Sunday Snapshot

Here is a snapshot of my Sunday afternoon. I have settled down to enjoy a steaming pitcher of cinnamon chai with soy milk, while I dream about fall. Fall is my favorite time of year for these reasons:
-chilly weather
-beautiful fall colors on trees everywhere
-crunchy leaves to pile up, jump into, and walk on
-foggy mornings
-the scent of fall in the air (mixture of dying leaves, wood burning, and....magic?)
-excuses to wear layers and scarves and boots
-pumpkins!
-cozy dinners of beef stew and hearty bread with hot cocoa for dessert
-halloween!
-back to school supplies (which I have no real reason to purchase, but I LOVE to peruse the aisles and check out all of the new stuff anyway. As Tom Hanks says to Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail, "If I had your address I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils." There's nothing quite like the scent and feel of new pencils/crayons/notebooks....ah, the possibilities they hold.)

There are a hundred other reasons I love fall, but I think one thing that really makes fall special is the anticipation I feel during that time of year. Its almost like a new year, I suppose. Maybe because it used to mark the start of a new school year, which as a child is how I really ticked off the beginning of each year. Even now, as an adult who is done with school (for now, at least), I still anticipate fall as if it is the start of something new and fresh. It marks the start of the major holidays (halloween!, thanksgiving, christmas, new years) and it just feels like the overall pace of things pick up in the fall. Maybe I'm just imaging this bit, but either way I love fall and look forward to it every year.

What are you up to this fine Sunday and are you looking forward to fall?