Goodbye Summer

How was everyone’s weekend? We fared very well out here – no trees fell on our car and no power outages. I know that other parts of the east coast were not so lucky, eek!

It’s the last week of summer and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Yes, call me a spoilsport but I am not a fan of summer. I don’t enjoy stepping outside for a minute and immediately turning into a giant, insect-attracting sweatball. I detest shorts and tank tops and having to shave my legs. I intensely dislike having to crank my space heater at work because the AC is turned up so high that sweaters don’t even help. I cannot deal with my cat and dog going crazy at 5 am because it’s already light out.

(Just so I don’t appear to be a complete killjoy, I do like these things about summer: delicious fruits, dresses and skirts, flip-flops, ice cream being acceptable every day – right? – and breezy nights.)

It’s the fall that I love, love, love. Autumn is, by far, my favorite season of the year. The second T and I started seriously discussing getting married, the only thing running through my head was “fall wedding, fall wedding, fall wedding.” That’s normal, is it not? No? Well, it’s fine. I have my reasons for loving this season so  much. Some are fairly typical, and some are not.

• The clothes. Jeans, thin sweaters, scarves, skirts/dresses with tights, boots. Incidentally, dressing this way will always remind me of our incredible 3-week jaunt around France in October 2005, and observing French women and their wardrobe choices very closely.
•  Mehhhhhhh-mor-iiiiiiieeees. Walking around on a crisp autumn day will always, always take me back to my first days at William and Mary. Brick walkways covered with orange and yellow leaves, scent of burning wood in the air, days getting shorter and cooler, the promise of a new academic year. I think this is why fall always feels like a fresh start to me.
• My family moved to the USA in late August/early September, so my first ever truly American experiences took place in the fall. Apple picking. Hayrides. Trips to Skyline Drive to view the foliage. Leaf raking. Trick or treating. We didn’t do these things in the Philippines.
• Pumpkin. BRB, off to gorge myself on pumpkin anything for the next three months (pie, muffins, ice cream, cake, cheesecake, lattes, bread, cupcakes… wait, where was I).

This fall, in particular, is going to be slightly crazy, but I aim to still enjoy myself. I’ve been putting together a last-minute DC bucket list, which I’ll share tomorrow.