MAINE!!!

In case you've been living under a rock and/or don't know me and/or don't read my blog on a regular basis (which, I know, is very doubtful), I must preface this post by stating one fact:

Fall is, without fail, the best season in all the land.

Many tend to argue with this stated fact (how one can argue with a fact is beyond me, but whatever) by citing summertime as the best season in all the land... especially in Chicago. But I beg to differ. I mean, clearly those people seem to be conveniently forgetting all about excessive heat and humidity that comes with summertime fun. Ugh.

But fall. Oh fall. The flavors of the season, the colors of the season, the MERRIMENT OF THE SEASON THAT'S RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER?!?!?!?!?

I rest my case.

Anyway, it's been a dream of mine to do a road trip through the New England states in the Fall. Sipping warm cozy beverages, admiring the lovely fall foliage, enjoying the quaintness that IS New England... if that doesn't scream all things happy in the world, I just don't know what does.

Imagine my surprise when I unveiled this grand dream to one of my friends/co-workers who surprisingly responded with the fact that her good friend had the SAME dream?!? Well, OBVIOUSLY we had to seize the opportunity! Carpe diem, if you will.

After much planning (completely on their part... thanks again, Purvi and Rina!)... the fall foliage trip to end all fall foliage trips finally took place!! And I have to say... while I had QUITE high expectations, Maine 100% surpassed all of my expectations. Sigh- it seriously was everything I hoped and dreamed it to be and more!

There were five of us who ended up embarking on this little adventure last weekend (thank GOD it was last weekend and not this weekend... yikes, Mother Nature).  We flew into Boston Friday evening... oh wait, before I begin. Let me introduce the characters that are involved here... I think the pictures can speak for themselves.

Purvi...

Rina...

Trang...

And Ruma...

  And, then, well, me. There are pictures of me all over this blog so no need for a separate profile picture. Anyway! Back to the trip!

Okay, so we flew in Friday night (after a slight flight delay) and drove up to Portland, Maine that same night. Did you know that Portland is only a couple of hours away from Boston?? I had no idea. Anyway, it was all very delightful. Check out the COZIEST LITTLE INN THAT WE STAYED IN OUR FIRST NIGHT!!!

Okay- so maybe it was a Howard Johnson. But whatever. Doesn't it SCREAM log cabin-y coziness?!?

Anyway, that Saturday morning, we had some time to just enjoy Portland. Despite the gray skies and drizzle, Portland's quaint, cozy charm was clearly evident.

With lots of cozy, happy beverages...

And a little stalking of local barbers who just happen to be the most adorable men in the world thrown in for good measure...

After perusing the finer offerings of downtown Portland, we hit the road again. While the end destination was Bar Harbor in Acadia National Park (3 hours from Portland), we had a few pit stops along the way...

Obviously, stop #1 had to be the LL Bean store. This thing sounded ridiculous... and it kind of was.

Yes, that is a giant boot.Anyway, it was an interesting enough stop, but none of us were overly wow'ed by it... granted, we had pretty sky-high expectations given the descriptions Rina had found of this place but still. I mean, if you can't kayak in an indoor pond at LL Bean, where CAN you do that?

Anyway, quickly moving on... time to find some lighthouses!

After navigating some windy roads and getting lost just a couple of times (no road trip would be complete without getting lost, right?), we finally found the first lighthouse that we were going to stop at. It was a little windy and slightly drizzly, making the walk to the lighthouse (which we were even questioning as BEING a lighthouse to begin with) a bit treacherous, but we powered through... well, at least for a little bit. But the water was SCARY! So we stopped walking the path about halfway through and turned around.

And we were off again! This time to Bar Harbor, Maine. I was so excited to see this bed and breakfast that we were staying in, I just couldn't WAIT.

And for good reason too. I can safely say that the Inn at Southwest bed and breakfast is one of the best bed and breakfasts...ever. We were greeted by the cutest co-owner (Esther) who had fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies just waiting for us!! Happiness, if you will.

