Summer is full of sand, sweat, sunshine and travel. Winter is a white wonderland full of presents, joy and Christmas. And Spring is a time of new beginnings, pastels and April showers. I have a vast appreciation for the changing of the seasons, and don’t get me wrong winter, spring and summer are all great. However, in my opinion, Fall by far exceeds all of the others.

There is so much to appreciate about fall. That moment when you are walking outside and can smell the change in the air. It’s pure bliss. You start to feel the temperature outside drop and see the leaves begin to transform into vibrant reds and oranges. The leaves are no longer the same green but each leaf becomes unique in its own way. And after this transformation, the leaves start to fall one by one. The weather and scenery of fall are to die for.

Because the weather is changing our clothes do too. This is probably one of my favorite things about fall. My fall fashion is on point, and everyone else’s is too. Layering is probably the best part about fall fashion. You can never go wrong with jackets, booties, cardigans and sweaters. Can we just talk about the sweaters, please? Sweater weather changes my life. Sweaters allow for so much more comfort and coziness.

Speaking of comfort and coziness, let's talk about bonfire parties with friends. When the temperature drops and the sweaters go on, the fires get lit. I love sitting around a bonfire at night in the crisp new air with a ton of friends. I love to appreciate the beauty of the fire, the conversation between friends and the s'mores. Ohhhhh, the s'mores. So YUMM.

You know what else is so tasty? Eating an apple or pumpkin you picked yourself. One thing that can be so fun about fall is going to apple farms and pumpkin patches. There is nothing like getting a group of friends together to go pick apples to eat and pumpkins to carve. I don’t know what it is, but it is just so fun to do this. And it is always a great photo opportunity. Photo shoots are the best in fall. Not too hot out, great lighting, vibrant backgrounds and cute clothes.

Football kicks off. If you don’t love football, you are missing out on one of the best parts of fall. Surrounded by family and friends you get to cheer on your favorite team. Winning always feels good, and when you like a team like the Patriots you are rarely disappointed. The Fantasy Football wins never hurt either.

And don’t forget that fall holds not one but two great holidays. Halloween is an awesome time to hang out with friends. There is no shortage of themed parties, adventures, corn mazes and haunted houses. I love a good haunted house. The adrenaline rush you get from being scared to death is for some reason very appealing. It’s fun to try to find a scarier haunted house each year.

And then there is Thanksgiving. A time where you get to be surrounded by family, finally go home from school and eat some legitimately amazing food. The food at Thanksgiving is no joke. Neither is the weight you gain with it.

Fall allows us to spend more time with family, marinate on the importance of joy and thankfulness and enjoy special adventures with friends. This season makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But most importantly, the change that comes with the season reminds us that change can be good for us as well. As we prepare to transition into a new year, we need to appreciate the new experiences that will come with it. We need to take time in the busyness of our changing lives and appreciate the simple things. Fall allows us to learn to appreciate the simplicity of life more, and that’s what I love about it.