I’m so glad we went to the reunion! (I am not glad this random man decided to photo bomb the hell out of a perfectly good picture though! 
)
Thank goodness my friends convinced me to go. It was really cool to see and talk to some people I hadn’t seen in a decade (!!!) and hear all the crazy places they’ve been and what they’re doing. Video game designer in LA, anyone? 
Festivities continued well into the morning and Ben and I called it quits over a plate of nachos at 2am. I haven’t seen that hour in a long time, and hope I can go just as long before seeing it again. Whee! WORTH IT.
I was still up pretty early today. The cozy, falling rain woke me up. 
Ben and I lazily lounged around for awhile before heading over to my parent’s house for lunch!
My Mom, God bless her, dodged the rain drops to grill us all sirloin steaks cooked to a perfect medium rare. (She’s been taking steak cooking lessons from Ben the grill master!)
On the side was super soft steamed broccoli. My Mom always made our broccoli very soft when we were growing up, which is how I still like it. I can’t stand when broccoli still has a bite to it. The mushier the better, imo.
Cheesy, chewy French Onion Egg Noodle Casserole rounded out the plate.
Two French Onion inspired dishes in one week. Lucky me! 
After lunch I went grocery shopping and received the BEST surprise when I rounded the corner into the produce department…Honeycrisps are back!!!!!
Honeycrisp Apples are probably my #1 favorite thing about Fall. These giant, shiny, sweet & crispy apples are seriously like dessert to me. And I am NOT a fruit is dessert kind of girl…unless it’s doused in caramel and/or chocolate and/or is buried under crisp.
$6 for four of ‘em definitely stings, but they’re only around for a short time each year so I say, to heck with it!
There was another variety of apple I found at the store that had me squealing – hedge apples!
Hedge apples actually aren’t apples – they’re in the mulberry family – but they’re readily available in the Fall and keep disgusting spiders and buggies out of the house.
I usually pick up a ton at the Farmers’ Market every year and place them inside outside doors. I swear they totally work! FYI I place them on a piece of wax paper or cardboard because they get a little gooey when they get old.
Well the basement, and Ben, is calling my name.
We’ve been napping and watching football cuddled under blankets all afternoon. It’s been AMAZING. I feel like one of us (ok, me) is usually always running around with a million things to do, so making a point of doing nothing today has felt really good.
To heck with the to-do list. It’ll still be there tomorrow, right?!
Have a great night!
~~~~~
“My favorite part of Fall is ________.”
My favorite part of Fall is, honeycrisp apples, hoodies, blankets, tailgates and pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!!!
I love everything about the fall. I love honeycrisp apples, pumpkins, fall baking, the crisp air.
OMG! I laughed so hard at the photo bomb man. You should photoshop a picture of Ben making a similar face and make it look like it was him. Classy.
My favorite part of fall is the foliage. I love watching the leaves change colors. Unfortunately it doesn’t last long here in Fargo. Shame. I need to drive up north of the cities. So beautiful up there when it comes to Fall foliage!
I also agree with your list. All good things.
roasted pumpkin seeds!
Cute jacket…where did you get it?
Cute fall clothes, boots, hoodies, and fleece are my favorite part of fall!
Thanks! Ann Taylor Loft!
the smell of fireplaces and burning leaves and football!!
I LOVE it when the air gets that *crisp* feeling, the mountains are painted in gold, and pumpkins!
PS I like Zestar apples better than Honeycrisps – still sweet, but Zesty too!
the crisp air, honeycrisp apples, flannel sheets, fleece jackets, college football (go Mizzou), exercise without fainting from the heat and humidity, mums, Sugar Maple trees
OMG! I had the same reaction when I found honey crisp apples today too!! I love the smell of burning leaves! And the sound of the high school marching band practicing at 8 am.
I’ve never heard of hedge apples before! I have to keep my eyes peeled for them now!
I was lucky enough to grow up in Washington State– where we produce tons of delicious apples every year
My favorite kind now is Pink Lady– taste like dessert to me too!
