Ode to Autumn

I love autumn. 

I love jeans-and-sweatshirt weather.  I love football.  I love the leaves changing colors and crunching under my feet.  I love pumpkin pie, apple cider and the smell of delicious things baking in my oven.  Nick and I got married in the fall, for all of these reasons.  Truly, if I had my way, I would find a place to live where it could be fall all the time!  And two of my favorite places to visit during the autumn season are my alma mater, Hanover College, and a pumpkin patch! 

Hanover is gorgeous in the fall.  Hanover will never be known for it's "college-town nightlife" (unless you count JR's, Shipley's or the Electric Lady...and I don't) but if you've ever visited the campus, you know it's beautiful, especially right now.  So on the weekend of our 7th wedding anniversary we decided to go back to where it all started.  We tailgated during the football game then hit up the bookstore for some new Hanover gear.  We visited the Chi Omega house (and attempted to walk through the Sigma Chi house, but couldn't get anyone to let us in!).  Then we visited Science Center where a friend and fellow alum is now a professor!  He showed off his office and ran us through is day...and I tried to imagine what it would be like to work at my alma mater.  Crazy stuff!  Before heading home, we walked down to The Point, one of the most picturesque locations on campus.

Happy 7th Anniversary, Nick!  I love you!


  Two days later, on our actual anniversary, I spent the morning at the local pumpkin patch with the girls for their preschool field trip.  We had a blast!  The girls explored (aka "climbed on") the large collection of pumpkins out in front of the general store, we checked out the squash and gourds and other yummy veggies and took some cute pictures by a festively decorated wagon...all before the rest of the class arrived! 

The rest of the class arrives and I get my first chance to witness the girls interacting with their classmates.  We took a hayride back to the pumpkin patch where the kids each got to pull their own pumpkin off the vine, which they thought was very cool!  After the kids were pleased with their choice of pumpkin, we rode the wagon back to the store up front where we enjoyed a snack of sugar cookies and apple cider...Yum! 

As the class prepares to return to school, the girls and I head into the store to pick up some homemade noodles, a couple of tasty pumpkin muffin mixes and one more (very large) pumpkin for the front porch.

 I love autumn.