Saturday night was pretty mellow, since everything closes by like 7 PM over there. We just hung out in our cozy bed and breakfast and went to bed early since we had to be up early the next morning... for rock climbing!

Well, some of us went rock climbing (how scaling rocks that are hanging over treacherous waters is appealing to anyone... well, I will certainly never understand).

Others went for little strolls in the forest. CHECK OUT THESE PICTURES!!!

All in all, it was a DELIGHTFUL Sunday morning. I'm so proud/happy for the rock climbers! It was clearly a worthwhile, exhilarating experience. After the morning activities, we reconvened for lunch and... well, a mini photo session apparently (note: I am not posting ALL the photos we took in this one area because... quite frankly, we spent way more time than was healthy posing for pictures in this one location).

I love, love, love pictures of people laughing! It just makes me so HAPPY!

Anyway, after THAT nonsense, we ended up setting off for the peak of Cadillac Mountain to watch a brilliant sunset.

I honestly can't express how peaceful and PERFECT the top of this mountain was. It was just view after view after view. Perfection.

Anyway, amidst that perfection, it was also a tad bit COLD. So we snapped some pictures before heading right back into that heated car of ours to head back to our cozy, cozy bed and breakfast.

Since nothing is really open past like 7 PM in Bar Harbor (at least at this time of year), we decided to order in (two feet of) pizza from the local gas station. How many things are wrong with that sentence? Sigh. Anyway. A story for another time...

And that was Sunday night. We ended up hanging out in the bed and breakfast, eating that pizza and mingling with some of the fellow guests (sigh. They were just so adorable) before calling it a night. We had another early morning on Monday, since we were now beginning the drive back down the state to get back to Boston in time for our evening flights!

After the slightly disappointing "lighthouse" pit stop we'd had on the way to Bar Harbor on Saturday, we figured we needed to give it another go. So the group pinpointed another lighthouse they wanted to check out and we headed straight for it.

Sweet. Success.

It really was quite beautiful. Once that mission was accomplished, we headed back to that car. Next stop? Pit stop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for lunch and... well, shenanigans.

 

Sigh. All in all, SUCH a successful trip. I honestly was NOT ready for it to end... I hadn't gotten enough of the fall foliage and cozy beverages!! For next year... and the year after... and the year after... and, well you get the idea, right?

*A HUGE THANK YOU TO ESTHER AND SANDY for making our experience at your Inn at Southwest bed and breakfast one of the best experiences ever! We are truly appreciative of your efforts and hospitality and will DEFINITELY be advertising this place to future visitors of Bar Harbor. :)

**Special thanks to (all of) the photogs on this trip! Purvi, Rina, Ruma and Trang- your pictures were FANTASTIC (iPhones and all... ;))

Pumpkin, Pumpkin EVERYWHERE!!!!

I know, I know- this blog post title may be a bit deceiving. If you are thinking you are going to hear about my weekend adventures at a pumpkin patch, hand-picking out my very own fresh pumpkins to bake some fresh pumpkin pie, scones, breads, muffins... welllll, not exactly.

Here's the thing- I. Love. Fall. Case in point:

FALL!!!!!! - a completely unbiased review

A Road Trip in the Name of Alllll Things Good and Fallll!

Pumpkin Carving Party Time!

Love may be an understatement, actually.

Well, if you know me at all, you also know another great love of mine- Trader Joe's.

Ahhh, HAPPINESS!!! Just typing the grocery store's NAME sends happy little shivers down my spine.

So can you only IMAGINE my reaction when I walked into my neighborhood Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and realized that... well, the flavors of pumpkin had kind of thrown up on Trader Joe's. Shelf after shelf, aisle after aisle... of allllll things PUMPKIN-Y GOODNESS!!!!!!

