Hoodies and Apples and Pumpkin Lattes, Oh My!

I have been in the midst of a full blown love affair with Fall, as far back as I can remember.  It's my very favorite time of the year.  It probably stems from the fact that my birthday is in October.  As a child, my parents and I, along with the friend of my choice, would celebrate it by going to the local amusement park each year.  The air was usually crisp and the park was always decorated with thousands of mums in the beautiful autumn colors of deep purple, reds, golds and burnt orange. Pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks and hay bales were scattered among all of the rides and attractions.  Of course, that distinct "smell" of Fall was always present.  I love those memories.

Through the years, my love for Fall has never waned.  In fact, it has grown tenfold.  I am a HUGE proponent of family traditions.    No other season, at least in our family, holds more of those precious traditions.  Apple picking, going to the pumpkin patch, all of the fall baking that I do, football games (high school, now college, and pro games on Sundays), our haunted house that we build every year for the neighborhood kids, the HUGE Thanksgiving dinner that we host every year.  The list goes on and on.  As I write this I am seeing material for quite a few blog posts in my head, so I guess you will get to experience a few of these right along with my Crew.  

This weekend, although a few weeks shy of the official first day of Fall, has been the picture perfect kickoff to the season.  Absolutely GORGEOUS weather and the opening weekend of College and NFL football have completely switched my gears from Bikini/Boating season to Hoodie/Boot/Pumpkin Latte season.  And there is NOTHING in this world like putting on your favorite pair of jeans, slipping your feet into perfectly broken in boots and pulling that "world's softest material with the name of the only football team worth rooting for" Hoodie over your head.  Ahhh...pure bliss.

Usually, we have friends over on the first official NFL game day but not this year.  Today, it's just me, my honey and our 2 youngest boys.  (All rooting for different teams, btw.  We get all of our money's worth from NFL Sunday ticket in this house.)  I think I'll spend the day in my kitchen baking up something scrumptious in the Pumpkin department while I watch the game and listen to Pandora.  I believe a country station fits the bill today.  I'm off to make a pumpkin latte.  Happy first weekend of Fall....At least in this house. 

Yummo... Might be on the baking list today.