Fall - the best things about my [least] favorite season

Welcome to this week's Friday Five. If you are new here, Friday Five is nothing more than a short (hahaha) list of five random(ish) things. They might be favorites, thankfuls, pet peeves, or frankly whatever else strikes me on any given Friday. 

I'm going to be blunt and honest: I HATE FALL! Sorry to yell about it, but even when you give it a pretty name like Autumn, this season of death and I just don't get along. I'm a summer girl - sunshine, long days, and warm nights. However, I am going to take a possitive approach to this, my least favorite season, and rather than dwell on the things I don't like about it, today I am going to dig deep and share five things that I DO like. 

Ready? Okay. Here goes: 

1. The fall colors in my garden. - There aren't many things I love more than a full, blossoming flower garden. And, as the majority of my garden colors start to fade, I am grateful for the foresight and planning that went into planting fall-bloomers as well. It almost makes the death of everything else in my yard bearable .. almost. 

2. Driving with the sunroof open.  - I have one requirement when purchasing a car... okay, that's a lie, I'm a pretty particular consumer, but there is one thing I will not compromise on: my sunroof! Now, in all fairness, if I could accommodate my family in a Jeep, the sunroof would become a mute point because, hallelujah, the whole roof comes off (and that's better than just a roof-window any day!) But, for the sake of our current family needs, the sunroof option is the only way to go. And when the fall sun shines, opening up the roof to a beautiful blue sky and fresh, crisp air will put an instant smile on this girls face. :-)  

3. The daily excitement of seeing my children's creativity and/or ingenuity. - Not that they aren't creative or ingenious during other parts of the year, but during fall (October in particular) I get the daily experience of seeing those minds at work. We have a cute set of blocks that sit so unassumingly on our mantel. By design, they are supposed to spell out the word "SPOOKY." By my children's design, however, we are granted the opportunity for new word (and often a little chuckle) every single morning.

4.Backyard Bonfires - aka: Roasting Marshmallows- Because we live in a neighborhood that has, in recent years, had its fair share of wild fire scares and evacuations, we've chosen, for the sake of keeping our neighbors' anxiety in check, not to burn fires in the hot, dry summer months. As soon as things cool down a bit, however, the bonfires are on! Now, short of being a family of pyromaniacs (which we may or not be...), I am one of the few adult women who actually LOVE roasted marshmallows. S'mores? Eh. Go ahead and keep your graham crackers and chocolate. All I need is the sugary goodness of a golden, warm marshmallow and the hypnotic company of dancing flames. 

5. Hot Apple Cider - One of the few indulgences I discovered when I went sugar free, was the delight of a nice hot mug of unsweetened cider. Like most of my food choices, I don't like it too spicy. Just a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. So simple, yet so satisfying. 

Photo courtesy landolakes.com