Reasons I Love Fall

I don't often do lists; I just don't like them. But this morning, I feel compelled to make a list of the things I love about fall, probably because this is the first morning I've woken up and thought, "It feels like fall, yay!!!" And we're off, in no particular order:

1) The heat is gone! As I said in an earlier post, the temperature hovers around 100 degrees from late June to mid or even late September. Don't get me wrong, I'll be freezing in a few months, but for now, I'm relishing the cooler temperatures. Also, the chill in the air is a good excuse to cuddle up with HubbyButt and Monkey.

2) Apple picking and pumpkin patches. Now that Monkey is here, we have a reason to start the tradition of going about an hour away and picking apples. This was one of my favorite activities growing up, probably because I knew that in the next day or so, my mom would begin making her delicious apple pies.

3) Comfort foods! Who doesn't love a fresh, warm chili on cool afternoon? I'm really excited to try this bread pudding sometime in the near future, as well. I'll post my chili recipe this week; I got it from Weight Watchers and HubbyButt loves it!

4) The holidays are coming up! To me, fall has always meant that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. Christmas is by far my favorite holiday of the whole year; I just love all the family get-togethers and, of course, the food. There's just so much tradition in the air this time of year, it's hard for me to not get swept away.