Now, typically I go into Trader Joe's with complete direction, guidance and purpose. I mean, sure, I take the occasional peek at the latest and greatest goods that TJ's is offering (how can you NOT? EVERYTHING Trader Joe's sells is nothing short of PERFECTION... I'm not kidding), but for the most part, I have my staples that typically guide my way around the store.

I can safely say that the day I discovered all the pumpkin-y goodness that Trader Joe's decided to grace its shelves with was one of the happiest grocery shopping days of my life. You may think I'm exaggerating but I'm not- I'm oddly obsessed with grocery shopping and grocery shopping at Trader Joe's... well, it seriously is one of my happy places. Not gonna lie- sometimes I go to my neighborhood Trader Joe's after a bad day and it simply just cheers me up. So weird.. but then again, that's me.

Anyway, back to that day of pumpkin-y goodness. You better believe I took my own sweet time that day... strolling aisle after aisle, perusing shelf after shelf.. .ensuring that I didn't miss a single pumpkin-y product that I would want to try! Hell, I was even tempted to buy the pumpkin-y dog treats... and I don't even have a dog! (What? I KNOW people who have dogs! I could've just given it to one of them!)

Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard...

And you know what? This wasn't even my first trip to stock up on TJ's pumpkin-y goodness. It was my third... okay, fifth... time to TJ's in the course of like two weeks.

Oh whatever- judge all you want. But may I recommend TRYING each of these TJ's products before judging? Honestly, it is all just so delicious, I don't even know where to begin.

Sure, I'm not really the biggest fan of pancakes or waffles... but yes, there IS a nice little box of pumpkin pancake/waffle mix in the pile there... but WHAT?! Don't pumpkin pancakes just SOUND incredible? And, let's be honest, during one of my TJ's trips last week- they were handing out free samples of pumpkin pancakes... and I have to say. It's singlehandedly changed my feelings/aversion to pancakes. So I simply HAD to buy a whole box of the mix... naturally.

And God, those pumpkin-cranberry scones are just so SOFT and DELICIOUS. The pumpkin is even subtle enough so as not to overwhelm the cranberry part of the scone. 

Hmm- OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE PUMPKIN GREEK YOGURT!!!! So I went to TJ's on Saturday (you know, trip #4) and spotted this little treasure of pumpkin-y goodness that I had somehow missed in past trips... but MAN, I was CERTAINLY missing out!! I only bought two pumpkin Greek yogurts on Saturday, just to taste test. Well, clearly the taste test passed... this was seriously like dessert. Which explains... well, my little stockpiled collection after today's trip.

Aaand, holy mother!! Today, I just happened to visit another Trader Joe's to see if they had in stock some of the things my neighborhood Trader Joe's did not... gotta make the Chicago circuit!! I was more than a little bummed to learn that this TJ's was also out of pumpkin spice chai and pumpkin cereal bars... BUT!!! Talk about a sign... I totally stumbled upon some pumpkin-y type of OATMEAL which I have DEFINITELY not seen at my neighborhood TJ's!! It took literally one second of my eyes popping outta my socket to dump that box of oatmeal into my (quickly filling) grocery basket... OMG!!! I LOVE OATMEAL!!! I LOVE PUMPKIN!!! I LOVE TRADER JOE'S!!!! ALL THREE TOGETHER?!?!?!?! HELLO!!!!

Whew. Okay. And let's see, so just a little clarification about the TJ's pumpkin spice chai latte mix that you see in my collection. So I already mentioned that both TJ's I went to were out of pumpkin spice chai... well, it turns out that TJ's is actually out of pumpkin spice chai for the SEASON!! However, I just had to point out that I got to TJ's early enough in the season to have snagged at least ONE package of the pumpkin spice chai latte mix (seriously, I bought this pumpkin spice chai during trip #1 of the pumpkin TJ's shopping spree)... you would think knowing that TJ's is out for the SEASON would encourage me to portion control my pumpkin spice chai intake... but, well, it certainly does not. This sh*t is nothing short of amazing.