My favorite parts of fall (that I now miss because I live in Southern Cali) are the changing leaves, the hot beverages, oatmeal, Halloween, and pumpkin
Also, sweaters and jeans and BOOTS!
I searched high and low for honeycrisps at the store today but no luck! Ohio is behind the times when it comes to pumpkin and apples.
College football, tailgating, crock pot food, sweaters and changing leaves.
My favorite part is picking apples, which I did today! Glad you had fun at the reunion.
My fav part of fall are the orange/red/yellow leaves & beautiful weather! You’ve made me so excited for apples. I love your outfit for the reunion!!
I’m glad you had fun at your reunion….i knew you would! i want a bowl full of those oniony noodles! yum! best part of fall, flannel sheets, Levi’s and cowboy boots, leaves changing. FYI~did ya know that in the “old days” hedge apple tree limbs were used as fence posts? quite often you will see the trees planted & growing right along the fence rows, that way while out mending the fence there would be a tree right there to cut a new post from. (i hail from a long line of Missouri farmers altho i’m a Northern DM Suburbs girl!)
Very cool! Thanks for the info!
I squee’d like a little girl when I saw honey crisps in the store last week. I love everything about fall, the leaves, the temps, cider mills.
Honeycrisps are my favorite! I can’t believe yours are $3.49/lb!! That’s insane. They were just $1.69/lb here… I definitely snatched up almost a dozen.
Crisp mornings, pumpkin, yankee candles, golden aspens, crockpot cooking, chili, waking up at 4 am to hunt w/ the bf
Sometimes lazy days like that are just the best, enjoy!
My favorite part of fall is: Apple cider, red wine, cinnamon anything and pumpkinnnnn!
So glad you had fun! You looked adorable too.
my favorite part of Fall is seeing how excited my little grandsons get when they get dressed up in their Halloween costumes and watching them get amazed when a pumpkin turns into something new and exciting. I love watching them run through racked leaves and going to pumpkin patches with them. This is my favorite season to capture some of the best pictures ever!!!!
I am in agreement w/ Shaya….. you took the words of my mouth. Everyone of those things are my favs too.
That photo guy bomb was hilarious!
I have seen hedge apples before but never knew they could be useful. I just think of them as the brain looking fruit:) and I agree about the honey crisps. Some apples are worth their weight in gold.
Pumkin, fall foliage, crunching leaves, apple cider, boots…. Oh how I love fall!!
I am sorry but I cracked up at the loser photobombing!! He was probably two sheets to the wind…
We drove to Gays Mills Wisconsin and bought a 20 lb bag for $24.50! Heck of a deal and worth the gas when you buy for many!
my favorite part of fall is brisk morning walks and seeing the leaves change over time.
that is a beautiful picture of the rain, kristin! it was gloomy here in chicago today and i tried to capture some rain drops on the plants, but my pics were nowhere near as fab as yours!
I love the temps, scents, and foods!!
Love your jacket and top! Will you share where you got them?
Wanted to share my favorite way to have broccoli~ roasted in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper!! It gets a little char on it that is delicious!! 425degrees 20 to 30 mins until tender
Ann Taylor Loft! That’s my favorite way to eat broccoli too!
Do you have to use fresh broccoli to roast it? Or can you use frozen? BTW I loved your outfit too.
Thanks!
I’ve actually never tried roasting frozen broccoli…although, you essentially “roast” frozen french fries and they get crisp, so maybe it’s worth a shot!
Love anything pumpkin, cool temps, scarves, jeans and boots! Just have to wait a little longer cuz I’m in Phoenix. FYI, I do sometimes use frozen broccoli to roast. It works fine especially if you don’t mind it a little soft. I also throw in a little chili oil for a kick.
apples, caramel, and pumpkins!
I didn’t know that about hedgeapples!?! Interesting – i’m going to try it out. Thanks for the tip!
pumpkin, honey crisp apples and less humidity in the air (I’m from Houston!!)
Soup, fleece blankets, sweat shirts, football, and apple cider!
