i'm just going to embrace you, fall.

I'm the first to admit I'm not exactly fall's biggest fan. I'm not the one who runs and greets the season with open arms and happy kisses.

No, I'm more of a summer girl. My favorite months are April, May, and June. I love the warmth, the freedom, the blossoming bright colors. I love going swimming and the carefree, leisurely days.



By the time Labor Day rolls around and marks the unofficial end of summer, I get sad. I dread the cold that's bound to visit soon (granted, it's Oklahoma cold, but it can get down into the single digits and we have lots of (dangerous) ice), the long days of school, the shorter days.

I was still of that opinion until about three days ago. When we arrived back from Germany, our yard was filled with colorful leaves, the warm toned mums were blooming. The temperature had cooled down to a downright cold nighttime temperature of fifty degrees, while during the day it stayed a beautiful seventy degrees - perfect weather for leaving the windows open 24/7.



Yesterday morning I awoke at five - still jetlagged - and crept outside around six thirty. Clad only in my pajamas and a blanket, I sat down on the front step. The cold cement froze my still-warm-from-bed toes and the deliciously cool air wrapped around me like a jump into an icy pool. While the rest of my family slept, the sun began its ascent into the sky. Its light made the clouds a faint rosy pink, warming the grey morning air. The birds chirped and the crickets (it was only in the fifties... ;)) hummed their lulling song.

I relished the beauty of it all. I had gotten so wound up in thinking that fall was just the gateway to the cold, short days of winter that I had forgotten how lovely it can be.

It was such a beautiful moment. I wanted to bottle it up.



Yes, the days are getting shorter. Yes, the cold is coming. Yes, the long days of school are upon (some) of us. Yes, summer is over.

But? After this little taste of fall, I've decided I'm going to embrace it. I'm going to embrace you, fall.

Because after all, fall is the season when you can wrap yourself in a cozy blanket and sit by the fire. It's the season when the air is filled with the rich aroma of flickering scented candles and warm pumpkin bread. It's the season when there's a holiday every month. It's the season when you can wear jeans, sweaters, and boots. It's the season when you don't melt after being outside for thirty seconds; instead the crisp air is refreshing. It's the season that paves the way to the joy of Christmas. It's the season when you can jump in big piles of crunchy leaves and go to the pumpkin patch.



See? I was able to find a lot more of what I like about fall than what I dislike about it. And I could go on even further.

I'm just going to embrace fall. And you know what? I think I'm falling in love with it.

What is your favorite season?

-carlotta