Onto the cream cheese... I'd bought that Trader Joe's pumpkin cream cheese a week or so ago (trip #3, if you will) and... again, as with all these other products, it was divine. So I was just chit-chatting with my TJ's grocer (they are all so FRIENDLY!!) during today's trip and he was giving his own little rundown on each pumpkin product he was ringing up (this is why I adore TJ's grocers... they truly believe in the food they are selling!), and at one point he was like "So... I see you don't have the pumpkin cream cheese in your basket... I must say, it's incredible"... to which I immediately scoffed and was like "Oh, don't you worry. I already HAVE that purchased" (I wanted to tack on the term of endearment "silly" to the end of that statement but feared that would be getting a little too comfortable with my TJ's grocer). 

Wow. I was about to go on and on, but I just realized that I'm pretty much writing a dissertation on all things pumpkin and Trader Joe's.

Whew!!! Talk about a flurry of activity.. writing this post just made me SO HAPPY. I really think I could survive on Trader Joe's alone for quite a few months.. I mean, hell, my bathroom products are all starting to be very "Trader Joe's"-y as well! My shampoo, conditioner, lotion (OMG- TJ's Coconut Butter is this lotion-y type thing that SMELLS INCREDIBLE!!!! I legitimately get so excited to finish my showers so I can just gorge my skin with this lotion), well- you get the idea.

But I digress. Okay! Off to make some dinner... hmm, whatEVER will I prepare? ;)

Pumpkin Carving Party Time!

For as much as I love, love, loooove the grandest season of alllll, Fallllll, I actually don't think I get as over-the-top festive about it as some other folks. I think I'm GETTING there, but some people have it down PAT.

Earlier in the week, one of my friends, Joyce, had invited me to a pumpkin carving party at one of her friends' places. I'm not going to lie- I hesitated before accepting the invite. I mean, I know, I know- what could be more fall perfection than a pumpkin carving party of all things? But I've never carved a pumpkin before and, quite frankly, it seemed like it was going to be HARD. WORK.

I was so wrong. Last night's party turned out to be one of the best events I've attended in QUITE some time!! It sure did add to the whole "love of the grandest season of alllll, Fallll" element, let me tell YOU.

I knew that it was going to be a great shindig when I get to the apartment and the hosts greeted me with... mulled wine/cider. Have you guys ever had this stuff? I've had it before and l-o-v-e it. It's so dangerous because it really does just taste like apple cider! And last night's mulled wine was no joke... so fresh, so tasty, so... well, deliciousness in a mug, if you will.



As folks kept on coming, the pumpkin pile kept on growing.



And that was just a portion of the pumpkins present! These hosts clearly knew what they were doing- the turnout was IM-pressive! Who would've thought? Once everyone had arrived, we got right down to business.

And by right down to business, I mean the experts in the room were quickly made clear. One girl went right to town while another person whipped out... an electric drill.

Umm. As soon as we saw THAT, Joyce and I just looked at each other with... well, not going to lie. A slight look of terror. Considering neither of us had ever carved a pumpkin in our lives, we decided to share one to... well, blame one another if it ended up looking awful, let's be honest here. Trust me, I was not holding out much hope.

It turned out to be so FUN though! We got started by cutting a hole at the pumpkin stem...



And cleaning that puppy OUT!



One of the experts at the party had offhandedly mentioned that the cleaner the insides of the pumpkin, the better it was going to look once carved. So we kind of took that to heart and proceeded to spend much longer than necessary cleaning the pumpkin out. So much longer, in fact, that by the time we were ready to copy our design template onto the pumpkin, others were already in FULL CARVING MODE.

