The beauty of simplicity: Everything that is great about my FAVORITE season.

Weather, weather, weather. It’s the most frowned upon conversation and it happens every day to every single one of us. Around this time of the year the talk of the town is the weather and how it is too hot, too cold or too indecisive. Well I feel like I've been having the weather conversation with everyone recently and I always get asked what my favorite season is. The question has always been followed up with a long pause and then a long preface explaining why I liked all the seasons. Well I will no longer be pausing after being asked this question; I have my answer and it is fall. There are several reasons for this answer but rather than boring you with my love for trees, shades of oranges and reds, football season and I am going to jump to…

For the longest time I have said that the Saturday before Halloween was my favorite day of the entire year and I am sticking to it. It is my favorite day because when I was in sixth grade, sitting in the back seat of my dad's old car, listening to U2's "All You Can Leave Behind" album, wearing a black volleyball jersey with a red ribbon in my hair, I felt a joy and happiness that I will never forget. The sun was radiant, the smell of leather and coffee was lingering as I sung my heart out to Beautiful Day with my dad and sister. It's almost like the day knows I am excited for it's arrival, because it has yet to disappoint me; it's always that perfect 70 degrees and the sun shows up ever year.

I got to go home for the first time in 2 months this past weekend and it was just wonderful. There is nothing in the world that can compare to pulling back the bedspread on your bed and seeing your favorite sheets sitting there all warm and ready for you to snuggle up in them, now that was one heck of a sleep. Then to wake up in the morning to the smell of baked apples, biscuits and bacon is a joy in itself. Wow, home is great. I've come to realize that my parents LOVE to buy me things when I am home, weather it's clothes or grocery's they shove things in my hands and tell me to get more, this is one of the many perks of waiting two months to come home. I'm not complaining. A delicious dinner can always be expected on Saturday nights and of course my sister and I get to choose what the family eats, so all day we go through our options, the anticipation builds and then there it is: the best grilled chicken in the world, fluffy mashed potatoes, about 3 pounds of broccoli and the best kind of bread around. Now home is great, but home is even better in the fall. Mom had the house decorated with all things Halloween, the leaves on the pretty tree in front of my window were starting to fade into a pretty orange and I got to take a fat nap on my favorite couch with football playing in the background. Pumpkins are all over the town, signs for Fall festivals are hung at every corner, haunted house advertisements are on half of the billboards and the whole world is crisp and familiar. Home, home, home.

Highlights from my weekend include: Jumping up and down and screaming my face off with my sister during the Tech/TCU game (welcome to the big 12 TCU!!), shopping with my dad, getting to hug my very best friend and my absolute favorite was helping my mom get ready for her Halloween party.

A while back my mom told me she had been going to this dance/workout class, well a few weeks ago she told me the truth; her and a bunch of other ladies were really practicing the Thriller dance. The purpose behind learning this dance was so they could flashmob at this Halloween party! Can I be that cool please? My mom dressed up as a zombie and my dad was a news director who got murdered with a clapboard, he had an entire script written up on his shirt and he wore the clapboard around all night. It was so much fun helping them get ready. I admire how much the two of them seek out fun. They are too precious.