than any other season, fall is 100% about the vibes.  We're sick of sweating.  We're sick of the sun beating down on us and roasting everything to a crisp.  Then around September, people start posting pictures of sweaters, burnished leaves, and cozy fireplaces.  Halloween costume ideas start making the rounds and everything is all of a sudden pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin.

The fall vibe for me is wandering around with leaves crunching underfoot and bumping out wildlife on our trails at the country club.  It's kicking on our little potbelly stove and sipping a cup of hot coffee, while curled up under blankets on the couch out there.

I count myself a lucky girl that bonfires on the porch are achievable both in the city and the country.  Our fire pit out at the country is admittedly much larger and this summer, we certainly put in the work, cutting up downed trees to get them ready for fall / winter burning.  Bryan acquired a hydraulic log splitter last winter and we have firewood for years.

As one of my coworker reminds me, fall is the time to transition to chocolate and bourbon.  Even though it's still in the 80s here, it feels like it's time for slow cooker recipes and bourbon cocktails.  I've already purchased many many bags of Halloween candy and will try desperately hard not to eat them all before the end of the month.

Happy October and happy spooky season y'all!