UNITED STATES—It’s here! Summer is over and I could not be more ecstatic. There are a multitude of reasons which I have alluded to in the past. The biggest being the calmness of the weather. Look it has been a brutal summer for those of us living in the Midwest. I mean jeez, the month of May, June, July and August have been excessive when it comes to heat. I’m someone who just doesn’t do heat that well. For me perfect temps are between 50-70 degrees. I like the notion of being able to wear a hoodie, a fleece or a windbreaker; because if you want to wear a jacket you can and if you don’t want to wear a jacket you don’t have to.

The biggest plus for me is the opportunity to get back into the kitchen. The summer heat totally throws me out of the kitchen because the last thing I want to do is slave over a stove or oven when it’s already feeling like 100 degrees plus outside, just imagine how hot it will be inside once you turn on that stove or oven, more like 110 to 120. Yeah, I see people do that all the time with the oven and they don’t even have central air; it drives me bonkers.

The opportunity to craft so many tasty fall dishes like beef stew, chili, pot roast and anything that sticks to the bones to knock the chill off from the weather outdoors is a victory for me. In addition, the kids are back to school! I mean during June thru August a lot of the retailers and places outdoors are packed with kids. With school back in session that is no longer the case America. Of course babies and toddlers will still be attached to those parents, but if your child is capable of going to school, they’re in the classroom from 8ish to about 4ish.

It leaves the parent with plenty of time to relax and do things that are not easy to get done during the busy summer months. In addition, the holidays are fast approaching. I love Halloween, the one time a year that we actually get to dress up and be someone besides ourselves for a day. In addition, you get that opportunity to indulge in all things scary and I love a great scary movie America. Once Halloween bids adieu it’s time to start bonding with family in a major way with Thanksgiving. This is one of my favorite holidays because we get the opportunity to feast and not feel guilty about it. In addition, families bond, not to mention you have parades and the kick-off of the holiday shopping season.

I love Black Friday, it’s like the biggest holiday in the world for me and I love purchasing gifts for family. If you have a budget which so many of us actually do, it’s the prime opportunity to save a TON OF MONEY and cross everyone off your list without being overly stressed. Also Black Friday isn’t all about spending money; I enjoy it because of the comradery you get being in the presence of others who have made the day a tradition for the family; it is an opportunity to bond and I adore that greatly.

Once you send Thanksgiving on its way, we have Christmas right around the corner. The time of giving is at its peak, winter starts to usher in and you have the snowflakes and decorations for those of us living in the colder regions of the country. Nothing is promised, but it is indeed a great feeling to bond, share memories and spend time with family. I love fall and it will always remain my favorite season because so many happens from September to December that just amazes me year after year and the memories that we build are great and last a lifetime.

Written By Kelsey Thomas