This should have been our first clue that we were going to fall quickly behind, but... well, we had so much to catch up on! Bear in mind, Joyce is like my twin. So you can imagine how quickly we can get distracted by our gossip/catch up session when we're doing something as mindless as cleaning out that pumpkin. You know what? OH WELL- the people sitting around us were clearly entertained by our stories. And, well, it's all about the company and stuff, right? Right.

Alright, so once we had cleaned that pumpkin out so well you could eat straight off of it, we embarked on the whole tracing the template we'd picked out and starting the carving process. Dude, this was HARD! I happily delegated the tracing of the template to Joyce (after all, she'd picked the pumpkin!)... let's face it, I would have ruined it. I. Am. Not. Crafty.

Once the template was traced onto the pumpkin, I was delegated the task of carving. Lord have mercy. Since I don't have patience nor that whole attention to detail quality, I was all ready and set to just use a knife to start the carving process. It seemed like it would go a WHOLE lot faster than the miniscule little tools the pumpkin carving kit came with. But... well, using a knife was a little scary! I feel like it's HARD to carve a pumpkin with a knife- you have seemingly little control over how that knife is going to cut!

So... after just a fleeting few minutes of using the knife, I resorted back to... well, those miniscule pumpkin carving kit tools. And wow- what. a. difference. I mean, I'm not type A by any means, but there is something OH so rewarding about being able to cut at the EXACT points you've traced onto your pumpkin. It was actually quite a delightful experience!

Well... it was delightful until the experience took a turn for the stressful. I guess it turns out that Joyce and I were so busy chit-chatting during our whole pumpkin cleaning spectacle that, by the time we had started the carving process, people were already done! God, we were totally like the remedial students in pumpkin carving class.

It's amazing how quickly we can switch gears though. If we'd known each other in school, I think we would have totally been best friends. Because as SOON as we realized how behind we were, we ceased pretty much ALL forms of communication and went to TOWN carving that pumpkin- Joyce took one half, I took the other. All in the name of... well, not looking like complete failures during our first pumpkin carving experience.

It's amazing how quickly it all came together though! I guess that's what can happen when two of the chattiest girls alive just shut it and FOCUS. Hahaha. Alright, so maybe the party had to slightly delay the whole jack-o-lantern picture taking experience, because they were waiting on us to finish but hey! They didn't have to wait ALL that much longer!

And check out the result! Amaze!!


Joyce and I were SO PROUD OF OURSELVES!! Can you tell?


So proud, in fact, that we lugged that thing out to Old Town Social (a neighborhood bar) afterwards. That's right. Shameless, that we are. But look at this thing!


If it's just not the most adorable jack-o-lantern you've ever laid eyes on, I just don't know what is.

Sigh. All future pumpkin carving parties... sign me UP! Best. Idea. Ever.

A Road Trip in the Name of Alllll Things Good and Fallll!

I'm baaaack!! After traveling for five weeks, I am back where I belong... CHICAGO!!!! Needless to say, I was so ready, set, PUMPED to be back home. What better way to really express my renewed appreciation for the grand city of Chicago than... to peace outta Chicago and head to Milwaukee the day after my grand return? Oh, the irony.

For good reason though! A couple of friends (Emily and Jay) and I had planned a road trip this weekend to visit another couple of good friends (Scott and Missy) who live in Milwaukee... and were gracious enough to host us during only like the grandest weekend of all time... the weekend of the local FALL FESTIVAL!!!!

OMGDSfkjjdsflaksjfdlkj!!! If you know me at ALL, you KNOW that Fall is my FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR!!!! The crisp, cool air, the beautiful foliage colors, the flavors of PUMPKIN and APPLE... dude, seriously. It canNOT get any BETTER. So you better BELIEVE I basically LEAPED on this opportunity to celebrate Fallll in allll its grandeur at this Fall Festival.

And, BOY, did it SO not disappoint.

The road trip started off... well, kind of anticlimactically. Of course, there were hugs GALORE when I first reunited with Emily... I mean, who are we kidding? It was like giddiness central. We made a quick pit stop at Walgreens since Emily wanted to pick up some iced tea and chips...

