It's here

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.
-William Cullen Bryant

 

I may be exhausted out of my mind...

But I am also so happy right now.

No, more like, I am so contented right now.

Slightly bursting at the seams with contented-ness

Today is wonderful for several reasons.

First, it's October. YAY.

Second, it really feels like fall now that it's the aforementioned October. MORE YAY.

Third, I spent about 30 minutes in the bookstore this morning just oggling over the adorable Halloween decor. EEEP IT'S ONLY 30 DAYS AWAY. 

MOOORE YAY.

Fourth, my birthday is exactly one month from today. MOST YAY (ok not really the most yay. But it's still pretty exciting)

So not to be like the-most-cliche-blogger-you-ever-did-see, but I am really feelin this whole 

"hooray for fall"

thing today. And as such, I am going to compile a list of the reasons why I love fall so much. 

So sue me if you've heard it all before. Because odds are high.

*hem hem*

1. Halloween, obviously. I think my parents did a good job making this holiday feel adorable rather than scary while I was growing up. To me, it's not about skeletons and freaky costumes, but more about cute pumpkin decorations and watching Halloweentown. Remember that Disney movie? LOVE.

2. Candy Corn. And the candy pumpkins. And Halloween colored m&ms. Enough said.

3. Decorating. My mom has the most adorable collection of cute pumpkins, adorable little skeletons and witches, plates, leaves, the works. I love it all so much, and I wish I had the means of decorating my apartment! Boo. (not like a ghost boo. but a sad boo. just clarifying)

4. Fallish food. Carmel apples, anything pumpkin, pies, hot chocolate, oatmeal, peaches, soups, etc. It's all so comforting and wonderful!

5. The leaves. I am so thankful to be living in Utah this time of year. The mountains and canyon are absolutely enchanting, I could eat them up. Swear.

6. The clothes. Everyone always looks so fabulous in their boots, sweaters, scarves, jackets, cords, tights, etc. I am so ready to put away my sandals and shorts because I love fall clothing SO MUCH! (See fall JCREW catalog for deets. Try not to get drool on the pages like I did.)

7. When it starts to smell "cold". Everything gets crisp, the leaves start to fall, and there is just a certain scent to the air that is truly intoxicating.

8. Bonfires in the canyon. AH such a magical weekend activity. And with banana boats? PERFECT.

9. Fall candles. Pumpkin Spice, Warm Vanilla, Apple Cider, WHATEVER. I love 'em all.

10. Driving. It feels so much more epic during this season. Don't even tell me it doesn't.

11. Mellow music. I don't know if it's just me, but when the seasons change, so do my playlists. I tend to lean towards more mellow music in the fall because everything seems so much more peaceful. For example, my current playlist consists of Jonsi, Mat Kearny, John Mayer, Coldplay, Stars of Track and Field, Eric Clapton and Rookie of the Year. SOOO great.

12. Hay rides, corn mazes, and other fun seasonal activities. OH! Like bobbing for apples. (side note, who ever came up with the idea of sticking your face in a fruit-filled cest pool should be shot. GROSS. But a cute fall activity in theory)

13. Pumpkin carving. Smells gross, but fun in every other way.

14. FOOTBALL. even though my cougs are not being so fierce right now, it's still such a fun part of fall. Don't even talk to me about how sad I am to be missing my brothers games. Silly Arizona, being so far away!

15. General Conference. How lucky I am to partake in this tomorrow and sunday! Such a wonderful fall treat!

16. My Birthday. Being the day after Halloween makes for like 5 straight days of partying. Let's hope I don't have a bunch of tests during that week this year...

17. And finally... Thanksgiving. I am pretty sure I don't need to say anything more about that.

So basically, if I haven't made it painfully obvious, my very favorite time of year is now upon us.
And I couldn't be more thrilled today
:)