It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

While I tend to anticipate and get excited about seasonal changes, none can excite me as much as the transition from summer to fall. I love the fall. I love pumpkins. I love corn mazes and hayrides. I love the smell of bon fires as they drift on a crisp, cool breeze. I love switching out my bathing suit and flip flops for long sleeved knits and my dark brown wool Mary Janes. Oh, and I love the return of seasonal treats like pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, pumpkin lattes…are you seeing a trend here?

I think I’m even more excited about fall this year because I get to share it with our new little munchkin. I’ve been working hard at putting together her fall wardrobe, and I cannot WAIT to get her first Halloween costume (we’ve yet to decide what she’s going to be – Pottery Barn and the Disney Store are neck-n-neck!)

But even more exciting is this…

12 years ago, when we were sophomores in college, our friend invited us all out to her parents’ home in a rural area of NJ for a day filled with pumpkin picking, corn mazing and haunted hay-riding. We decided then that it would become a tradition. And in 12 years, there has only been one year that we did not gather at our friend’s home in NJ.

This year, many of us now have children or are pregnant, and I’m so excited to introduce Bella to this great tradition, along with all the other little ones in the group. It is my hope that we’ll continue this tradition for years to come, and that all our kids will know about the Annual Haunted Hayride gathering!

Then…

And now…

Do you have fun fall traditions? I’d love to hear about them!

Jerrica Knight-Catania is the author of A Gentleman Never Tells, available now from Second Wind Publishing!