Then, we picked up Jay (reunion central again!) and were all ready, set to get on our WAY...

Except that I decided that I now wanted some water and chips as well... so we stopped at our second Walgreens in the course of... well, about ten minutes.

But THEN, we were ready, set and on our WAY! Milwaukee, here we come!!

After nothing short of a FABULOUS reunion with Missy and Scott (GOD, they are some of the best people ever invented), you better believe we wasted NO time in heading STRAIGHT for that Fall Festival! (I initially was doing my best to maintain a somewhat reserved, laid-back demeanor when Missy was asking us about thoughts on the afternoon's activities but... well, that lasted about five minutes. Hello!! A Fall Festival was a'CALLING! There was no TIME for beating around the bush, here!)

As soon as we arrived, I just knew, knew, KNEW I was not going to be disappointed.



And the FLAVORS of Fall!! GOD, it's been so long since I've had anything pumpkin flavored... well, minus the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte I had last week. But whatever. I haven't experienced total and complete pumpkin OVERLOAD just yet... and BOY, was I ready for it.

From pumpkin gelato...


To pumpkin beer...


To pumpkin pancakes...


To, well, pumpkins THEMSELVES...

Sigh. Let's just have a moment here, people. Let's just have a moment to rela-

Oh, screw it. lakjroewijulfkddjsajflksjdflkjlkJ!lkjlksjdflksjdf lkjfalksjfoiewrlkj! lskdjfoieurlwkjlkj! lkjkfasdjowielrkjlkjsdlkfhoiyvidhvlwkjl!jlkjfsaoiewlkjflksjd!! The grandest season of ALL is REALLY AND TRULY UPON US ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!lkfjdslkfjasdlkj!J!lkjlkajfdlkdsj! Seriously, just LOOKING at those pictures and RELIVING THE EXPERIENCE OF ALL THINGS GOOD AND PUMPKIN is making me so squeal-worthy HAPPY, I can barely STAND IT!!!!

You would think that would be the end of it, but I mean, please. It's just plain not. Amidst all the pumpkin-y goodness, we were also graced with the delight of only the second grandest flavor of alllll the season of Fallll... APPLE!!!


What better way to doll up this fine fruit than to... well, dump it in a bunch of chocolatey/caramely/sugary GOODNESS? I mean, will you LOOK at these things?!


God, can life really get any better? Really?

Well, I guess it can. Because, quite frankly, the best part about this weekend was just hanging out with some of my favorite people.


(Unfortunately, I didn't snap a photo of Missy and Scott, but that would OBVIOUSLY have gone here as well.)

After all the (mostly self-inflicted) chaos and delightfulness of the Fall Festival, Saturday night ended up being pretty chill, with a visit to a ping-pong bar:


And eating lots (and lots and lots) of good FOOD. For heaven's sake, Missy and Scott just do things so RIGHT. It had been a while since I've had a nice, home-cooked meal (let alone any fruits or veggies, in general)...


And quite frankly, Scott is a LEGIT master chef. Homemade pizza? I will TAKE it.


(The pancakes Scott whipped up the next morning only further corroborated the aforementioned FACT that he is a legit master chef.)

Add that to the SIXTY* donuts we consumed after the ping-pong bar on Saturday night, and I can safely say our bellies left the grand state of Wisconsin MORE than satisfied.

