I am so ready for fall, and I have approximately 47 reasons why. Don’t get me wrong, summers are beautiful, and I know how much us Midwesterners cherish those precious three or four months of warmth before Mother Nature remembers she has a personal vendetta against us. We spend all winter dreaming about sunshine, grilling, lake days, and being able to leave the house without dressing like we’re preparing for an expedition to Antarctica. I get it. Summer has its place.
But I am READY FOR SPOOKY SEASON. The fall colors make me want to be outside way more than the July heat ever does. There is something so comforting about that first cool breeze and the trees changing colors. It feels like the world is slowing down a little bit, and I desperately need that right now.
Maybe it’s because I’m currently in my third trimester and summer feels approximately 900 years long. Being pregnant in the heat is a special kind of character development. I have never understood the phrase “glowing pregnancy” more literally because at this point I am mostly just hot, sweaty, and swollen.
But then I think about what’s waiting for me this fall, baby snuggles, cozy mornings, blankets, little newborn outfits, and hopefully a baby boy who will tolerate my aggressively festive Halloween obsession. And suddenly I can handle it.
Pumpkin spice coffees. Halloween decorations. Candles. Cozy nights. Harry Potter marathons. The smell of leaves. The sound of the wind outside. All of it. That is my happy place.
I have honestly been about half a step away from making my husband drag all of our Halloween decorations out of storage right now. The only thing stopping me is that our house is already absolute chaos from getting ready for baby boy. There are baby things everywhere, laundry everywhere, and approximately 17 things we keep saying we need to “organize this weekend.” So maybe adding skeletons to the chaos would be excessive. Maybe.
And then there’s my best friend, who immediately responded to my Halloween enthusiasm with, “No. Too soon, girl.” She’s kind of my balance when I start having my slightly unhinged hormone-fueled ideas. I bring the chaos; she brings the common sense. It’s a beautiful friendship.
Still, I feel like I have earned an early Halloween this year.
So if you happen to drive by my house in the next few weeks and see ghosts hanging from the porch, skeletons lounging in the front yard, pumpkins appearing suspiciously early, or a heavily pregnant woman drinking a pumpkin spice coffee while watching Harry Potter…Don’t judge me because I needed this.
