I’ve recently discovered that fewer months are more romantic than fall: the leaves are changing, the breeze is blowing, and couples are taking to their favorite fall activities with new found fervor. For me, fall has always been about Halloween: finding the perfect costume, getting my makeup just right, lookin’ good and feelin’ fine. Friends and I would spend weeks, if not a full month planning our huge Halloween take over. This year, like the leaves, things have changed. My Facebook news feed is now full of happy posts about venturing off to the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, and posing for fall selfies. My friends are dressing up their pets, getting engaged, and even getting married. Everyone has fall fever.
The first symptom is the inaugural visit to the pumpkin patch. After making the conscious decision to soak up all there is to offer with the change of the seasons, I planned a family rendezvous in Richmond with my fiancée. We explored the Ashland Berry Farm petting zoo, made our way around the dark in a haunted house, and ended the day hitching a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick our very own pumpkins. It was a beautiful time bonding with loved ones and partaking in wholesome fun. We came back with three large pumpkins whose fate was as good as sealed.
Whenever I carved past pumpkins, I just threw out the pulp and seeds, but this year I decided to take to Pinterest in order to obtain as many pumpkin recipes as possible. I’ve always been a lousy cook in the kitchen, but after several days of trial and error, I can finally say that I’ve successfully made my own curry spiced pumpkin seeds, procured my very own pumpkin purée, baked my own pumpkin pie from scratch, and planned a romantic evening with my partner making a surprisingly delicious pumpkin lasagna.The conservationist in me felt quite proud after utilizing all parts of the pumpkin and believe me, if I can do it, you can too.
Haunted houses and terror-filled nights on haunted hayrides are always a blast, no matter what your relationship status. Last year my friends and I visited Markoff’s Haunted Forest in Maryland, a tradition we plan to continue this year. Few things are more thrilling than walking around in the dead of night with six women screaming to the sound of chainsaws popping out of the trees. If that’s not your idea of a good time, the city is full of Halloween bar crawls, and though I have yet to actually participate, it’s on my next year’s to-do list.
One of the biggest decisions I always faced was what to wear for Halloween—and where to spend it. Finding the perfect Halloween costume took weeks, if not a full month of planning. Since I’m all about that bass, I would usually cringe at the thought of ordering an online costume. They simply never fit right. My event inbox is filled to the brim with enough Halloween parties to give me a hangover well into Christmas. With so much going on, how do you decide what to do?
My decision was a relatively easy one. You simply can’t put a price on supporting your local lesbian community. And as for my costume, I have found myself less concerned with what I’ll wear and how I’ll look, although my fiancée and I have decided to be cliché and adorn as a Disney couple costume. Hello Prince Eric, it’s me, Ariel.
As I sit and drink my pumpkin spice latte, I realize that October has become one of my favorite months of the year. I have fallen in love with fall. It’s not just about Halloween and the big parties and the cutest costumes. It’s about love, life, and the welcoming of change. And change, however inevitable, is almost always good.
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