All in all, I can safely say that this weekend road trip was nothing short of a sweet success. Missy and Scott, THANK YOU for yet another pretty darn perfect weekend in Wisconsin. :)

*Yes. That's right. Sixty donuts. This is what happens when Scott rolls through a drive-thru donut stand (Sil's) at midnight and orders... not one donut per person, not half a dozen donuts, not even a dozen donuts. No, no. This is what happens when Scott orders... an OFFICE PACK of donuts. 60 donuts... for 5 people. Oh whatever, you better be keeping your judgmental thoughts to yourselves until you actually TRY these things. Melt. In your. MOUTH. DELICIOUSNESS. (I wish I'd snapped a picture but, quite frankly, we devoured those things before my camera even had a chance.)

happy first cozy coffee shop day of the SEASON!

i wish i could've written this entry this weekend when i was actually celebrating my first.... cozy coffee shop day of the season!!! woooohooooooooo! im not alone in this regard, im sure. right?? the grandest season of allllll, falllllll, is upon us, ladies and gents! i hope you're ready!!! i certainly am. after like the millionth day of 90+ degree heat, not to mention some pretty disgusting humidity, i have been MORE than happy to welcome the merriment and delights that only fall can bring (what can i say? im a wimp in the heat... im also kind of a wimp in the cold... i just kind of suck at temperature extremities, let's face it).

granted, i celebrated my first cozy coffee shop day by... working on some stuff on my laptop at a starbucks... glamorous, i know. but whatever. starbucks has their salted caramel hot chocolate again, so we're back on good terms. man, you just never KNOW what days you'll find me loving the 'bucks and what days you'll find me hating the 'bucks but whatever. it's all part of the adventure, right? sure, why not. haha. fickle may be a better word for it.

here's the thing though. my local starbucks is only about the coziest place ever. it's got those comfy chairs (which i didnt sit in because i had to whip out my darn laptop) that are PERF for a cozy afternoon of reading while sipping some warm beverage of choice... salted caramel hot chocolate... nonfat, extra, no foam, sugar free vanilla chai tea lattes... coconut steamers... caramel macchiatos... oh i could go on and on. granted, i could make my own chai with real tea bags and grinded cardamom (have you ever HAD this kind of chai? i love my parents for introducing me to only the most delightful, cozy drink the world over) and curl up on my ever-cozy plush couch at home but... well, i dont KNOW. there's just something about the idea of a coffee shop that is just so darn delightful to me. so, cozy starbucks it was, in honor of my first cozy coffee shop day of the season.

ahh can you not WAIT for the rest of this darn SEASON?! as i sit here typing this, im staring gleefully at my cozy pumpkin/cinnamon/vanilla candle that still remains to be lit at some point in time (note that this candle is only about three years old. but whatever. i need matches!) and mentally reviewing the list of fall treats i want to start baking asap (among other things, pumpkin cookies (preferably iced), chai cookies (MEG! YUM! thanks for the idea last year!!!), pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin cheesecake bars, pumpkin chai (i used to get this during my whole addicted-to-starbucks phase of life, but now i think im ready to seize the bull by the horns (is that even an EXPRESSION?? or did i totally just f it up?) and make up this sugary deliciousness of a beverage mySELF))))... (i lost track of how many parenthetical comments within parenthetical comments i just made there...) well, you get the idea. haha. do you like how i threw in those chai cookies just to break up the monotony of the pumpkin flavored items on the menu? sigh oh well. when you've found a winner, you've found a winner. and the winner here is clearly pumpkin. and chai. hence... the pumpkin chai. hahaha. i tickle myself. but seriously, it's actually quite the tasty of beverages despite the onslaught of a whole bunch of random spices... but whatever.

i cant WAIT to make my homemade pumpkin chai one saturday morning and sip it cozily while munching on a freshly baked pumpkin cookie while taking in the lovely scent of my pumpkin/cinnamon/vanilla candle as i read my latest book on my cozy, plush couch on a crisp fall morning, with the sun beaming through my windows as i watch the leaves fall gracefully to the ground, perhaps changing ever so subtlely from green to orange to red...

soooo, in other words... i will more than likely be going to my local starbucks this saturday morning, order their sugar-ridden chai tea latte, and sit at one of their wooden tables (complete with wooden chair) while i pop open my laptop (because im obvi NEVER looking at this thing) while staring out at... the sidewalk... for inpiration since, hello, there are no trees (with falling leaves, no less) dotting my ever-beloved Clark Street...

