Something about this time of year always makes me nostalgic. Maybe it’s that the weather is getting cooler, or that this is the time where you usually surround yourself with family and friends. Although I love this beautiful city that I now call home, sometimes it feels good to sit back and remember the cozy fall memories spent in my hometown.
Something I always looked forward to there was the changing leaves. Although you can catch a few changing trees here, in western Pennsylvania, almost every tree changed color. Warm reds, browns, yellows, and oranges. It was the most beautiful sight. I think about the times my family and I would venture on a hike or take a bike ride in the mountains. Or the days when my parents would make me and my brother rake up all the leaves that fell in our yard. To which I then made a pile to jump into, of course. The weather got cooler much faster than it does here, which meant I was wearing cozy sweaters and cardigans every day. My middle school fashion sense may not have been as good as it is now, however.
Because most of my extended family also lived up north, get-togethers were very common, especially during this time of the year. I have such great memories of bonfires in my backyard. We lived on about 2 acres, which was perfect for my large family. We would sit outside all night talking, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs, and enjoying the cool weather. Not to mention lightning bugs! My cousins and I would chase them around the yard for hours trying to catch some.
I remember the time my family and I went to a corn maze and went on the hayride. Nothing says spooky quite like a country farm in the middle of nowhere at night. It was always a great time. As far as the corn maze, it’s a good thing I didn’t try it alone.
Some of my favorite memories happened on Halloween. Every year my childhood best friend and I would dress up and walk around our neighborhood for hours getting candy. It was always a treat when someone gave out the full-size candy bars. And it always ended with us both dumping out our bags and comparing and trading candies.
It’s been almost 8 years now since I moved away from my hometown, yet some of these moments feel like they just happened yesterday. It’s comforting for me to relive those memories and remember just how simple life was back then. My biggest worries were what I was going to dress up as for Halloween and how much candy I got that night. In the middle of midterms and stressful world events, it’s a nice escape to reminisce about fall weather and scenery, where bonfires are blazing and family is together.