It's About That Time

Is it possible to feel nostalgic for a feeling? Like a deep longing for a time or feeling that you once had, not a particular thing but something bigger yet more...abstract? 

For the past week or so I've had the feeling that I was missing something but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. It felt like I should be doing something but I didn't know what. Then I got the urge to bake a turkey. And make soup. And bake caramel apple poke cakes. Alright, maybe I was just hungry but cooking and eating all those things, don't judge me, only got me a little closer to identifying that feeling.

It wasn't until I was sitting in a cafe drinking a latte and reading an article from the newspaper back home about fall foliage that I was able to put a finger on what I had been missing, fall! Normally, at home the month of September means three things: going back to school, my birthday, and cooler weather. It's a time of change that I really look forward to. There are certain things that you can only do during the fall. Apple picking, watching the leaves change, trading summer clothes for sweaters and boots, turning off the ac and opening windows, wearing darker colors, drinking hot chocolate...all of those are like my favorite things. There is nothing like going for an afternoon drive through the hills and valleys of central New York with nothing but sunshine and shades of red, yellow, and orange to guide you. The smell of fires burning, the slight chill in the air, an A&W rootbeer float in my belly. I'm sounding like quite the fat girl in this post but you can't deny that those things all sound great.

But since there are no apple trees, pumpkin patches, A&W rootbeer, or deciduous forests in Abu Dhabi, and the average low temperature for this week is 82, what is a girl to do? Well, I'm pretty good at making lemonade out of lemons so I decided to plan a trip to Europe to experience winter :) I'm feeling like Amsterdam or Milan are due to be graced by my presence very soon.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy these fall foliage pictures that I found on google because I'm a nerd like that.