Oh Fall where art thou?

I’m ready for the fall to begin.

I’m ready for cooler weather. I want to wear those hand-knit fingerless mittens in my sock drawer, my lovely blue scarf that doesn’t match them, and my long jeans again.

I’m ready to bundle up and head out, to retire my flip-flops for the winter (but not really because, let’s be honest, it’s almost always flip-flop weather). I want to wear those boots I found at my mom’s house last weekend with my comfy darkwash jeans tucked in them.

I’m ready to get into the swing of classes, and I want to embrace the humdrum of the campus once it has settled into the semester and bathe under the unflattering fluorescent lighting in the library every night. I want to push beyond the introductory and into the really good, juicy stuff I know is coming.

I want to tie my apron around my waist and bake pies, cookies, and cakes with pumpkin, cinnamon, and cardamom. I want my whole apartment to smell like a cake shop while I switch between reading a cookbook and reading a textbook while the pastries bake. I want to bring my creations to classes and meetings and make people smile.

I want to snuggle on my couch with a book, squished between my little colony of pillows and under a mountain of blankets. I want to light a candle on the days that I can’t cook, and I want that candle to chase away the stress of an impending exam or paper.

Oh yes, I’m ready for fall to begin.