Officially Fall...Sort Of

It's finally officially fall...or so it seems. It's been unseasonably warm lately, and frankly even yesterday felt like the end of summer, but today's crisp, cool temperature, and the rain and wind made it feel like real fall weather. I always know it's fall when I'm wearing sweaters and am walking down the street and simultaneously sweating from wearing so many layers and getting an earache from the cold wind.

A wee while back I decided that fall was my favorite season. Until then, I had always said my favorite seasons were the in-between ones: spring and fall. But it was this year that made me decide that I've been lying to myself. Fall is my real favorite. Everything about it is awesome:

• Apple picking
• The 1st day of school, and that "fresh, new start" feeling (Not that I'm a student anymore, but you know...I still get that excited feeling when I see school supplies lining the aisles.)
  
• Beautiful, round orange pumpkins
• Gorgeous deep red Indian corn
• Beautiful, unique gourds
• Pumpkin flavored ANYTHING (So far this season, I've had pumpkin butter, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, and I'm making a pumpkin pudding pie for dessert tonight!)
• Gold, russet, and orange mums
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Pilgrims, and Puritanism in general (I know that sounds weird, but it's one of my favorite periods of American Literature!)
• Layering clothes
• I get to wear my Uggs again! So comfy...like working in slippers!
• Knee socks
• Corduroy
• Pretty sweaters

And I swear, the list could go on and on.

It's around this year that I always remember the quote from You've Got Mail where Meg Ryan's characters tells Tom Hanks's character, "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." I don't live in New York, and while I'm sure New York in the fall is lovely, there's nothing I love more than fall in Chicago. I love walking down the street and kicking the leaves about. The tree lined lake and the way the waves begin to thrash about as it gets colder? Who could ask for anything more beautiful! But otherwise, that line always makes me smile. I would love nothing more in this world than for someone to give me a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils! How weirdly wonderful! Or wonderfully weird!

This year we were lucky enough to go apple picking. Sadly it was on one of the least fall days of the season...it was 80 degrees out. Plus, A.P. didn't tell me that it was that warm out, and the days before, it had been rather chilly. So my dumb ass wears my Uggs and a cardigan! I was sweating like an animal out there picking apples in the hot sun! Still, it was a lot of fun. It was our second time going to this orchard, too, so in some ways it's become a tradition. Maybe one day, if we're still going there, we can take our future bebes. Who knows? Until then, enjoy some of the photos from this year!

We had never eaten Culver's before, so on the way, we made a pit stop for gas, and got some Culver's. It was...meh.

Go Hawks!

It was so hot and we were so thirsty that we each drank TWO cold ciders! And a caramel apple!

Let's get another closeup on that caramel apple!

One of the other things we didn't take pictures of were the cider donuts! OMG! Soooo delicious! You wait in this line, and then they hand you your bag with steaming hot cider donuts. I also bought a bag to freeze! So kickass!

A.P. picks out the perfect pumpkin