by Lisa Linthicum

Created on: October 19, 2008

Autumn is my favorite season. I really love autumn because it signals the approach of the holidays, cool crisp air replaces the humid stickiness of summer, and that's when I make lots of homemade baked goodies. Plus, I met my husband in the fall of 1987, and we fell in love enjoying the beautiful autumn weather.

Autumn also brings my favorite holiday - Thanksgiving! While I do enjoy Christmas, it's full of stresses related to making sure the kids get enough presents that they'll like, etc. Thanksgiving is just about relaxing and enjoying great food, football and reflecting on how blessed I am. I LOVE Autumn and Thanksgiving! My husband and I have perfected our Thanksgiving menu and can pull it off without an ounce of stress or worry.

But this year I am experiencing autumn in a whole new way. That's because I moved to Florida last spring.

I amazed my friends that I left behind in Oklahoma when I called them from the neighborhood pool the other day. "Yep, we're outside swimming," I told them. They then grumbled that they were wearing heavy jackets as they endured a dreary, rainy day. My kids keep asking me what season it is because they are already on the countdown for the arrival of Christmas. They too are a bit perplexed as to why we are still wearing shorts and sundresses in late October. I'm not sure if my kids will have to wear long pants at all here in Florida. Light jackets might be required on occasion, but I think we can safely retire our winter coats.

This morning we decided to go to the beach for breakfast and a Bible story. It was quite cool when we arrived at the beach, with temps in the low 60's. We savored our muffins, coffee, sausage and milk as we enjoyed the marvelous view, sounds and smells of the Gulf of Mexico. After strolling the shore and searching for sea shells, we plopped down on our beach blanket for a quick Bible story about Moses parting the sea. Then we did more walking and playing. It was an absolutely glorious morning! As the morning went on, it did get warmer, but the breezes still kept the air crisp. We could definitely tell that it was autumn - even though we were running around on the beach in our swimsuits. I am truly in awe of how fabulous it felt to be out on the beach today.

I have found that autumn brings cooler temps and less humidity here too. I guess that's why the "snowbirds" flock to Florida. I definitely am looking forward to enjoying absolutely perfect weather for a few months while I celebrate my favorite time of year - autumn.

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