Fall in Virginia

For as long as I can remember, fall has been my favorite season. I was one of those strange kids who looked forward to the first day of school, usually because the dog days of summer had gotten boring by the middle of August. September meant the start of football season, my grandpa's homemade chili and crisp autumn air. Pumpkin carving, Halloween costume parties, leftover turkey sandwiches and the beginning of Christmas celebrations round out my fond memories of this great season.

After a long, hot and humid summer here in Virginia, I am quite ecstatic about the fact that Mike and I finally exchanged our air conditioner for open windows and fresh air. Fall has officially arrived.

We spent most of today running errands --- to the Coast Guard base to enter my name into their database and to pick up my military dependent ID card, to Greenbrier Dodge for my first annual state vehicle inspection, to the post office for stamps and to deliver a package to my mom, Target to print some photos for an album I'm putting together, a trip to downtown Norfolk to find the Murray Center, etc. While it is nice to cross some things off our to-do list (namely the ID and the state inspection, as they were causing some anxiety), the day was primarily enjoyable because we accomplished all of this in jeans, t-shirts and jackets. Errands seem so much more enjoyable when it is not stifling outside!

While I am typically a "support local business, especially local restaurants and coffee shops" kind of girl, I thoroughly enjoyed our stop by Starbuck's in the middle of our errand-running extravaganza. The menu offering now includes a pumpkin spice latte and a pumpkin scone. I eat pumpkin anything year-round, but there is something special about the time of year when it's available everywhere you go! I'm planning to bake my own batch of pumpkin cookies very early in October and have my fingers crossed for a rare trip to I-HOP. They serve the best pumpkin pancakes I've ever had. But only in October and November!

The rest of the afternoon was filled with cleaning and football games. We have fresh sheets and blankets on the bed and clothes drying as I type. OSU showed up for the 2nd half of their game against Washington State, adding another mark to the win column. I took a cozy nap with the dogs while Mike watched a couple of other college games. We enjoyed a great dinner and the first half of the USC-Nebraska game before deciding to crawl into bed. And now here I sit, updating for the first time in about a week ....

In all honesty, today was very ordinary. But, in a year of many amazing days, today has been one of my favorites.

All because we shut off the air and opened our windows. :)

I can't wait to see what the rest of Fall has in store!