Furry Friday -- The First Day Of Fall

Today is the first day of fall, my favorite time of the year. When I was a kid I loved fall because it meant school was really getting into gear, my mom would take me shopping for new winter clothes, I could munch on popcorn balls and caramel apples, and I'd be anxiously awaiting my October birthday.

When I got older, fall became more of a feast for the senses -- the golden yellow of the Colorado aspen leaves and later the satisfying crunch of their dried remains underfoot, the briskness and crisp smell in the air, the softness of a new scarf warming my neck, the mouthwatering scent of apple dumplings or pumpkin bread coming to life in the oven, the anticipation of the first snow.

I love the holidays that fall during fall -- Halloween, Thanksgiving and the build-up to Christmas (which, in my opinion, is more exciting than Christmas itself). I've always enjoyed carving pumpkins and was thrilled when I learned last year that Oahu has a real live pumpkin patch where you can walk through rows upon rows of round orange pumpkins and pick your selection right off the vine.

I also like Halloween because I always end up laughing until tears come to my eyes when we dress poor Conan in some type of humiliating costume. The picture above is one of my all-time favorite shots of Conan. We were living in Del Rio, Texas, at the time and it was still probably 100 degrees out in October. The costume was too small. The eye goobers just add to the patheticness. I chuckle every time I see this picture and I hope it brings a smile to your face too. :)