Basic-ly Ready For Fall!

A few years ago my roommate found out what it meant to be basic and flipped out. I think I had known for maybe a week or two before her, but I felt her pain. It is a weird feeling to be categorized in a negative way for liking things that are considered mainstream and honestly, delicious (Looking at you PSL). Apparently, it’s basic to go to music festivals and to dress a certain way, eat avocado toast (it’s the good kind of fat!) and more. We’re supposed to be individuals, but a group of individuals really like these things and apparently, that’s wrong. Sigh.

The amount of things that I like that are ‘basic’ are overwhelming and I’m not sure I care anymore. I think that makes me un-basic, unless, crap…is not caring about being basic actually being even MORE basic?

It seems that the most basic of basic things is Fall, which is stupid because everyone knows summer is the most basic season with her rosé all day! Ok, no I don’t agree with that either because rosé is delicious. Either way, it’s crazy to think a season can upset people like this!

It’s mid-September here in Florida and we won’t actually get fall until oh, February. I know, that sounds weird but that’s when our trees change colors and lose their leaves and we think about turning on the heat! Currently, I’m living through a bunch of friends and bloggers on Instagram who are waving goodbye to summer and slipping into cute flannel shirts and are apple picking! I WISH summer was ending because Fall is my favorite time of the year and I am over this Florida heat.

So, here’s a few things that I yearn for while I blast the AC in my car because it says at 103° at 6 p.m. at night.

College Football Saturdays: Going to Penn State University college football is life and begins right as Fall semester starts. Fall in State College, Pa is like no other; and definitely my favorite time of the year; it feels like a college fairly tale. The 162 year-old campus is gorgeous, surrounded by the mountains of Pennsylvania and well, the breeze is perfect. My heart would swell every time Old Main rang out across campus. I can still hear the crunch of the leaves on the sidewalk as my roommates and I would walk from downtown State College to Beaver Stadium about a mile away on football Saturdays. The Nittany blue/white tee-shirts slowly traded out for long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, gloves, hats and more. In a matter of weeks you could from sweating at a game to watching during a blizzard. One day I’ll get back to PSU for a game, but until then I continue to cross my fingers, hope and pray that those boys play in a championship game here in Florida!

Pumpkin Coffee: Ok, so yes everyone else is ready for Pumpkin Spice Lattes as well but I can’t exactly have one of those. Dairy and I broke up when I was a kid but I don’t want my inability to process lactose to stop me from enjoying this fall-in-a-cup beverage. I like to add a pump of this pumpkin-goodness to my Iced Americanos with a splash, just a splash, of coconut milk. Since we sweat about 90 percent of the time in Florida I am always drinking my coffee iced! Also, with this PSL-modification I’m getting all of the Fall yumminess with this drink but with like 7/8s less of the calories. With this return of this delicious flavor back at Starbucks and all local coffee joints, I am one happy Florida girl!

Ankle Booties/Boots/etc: At a curvy 5’3 knee-high boots aren’t the best look on me so I’m a big fan of ankle booties. Also, again it’s still warm out so I can get away with this fall-look by rolling up my jeans and creating a cute cuff and then throwing on some ankle booties. I don’t suffocate my legs this way and get hot and sweaty, I maintain an on-trend look and still feel like I have embraced fall. This also goes for scarves. Until the weather lives below 60° for longer than four hours, I will only wear the thinnest of scarves…for aesthetic purposes mainly. I shall continue to yearn for plaid, flannel and more until the weather permits this look!

Scented Candles: I confess, I am very into scented candles year round, however, I cannot handle vanilla scents or anything sweet. It hits my nose funny and I just do not like it. My favorite scents are more earthy and help bring the scent of the outdoors inside, think Lavender, Ocean, Flowers, etc. However in Fall, my candle obsession is in FULL affect. You know that fall scent that lingers in the air during Fall? It’s almost like you can smell the leaves changing and the hint of a fireplace burning in the distance. Bath & Body Works found that exact same scent and poured it into gorgeous 3-wick candles. My heart beats a bit faster every time I light one of these candles. I am so obsessed I even buy the Bath & Body Works car scents; I need Fall in my life this badly. My favorite scents are: Sweater Weather, Autumn and Leaves oh and of course, Flannel. These candles are not overly offensive in a sickly sweet way, they burn really well and make you feel like a gorgeous, burly guy just started a fire for you! Yum!

Daylight Saving Time: Ok, so here’s a small tip if you did not know, it is Saving time not Savings time. Share the knowledge wealth this year! OK, so why am I excited for Daylight Saving Time?

• I am NOT an early riser. However, with this clock adjustment lady sunshine gets up about an hour earlier and therefore pours her little, shiny beams in to my window and straight into my eyes. This definitely gets me out of bed and starting my day earlier as well. This is a win for me and work!
• Since it is still warm in October/November we don’t really get the effects of Fall/Winter weather during the holidays. However, when it’s dark out earlier it invokes that holiday spirit I felt growing up in Pennsylvania. To me, it means that Thanksgiving and Christmas, and lots of family fun, is just around the corner. When I leave work at 6 p.m. and it’s dark out, it gets me so excited. OK, that’s another nerd spot of mine I’m now realizing.

What are you guys feeling this fall? How many scarves will you go through this season? And are you a Pumpkin Spice or an Apple Cider kind of gal?

Leave me a note in the comments and let me know if you think that my Daylight Saving obsession is weird?  Yeah, it IS weird, isn’t it?

Happy Fall y’all!