I love everything about fall…Trees/foliage (even though the prairie doesn’t have much of that–I usually try & make a trip back to Ohio in the fall just to see the trees!), pumpkin, comfort foods, jeans & sweaters, Halloween, my birthday…
not gonna lie, those hedge apples look freaky! but my favorite part of fall is the cooler weather that allows for boots, scarves & cardigans.
Great pictures! My favorite things about fall are football (my oldest plays on a 6th grade team and it’s great!), the beautiful foliage, and the smell of something savory in the crock pot! I’m truly embracing the change of weather. This summer was HOT, HOT, HOT! and it’s a welcomed change to have 60′s.
I laughed out loud at the photobomber :-p
Mmm I just had my first honey crisps of the season this weekend, though mine were only $3-somthing for half a peck.
Never heard of hedge apples but they look like osage oranges.Wonder if they really work
From the crazy photobomber’s wife…I’m sorry. He was enjoying my reunion as much as we were last night. He feels really bad. (I immediately recognized him when I read IGE today…embarassing!) Please check your facebook page.
Sorry about that,
Kelsey
omg Kelsey we had NO idea that was him! That makes it even funnier because he is so sweet! No worries!!!
Being able to open up the windows and getting fresh air.
My favorite part of fall is:
Football (Go Hawks!)
School supplies/school starting (even though I’m no longer in school)
Pretty colors outside
Cooler weather but it’s not cold or snowy or icy (eeeps!)
Feels like change/new beginning is in the air (probably related to the new school year feeling)
I MUST find some of those hedge apples, stat! I have honestly never heard of them before and I have noticed some major, I mean MAJOR, spider action near all of our doors over the last week or so. Thanks for the tip!
I LOVE Honeycrisp apples too! My Mom turned me on to them last year–no other apple compares. All year round I pine for honeycrisps!
Honeycrisps are delicious – but even better when you pick them yourself! We are partial to Berry Patch Farm in Nevada IA mostly because they have pick your own (the nearby Center Grove Orchard has them in-store only). We’ve already made two trips this year and somehow come away with 10lbs each time, it’s hard to stop! They are $2.50/lb.
And I vouch for the hedge balls – they do work!
That’s my FAVORITE place in the world! Ben and I have been trying for the past month to get out there, and it looks like it’s going to be another month before we do.
Darned schedules!
My favorite things about Fall include brisk walks, pumpkin everything, and eating more oatmeal. Just makes me want to snuggle up on the couch!
I love your jacket! So glad that you had fun at your reunion!
I love everything about fall especially the cooler weather, crisp apples, pumpkins and that I can put my uggs back on!
We had rain in WI too, and we spent the day watching football and lounging. It was awesome! My favorite part of fall: not feeling like we have to do EVERYTHING, like in summer. Summer is so short, that we fill our spare time with so much stuff. Fall is about slowing down, baking, hiking, football. Love it!
I am SO excited about Honeycrisps! Last year I was living in Virginia, where the apple pickings are SLIM.
I’m so glad we have plenty of HC’s here in Michigan! My other favs for fall are football, leaves, candles, chili, and pumpkin!
Aw, glad you had fun! 2 am – you’re my hero. I am such an old lady. You are quite the champ
I haven’t seen honeycrisp apples in my stores up here yet, but I am anxiously waiting for them. Like you, I don’t feel bad about the price tag since they aren’t available year round. They’re so good!
My favorite things about fall are — the changing of the leaves, college football and the baseball playoffs. Good times!
Apple crisp, football games, trips to the apple orchard, fairs, festivals, jeans and sweatshirts, pumpkin flavored goodies, pumpkins, farmers harvesting, & my anniversary!
P.S. I love your jacket and clutch.
What I love most about the fall is running. It is so beautiful and cool out – it makes the run just that much more inspiring! I also love love the apples and the scents of baking in my kitchen.
My favorite part of fall is the cooler temps, pumpkins, apple orchard, pretty leaves, Halloween and my birthday!