Happy Fall, Ya’ll

Fall officially began on September 22. If you live here in Raleigh, NC  you know it hasn't much felt like Fall...until this weekend. I was halfway through Jaime and Brad's fabulous wedding Saturday at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart  when I realized that, for the first time in months, through all the late Spring and Summer weddings, I wasn't a hot mess. (Frank had to shoot in the balcony, where, he reports, it was a wee bit on the stuffy side.)

Anyway, it must be the cooler temperatures or all the beautiful colors and Fall-themed decor at the wedding that's got me thinking about my favorite season. Our groom on Saturday works for a wine distributor and was able to provide hundreds of wine corks that were featured in the table-top arrangements and used as place-card settings. One of the great advantages of having two photographers at your wedding and reception is that while Frank was covering all the craziness on the dance floor,  I was able to wander around the room photographing the special details. I found this one cork and loved the message stamped on its side.

It got me thinking about some of the things I love about Fall. Each one of them qualifies as a "simple pleasure": taking long walks with Pepper on cool, crisp mornings; pulling on a favorite comfy sweater; curling up by a fire to read a new Deborah Crombie mystery; cooking Chicken Noodle Soup for the kids again; smiling at the sight of pumpkins and mums and actually looking forward to a little yard work. Especially with all the gloom and doom in the news, its nice to be reminded that it's the simple pleasures in life that make me happy. Just thought I'd share, ya'll!