Things to look forward to this Fall

 

No, a pumpkin-spice latte is not on this list.

I feel like I’ve gotten really comfortable over the last couple of months. It almost feels too comfortable. It’s been a while since I did something for the first time, learned a new skill or took a big step out of my comfort zone.

Even though the arrival of fall means that the year is slowly coming to an end, I also think it’s a perfect time to make some changes in life, to try new things. They don’t need to be huge changes or big new things- they can be small changes like taking a new class at the gym, cleaning out your closet, going for a run every morning, trying a new place to eat.

The evenings will arrive much quicker and the weather won’t always be perfect (yes to long, rainy Saturday mornings!). This means that we’ll all have more time to do the things we don’t feel like doing during summer, because we’d rather be outdoors, enjoying the weather. Things like reading, cooking, writing, taking long baths, having sleep-overs with your best friend, discovering new music, cleaning your wardrobe and donating/selling things you no longer need. Oh, and I really want to brush up on my Spanish, too!

CATCHING UP ON READING

There’s a whole stack of new, unread books next to my desk. It keeps getting bigger and bigger, instead of getting smaller. One of my goals this fall is to try to read at least one book a week. I love re-reading HP books during fall and winter but I really want to start reading new books, discovering new authors. Those long, rainy autumn evenings are perfect for cuddling up with a book and a glass of wine or a cup of tea. Here’s hoping I’ll be able to finish reading everything from my current to-read list!

SPENDING TIME IN THE KITCHEN

Cooking is one of my favorite things to do, yet it’s been so long since I’ve tried a new recipe. I usually cook two different meals for both Mark and myself since I’m plant-based and he’s not. I’ve gotten a little lazy. I’ll admit it. I’ll cook something nice for him every night, and make a big batch of something for myself on Monday and just reheat it throughout the week. Boring. I’m dying to try some seasonal recipes like Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli or Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Herbs.

STYLE

I think this is the one we’re all really excited about isn’t it? The weather is still in low 90s here (!!) but the mornings are so nice and cool, I can’t wait to dig out my favorites knits and boots. Actually, I made a mistake of wearing my favorite sweater to work the other day, because I was cold in the morning. Big mistake. Huge. Perhaps, I’ll be able to make through a couple more days, until the weather cools down for good. I definitely have a lot of love for hats and blanket scarves, too.

CLEANING UP + ORGANIZING EVERYTHING AROUND THE HOUSE

This year, I want to try something different. Instead of my usual, big spring-cleaning session, I want to clean everything out before January. I find it so crazy that when we moved into our house eight years ago, we pretty much had nothing. We were both moving out of our mamas’ homes and all Mark had was a huge TV set, a bed, and a dresser; all I had were my clothes and a TV (with a built-in VHS player can you freaking believe? God, I’m old.). Now, we have so.much.stuff. Too much, if you ask me. You know those things you no longer use, but you refuse to throw away? Mark has his laptop from college, which weighs about 20 pounds and hasn’t been used in ages; there are two printers that no longer work, a bunch of my college textbooks I refuse to recycle because they cost me a small fortune and don’t even get me started on my wardrobe.

Come January, I want to start everything nice and fresh, so I’m doing a HUGE clean-up this fall. I did this a few months ago in the kitchen and OMG I have so much space now! I can actually fit things into the cabinets.

When we moved in together we bought a bunch of small, cheap kitchen appliances, utensils, pots, pans, etc. Just to hold us over until we find some nice, grown-up “kitchen things”. Except, when we finally got the “nice” things, we refused to throw the old ones away because “aww we shared our first dinner in the empty living room on this plate, remember?!” Yes, I also remember the ugly, green carpet in that living room, but somehow I didn’t feel bad ripping that apart and throwing it away (I really wanted to burn it, to be honest. Mark wouldn’t let me).

Us buying a house happened so quick (we were first looking to rent, but a lot of places we liked wouldn’t allow dogs, especially bully breeds, which is total BS, btw) that we didn’t even have a single mug or a spoon. I think that when you first move out on your own, you’re just so excited to start “adulting” that you start buying a bunch of shit you don’t need. Like those “as seen on TV” veggie chopping tools that fall apart after a couple of uses. Then, you end up in a house full of crap you don’t need or use. So, since the kitchen is already done, I’ll be soon moving on to the basement and the garage (Mark is not excited about this one, I think he might actually try to booby trap the stairs to the garage/basement).

SLOWING DOWN

This is what I’m looking forward to the most. I want to pick up knitting again. To actually start reading the magazines I buy. Having those hour-long at-home pamper sessions once in a while, because hell, I deserve it. Cooking those big meals, having family over and actually eating at the table, not in my office, while checking emails. Taking long walks with Blu and really, really slowing the F down.

Okay, so there’s another thing I have to mention. I’m not a big TV person (can’t stand the commercials ever since the arrival of Netflix) but I CANNOT WAIT for The Walking Dead to return to TV. Seriously, that and football is the only reason I’m still willing to pay for cable TV. I know that only those who love this show will understand my obsessive enthusiasm and ridiculous level of fanaticism.

What are you guys looking forward to doing and/or discovering this fall?