Fall Bucket List

Happy Friday!  

Even though it's in the 80's here in Chicago and doesn't really feel like fall, I'm not complaining because in the blink of an eye it's going to be the middle of January and I'll be bundled up with layer upon layer struggling to walk on the icy streets with blizzard-like snowflakes falling from the sky straight into my eyeballs.  Winters in Chicago suck year after year.  It's inevitable.  And I am not looking forward to that.  

Where was I going with this...oh yea, so now that it's fall I decided to create a 'Fall Bucket List' because there are always a ton of things that I want to do during this wonderful season that I never end up doing.  I spent all day making a list and I've decided that I might be taking a little too much on, but I figured I would aim high and if I don't have time to do all of these activities, at least I tried.

Fall Bucket List

1.  Visit a pumpkin patch

My nephew at a pumpkin patch 2 years ago

I haven't had a chance to visit a pumpkin patch or an apple orchard in a couple of years mostly because I moved to the Chicago area a couple of years ago and don't know where any decent ones are located.  So I'm going to have to do some research.  My family used to go to Tanner's Apple Orchard (where the adorable picture of my nephew was taken) every year and they had the most amazing apple cider and donuts I've ever had...I'm drooling over here.


2.  Carve pumpkins

While we're on the topic of pumpkins, I definitely want to carve pumpkins again this year.  Last year Vinnie and I carved pumpkins last minute and we had to go to several grocery stores in the area to find some because every where else was sold out.  Then we bought a junky, cheap carving tool kit and it just, it sucked.  So this year, we have learned out lesson.  We're either going to have the most amazing pumpkins ever, or none at all.


3.  Make Chilli 

I made homemade chilli for the first time ever last year and it was good, but not great.  This year I am bound and determined to find an amazing chilli recipe and conquer it.  So if you have an amazing chilli now would be a good time to pass it along to me :) thanks in advance!


4.  Drink fall cocktails/beer

I've already had a couple of good fall seasonal beers this year but obviously I plan on consuming more.  I'm not a big cocktail drinker though so another thing I'm determined to master this year is a delicious fall cocktail.  Last year I discovered a simple fall drink that contained bourbon, apple cider, and ginger ale.  I enjoyed that but now I need something new.


5.  More walks with Marley

I love being outside and enjoying this amazing weather.  The smell of burning leaves, seeing all of the leaves on the trees change colors, it's all amazing.  There's nothing Marley loves more than being with us and being outside.  Now that the weather is cooling down and we don't have to worry about us or him having a heat stroke, there's not excuse not to get out and get him out of the house and go for more walks.


6.  Visit a local brewery or winery

This one is pretty simple.  I love beer.  I love wine.  Why not go to the source and see how it's made?


7.  Bake Pumpkin Bread

Source

I've already pinned ^^ this recipe along with several others to my 'Fall' board on Pinterest and I've already bought a couple of cans of pumpkin, so really now it's just about finding the time to actually bake some.  I made several fall treats last year but nothing pumpkiny so this must be done this year.


8.  Have a Scary Movie Night

Source

I love scary movies and so does Vinnie, tis the season!


9.  Go to a fall festival and/or haunted house

  
Last year V and I went to Fright Fest and Six Flags and, even though it was cold and rainy, we had so much fun.  We went in a bunch of different haunted houses and got the bejeezus scared out of us.  This year we have already started looking into haunted houses to go to, or we're considering going back to Six Flags Fright Fest since, because of the crappy weather, there was a lot of attractions closed down that night and a lot of the scary actors weren't even out.  Either way I would love to make it out to either a fall festival or a haunted house, but both would be even better.


10.  Celebrate Fall Birthdays

2011

2012

I've obviously talked about this before but my dad, my brother, and myself all have birthdays within 3 days of each other at the end of October, so fall and October have always meant birthdays and celebrating to us.  The past 2 years, ever since my parents moved, we have visited Iowa and gone all out celebrating together (even though my sis couldn't make it last year).  This year we're getting even more of our family together and celebrating with cousins, my aunt and uncle, and close family friends.  Actually, we're doing this next weekend and I can barely contain myself I'm so excited.  Also, this is kind of a given but I didn't want to end my list on number 9 so I added this one in there to make it an even 10.

Welp, there you have it...my fun and amazing fall bucket list.  It's a doozy when you already have a busy schedule that doesn't leave much time for trying to fit activities in but I'm gonna try my darndest to make it happen.  

Happy fall ya'll (sorry I just had to)!

XO. Tarah