Dear September, oh how I love you. You have finally arrived and with your graceful entrance you have surprised Charlotte with a definitive crispness in the air and the promise of a gorgous new season. Its that time of the year when the air feels a little bit fresher, the sky seems a little bit bluer (is that a word?!) and the sun shines a little bit brighter. I love the start of a fresh season upon us but to me, there is always something more enchanting about fall. Summer is fun. All about fun. Spring is refreshing and has a sweet innocence about it. Winter is cold and if you're lucky you usually see that glistening white stuff. But fall? There is a unique charm about it. The unseasonably cooler weather has made its way to the Queen City this week and my heart is aflutter. Pumpkin spice in all forms has started to peer out from hibernation and has made its way back to Starbucks and Panera this week. To me, there is no flavor that better encompasses the wonder and magic of fall. It's a spicy, nutty, yet buttery goodness that can make any mouth smile. The return of pumpkin spice as it peers out and spreads it love to all pumpkin lovers alike is only a tiddly bit of my extreme passion for the flavors of fall and the cooler months to come. It's time for the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet and walking outside each morning to a clear blue sky and a light breeze with just the right amount of chill. It's time for pumpkins in all shapes, sizes and flavors (pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones, pumpkin ale, pumpkin bars, pumpkin roll, pumpkin bread, pumpkin gnocchi, and pumpkin spice lattes). It's time for cranberry orange muffins and fresh picked apples so crisp that you feel as though you have just brushed your teeth after eating them. It's time for drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway and football Saturdays cheering on my 3 time National Champion AppState Mountaineers. It's time to celebrate a 28 year marriage (september 12) between two of the most admirable, amazing and remarkable people that I will ever know (I love you Mom & Dad!). It's time for early Sunday dinners and raking up gigantic leaves. Then jumping in them with the ones that you love. It's time for baked apples and cinnamon and spice and all of the flavors that make your tastebuds tingle and dance. Its time to get ready for the South Park Turkey Trot and start thinking about the new and exciting menu for this year's Nido Thanksgiving feast. It's time for candy corn in mass quantities and eating cinnamon and sugar donuts that melt in your mouth at Parmenter's Cider Mill. It's time for favorite jeans and college hoodies and jewel tone flats...always jewel tone flats. It's time for hayrides and corn mazes and sipping on mulled apple cider by a bonfire. It's time for scarecrows sitting on haystacks and chilly nights...then that means its time to snuggle. It's this time of year that reminds me how much I love Boone. And the North Carolina Mountains. And our very own mountain man, Yosef, in his fist pumping stance on Stadium Drive. And as I enjoy all of the intricate delights that come with the fall, I can't help but squeal in anticipation of what is to quickly follow in fall's footsteps...is it too early to start the Christmas music!?
Welcome fall, I'm so happy that you're (unofficially) here!
Hey Nina, your post makes me want to share a new receipe with you that I have discovered. Not the healthiest, but oh so good! Last weekend I hosted a girl's weekend for some old friends and stumbled upon this receipe for fruit dip, using none other than pumpkin spice. I thought about you the first time I tried it.
ReplyDeleteYou use: 1 jar of marshmellow fluff, 1 package of cream cheese, about 3/4 cup of confectionary sugar, and about a teaspoon (or more if you would like) of pumpkin spice. Mix it on high until it's creamy and it's ready to go!
Hope all is well in the Charlotte area :) Happy Fall!