Fall Fever

I have other things to blog about, like our 2008 Iowa State Fair experience and the Sprinkles cupcakes I recently made, but due to my extreme laziness and my lack of desire to move from the couch in order to actually download the last round of pictures, these subjects will have to wait.

I feel like I'm in Fall planning mode. I'm constantly thinking about cool-weather things. Winter boots. Mittens. Cozy, snuggly, fleece lined jeans. Fuzzy hats with ear flaps. Warm, filling Fall foods like stew and baked chicken and mashed potatoes. And steamy soups with hot sandwiches. Yum....

I love summer, especially a summer like we've been having. But around mid-August I begin to yearn for cooler weather. I think Fall is my very favorite season of the year. The leaves changing on the trees. Sunny days with cool temperatures and that nip in the morning air which warns of colder days to come. Hot apple cider and crackling fires. Picking out pumpkins for Halloween.

Corvallis, looking west to the Coast.

Fall planning has also been supplemented by Holiday Obsession. We're going back to Oregon for Christmas and New Years (I almost hurl'd when I bought the tickets. That was highway robbery), and once I got over how much it was going to cost, I started daydreaming about the things I want to do while there. Like visit Saint Cupcake Bakery. And go to our favorite 'Breakfast Place' in Salem for a Breakfast Burrito. Do a little tax-free shopping. Visit Courthouse Square and see the Christmas Tree. Have dinner at American Dream Pizza with my husband. Drive out to the coast and see if we can spot some whales. Visit my friend Aaron at the new design studio where he works in downtown Portland. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I didn't realize how much I missed Oregon until now. I still don't think we'll ever live there again, but I'm looking forward to visiting. 4 months is a long time to obsess about this trip, but I'm going to need that much time to prepare to stay with my in-laws for 2 weeks.