im just SAYING!

in gratitude of,

the first (of MANY!) cozy coffee shop day of the grandest season of allllll, falllllll!!! :)

FALL!!!!!! - a completely unbiased review

as you all know, im only like the most impartial/unbiased person alive. as you also may know, im only slightly obsessed with the season of fall. as we are more than quickly segue'ing into this fine season, ive taken the liberty of detailing exactly WHY i like (and by like, i mean love/adore/worship) this season, in addition to why i dislike this season. i mean, fairness is pretty much my middle name here, people. enjoyyyyy!

PROS

1. it's not too hot and not too cold. and after the hot and humid summer, who doesn't love the return to comfortable temperatures PLUS sunshine? the best part about the weather has GOT to be the perfectly crisp chill that is in the air, allowing for just the perfect flushing of the cheeks during a brisk morning walk. im not narcissistic- im just SAYING.

2. the leaves - i mean, duh. this just goes without saying. my ultimate dream trip, within the continental united states, that is, is to do a road trip through the new england states in the fall. i mean, the leaves, the maple syrup, the cozy bed and breakfasts? what else would epitomize this glorious season that is so upon us?

3. um. the FLAVORS of fall - i mean, of course, there's a few "characteristic" flavors of fall, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. but the predominant flavor of the season has GOT to be only the best flavor ever invented in life... PUMPKIN. omg, okay, so im a little obsessed but i would like to deem it a HEALTHY obsession, thank you very much. i mean, at least pumpkin's a vegetable (or something, right?)... i mean, it's not like im condoning gorging on like steak all day everyday. it's just pumpkin. really, how bad can it be if you happen to dump a bunch of sugar with said pumpkin to come up with, among other things, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin scones, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes, pum-... well, you get the idea. omg you SO MUST get the idea!!!

4. halloween! - okay, the only reason i would enjoy this holiday is because, hello, free candy? how can you NOT like it? aside from that, im not the biggest fan of halloween- ugh. the streets turn into skank central when you become an adult. please. i cant wait. i hope i get to dress up as "ghetto" this year again. it was oh so successful last year. (please reference http://maliyacular.blogspot.com/2009/11/halloween-choose-your-own-adventure.html if you would like further details to what this references)

5. we all know what's going to follow the grand season of fall... CHRISTIEMASTIME!!! hello!!! what better precursor to only the grandest holidaytime of the YEAR?!?!?!?! alkdsfjalksjdflksadj!!!! get ready, world! i've held out past july to get the holiday festivities STARTED... but now... full SWING. school is in SESSION, people!!

6. ugh okay so im so off and on with starbucks. but it's such an engaging talking point that i can't NOT put it in here. the 'bucks only gets that much more wonderful during this wonderful time of year... case in point, please note that starbucks has proudly returned it's ever-famous pumpkin spice latte. im not the biggest fan of lattes, but i certainly did get one tall pumpkin spice latte this morning, to celebrate the glorious autumn chill that i encountered upon leaving my apartment this morning. and $4.05 later, i was quite satisfied. if it's a treat (and not a morning habit, as it has been in the past!), i think $4.05 is reasonable for this drink... okay, so it's totally NOT reasonable but whatever. that issue has already been addressed and will likely be addressed in the future. BUT in addition to the PSL (we're on a nickname basis), please note that the 'bucks has introduced yet another signature drink... the toffee mocha latte or frappuccino. omg, it's like liquid candy. small doses, really. but MAN- hope you're ready for a sugar high. and of course, i can't discount the standard starbucks caramel apple cider. again, another form of diabetes in a cup but really, what starbucks specialty beverage isnt?

CONS

1. please. there are none.

in gratitude of-

the most glorious season of all... FALLLLLL!!!! (im a poet and so know it... hahahahaha i kill myself sometimes!)