Happy 1st day of fall!

It's fall, my favorite season of the year. I love seeing the leaves turn brilliant colors. In Ohio, we have a lot of trees, so you can watch forests transform daily to golds, oranges, and reds on your drive to and from work.

Another thing I love about fall is the crispness in the air, that cooling off that means no more air conditioner is needed. You can turn on the heat if you want, or leave it off. You can start a fire and watch the wood crackle, enjoy the smoky scent as you sit around and talk with friends. You can wear long-sleeved shirts and not freeze or sweat to death.

I also luuuuurve Halloween! I love picking out a costume and helping my kids do theirs. And on Halloween night, it's a blast sitting on my front porch and handing out candy to adults, teens, kids, and little babies, all dressed in a wide variety of outfits. It's also fun going through the haunted forest located nearby--I admit, though, that I get freaked out. LOL

I love all things pumpkin--carving them, eating pumpkin pie or cookies, or trying a seasonal coffee drink with pumpkin flavoring. Yum!! I also love the food that comes out in fall, esp. Thanksgiving meals. I love going to the Johnny Appleseed festival and getting candied apples, running through the corn maze (and inevitably getting lost), and drinking cider.

Perhaps the biggest reason I love fall is that it seems like a fresh new start to me. I've been out of high school for *coughcough* years now, but whenever fall comes around, it feels like a new beginning to me. Even moreso than Jan 1 does. I use fall as my time to evaluate where my life is, what I want to change, and how I can get there.

And this fall will have special significance for me, because my novel Stupid Cupid will be coming out on Dec 22! Which I think is actually the LAST day of fall, but whatever. haha. Now that I'm here, I know the time will fly all too quickly, and my debut will be here before I know it.

What are your favorite things about fall?