9 things I Love about Fall

The weather's been wacky.

Seriously wacky. 

Last week (9/27) we were dealing with this:

110 degrees. 

What's worse is that this is at almost 3P, 

we were at the pool 

and in the shade 

the thermometer said 115! 

115!! 

It was a little ridiculous. 

And definitely the reason why my electricity bill went up $20 last month. 

:( Ugh.

Anyhow, 

what this iPhone shot doesn't show 

is later in the week, 

the temps cooled drastically,

 there was some major muggy weather 

with thunder and lightning 

as a cold front came in and 

finally 

brought a STORM this past Monday. 

a storm.

REALLY?

And on Wednesday, my iPhone showed this:

SERIOUSLY?!

That's half of what the temp was last week.

That is insane.

We've been bundled in blankets

and sweats

all week.

And even though it's wacky

And SO odd for early October, 

I'll be honest

I LOVE IT!

Here's why:

Photo courtesy of Mallorca Diary 

 1. The cold rain

There is something so amazing about the sound of falling rain. And have you ever just taken a minute to smell the rain and see how it washes everything away. What? you ask. Well I grew up in Orange County, borderline to LA County, where we all have cars and smog infiltrates. But when the rain comes it washes it all away for beautifully clear skies. I love it.  And I emphasize cold because I lived in Hawaii for 6 years. There's a big difference in warm, humid rain and cold, freezing rain. Enough said.

Photo courtesy of About.com

2. The changing of the season

Let's face it, we're not the East Coast. We aren't blessed with the beautiful fall leaves magically changing colors and painting the scenery of beautiful yellows, reds, oranges and browns. But for a few weeks in the fall, we are blessed with a quick changing of the leaves. This weekend as we drove up towards the mountains away from the hustle and bustle it was beautiful. There's something magical about watching the seasons change in Spring and Fall.

3. Fun fall traditions

I have to admit. I'm new to this one. The only tradition I used to celebrate in the fall was getting dressed up for Halloween, drinking to a stupor and acting like a Girls Gone Wild girl down in Waikiki. (And by Girls Gone Wild, I mean I used to stay home and study Mom ;) )

Ok, maybe I wasn't that bad. But what did I know about fun fall traditions? That is until I became a mama. And now it's all about Fall family traditions. Trips to the pumpkin patch, raspberry, apple  and pumpkin picking, Trick-or-treating. These are the things I now look forward to in life as a mama. And what beautiful traditions they are.

4. Decorating the house 

I think I may have been an interior designer in another life. Infact, I definitely remember when I was in like the 2nd grade, I professed my love for designing and wanted to be just like the mom of my friend Graham, who was an interior designer. I was obsessed. And in some ways maybe that was my creative side coming to fruition. Whatever it was, it's stuck and as a result, one of my creative passions is I love decorating. I'm constantly stalking decorating blogs and looking for fun, spunky new ways to decorate our house. Just ask M. I stalk Craigslist like a crazed woman and convince myself that I NEED that antique dresser that I could refinish, would take up half our bedroom and that we definitely do NOT have a need for, nor do we have the room for. 

So I take pleasure in decorating in small bits. I'm trying to contain myself this year so that M doesn't think I'm crazy but I'm bursting at the seams. I want to decorate with beautiful fall wreaths, pumpkins, scarecrows, tombstones, jack-o-lanterns, etc. It's pretty pathetic. And I don't even care for lots of decorating for holidays. It's weird  and for now, I've settled for some bowls of cinnamon scented pinecones all around the house and pumpkins. But M better not turn his back or there WILL be a scarecrow out front. (Don't ask me why, I'm just obsessed with a scarecrow right now)

5. Fall Clothes

Fall clothes are awesome. Sweaters. Boots. Uggs. Scarves. Pashminas. Hats. Trench Coats. Pea Coats. Sweats. Sweatshirts. Jeans. I love it. There's nothing better to me than rolling out of bed, squeezing into pulling on my favorite jeans, throwing on a tshirt and accessorizing with a scarf and boots. Or just throwing on a sweatshirt and jeans and pulling my hair into a ponytail. I love it. It's so relaxing. And you know what's even cuter? Little GIRLS in fall clothing. Little Miss B is to DIE for in some jeans and a cute jacket and scarf.

Photo Courtesy of weathermenheatingandair.com

6. Fireplaces

There's something homely and romantic about fireplaces. The first Christmas M and I spent together we were newlyweds and spent a few days in Missouri visiting some of his family. It was like 15 degrees and snowed almost every day. And every night, we'd bundle up and cuddle in front of a beautiful fire. We haven't lit up our fireplace yet but I can hardly wait to.

Photo courtesy of www.beautifulcanvas.org

7. Warm Meals and Sweats

There's nothing better than a bowl of warm soup and cornbread in your sweats when it's cold out. Enough said.

8. Cuddling

I normally hate cuddling. It's too hot and sweaty for me. But in the cold, bundled up in the blankets. It's a little bit of awesomeness. 

and lastly,

9. Rosy Cheeks

I love that brisk cold air that takes your breath away, dries out your skin and gives you naturally rosy cheeks. So beautiful

So there you have it. 9 reasons why I love Fall/Cold Weather and why this week has been fantastic. I could probably keep going on and gone but I won't. And you can imagine the pure delight I have had this past week where our house hasn't gotten above 70 degrees. It's awesome.

Now if only it could stay this way.