Looking forward to fall!

A lot of people are very upset about summer being officially over. Apparently everyone considers Labor Day to be the unofficial end of the season. While I am also sad about this, I thought I should write a post about the things I am looking forward to for my first fall/winter in NYC! There are so many parts that I love about September-December - I want to focus on that instead of the fact that my swim suits will probably not see the light of day for the next 8 months (moment of silence for that, please). And there are other things that are happening right now that I am excited about, too!

• My adult swim team is starting tomorrow. I started swimming with the team during last season, but we just had a 2 week break while they cleaned the pool. Now this season is starting up again tomorrow night and I cannot wait to FINALLY get back into shape. AND to compete at meets!
• Moving into and decorating my new apartment. I've talked about how I am currently living in the building of my next place, but we are moving to the unit exactly 5 floors below us. In a week we will be all done with that and will just have to put the finishing touches on decorating and such! Very excited for this headache to be over (and to not have to be sleeping on a blowup mattress every night).

• Football season! I. LOVE. FOOTBALL. I know a lot of people like college football, which I do too, but my college team WAS AWFUL, so I gravitate more to the NFL. Football is my favorite sport, and I am excited for my first season as a New York Giants fan! Though the Chicago Bears will always hold a special place in my heart, I gotta get with this NYC sports camaraderie!

• Seeing what is going to happen with this guy...I've been hanging out/talking with this guy for a little bit now. He's so awesome (I've written about him before) and I am excited to see what happens with us! Still not looking for anything super serious at this point in my life, but it will be fun to just hang out and get to know each other better :) Big smiley face for that one!
• Halloween. It will be my first Halloween in NYC!! I've had some costume problems in the past (ie - I put on a teal dress with a black belt and called myself a crayon) but this season I want to be so much better and go all out with my costumes! Ahh I need to start looking into different parties at clubs and bars and such to see how my friends and I will celebrate this crazy fun day/weekend.
• TV shows resuming. Now that I have a TV again, I am really looking forward to some of my favorite shows starting up again! The shows I keep up on are Parks and Rec (actually watching a marathon of it right now that's on this FXX channel I just discovered), Modern Family, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Workaholics. But now I will probably be watching a lot more shows because one of my roommates works in TV production. 
• Fall fashion. I love fall and winter fashion. The coats are so cute, and a great pair of skinny jeans makes me incredibly happy. All the fashion trends are great for this coming season, and I can't wait for the weather to change so we can all take full advantage!
• Holidays in NYC. Saved the best for last - SPENDING THE HOLIDAY SEASON IN NEW YORK CITY! This is probably going to be one of my favorite things about living here. I'm already planning going to the Rockefeller Center tree early in the morning to beat the tourists. And OBVI I'm going to participate in SantaCon (been counting down the days to that since I saw all the pics of it last year). It's going to be awesome!

So beautiful! What's not  to love about this?!

So, if you're really sad about summer being over, I am definitely with you on that one. But just think of all the fun that's to come! I'm so excited for the last part of 2013 :)

<3, Charlotte

3 months until Christmas music time!!

A pic I took in Macy's when I was in NYC during Christmas 2 years ago.
What's not to like about this?!

It's officially August 1, and you know what that means...Besides the whole summer is flying by thing, THERE'S ONLY 3 MONTHS UNTIL IT'S ACCEPTABLE TO LISTEN TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

Now, I will admit that I do jump the gun a little early on this one, but Christmas is my absolute FAVORITE holiday. If you remember in another post I've written, I was raised Jewish and am now an atheist. So, why do I like Christmas so much? (Sidenote: I do believe in Santa - he's real! Just watch the movie Elf). Well, here's why it's the BEST HOLIDAY EVER:

1. For a solid month, everyone is nice to each other. Whether it's holding the door for someone when you wouldn't have because you feel joy all around you, or you take the time to smile at someone when they ring up your groceries and wish them a happy holidays, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE is in a great mood during the holiday season! Ahh it just makes me so happy when everyone is so nice!


2. The decorations. Whether it's some extra bells on a store door or wreaths hung on light posts in the city, everywhere is absolutely beautiful during this time of year. I'm getting butterflies just thinking of all the lights shining so bright when it's dark outside, and seeing all the random Christmas trees everywhere just makes me feel so warm inside. Of course, the decorations aren't complete without...


3. The beautiful snow. That is if mother nature stops being a little bitch and actually makes it snow on Christmas. The weather out east (not sure in NYC, but DC last year was SO BIZARRE) has been funky. Actually, everywhere it's been so weird lately. The snow is partially what makes this holiday so great!


4. Santa! No further explanation necessary.


5. The Christmas movies. They are all just so happy and hopeful. Whether it's Home Alone (an obvious classic) or Love Actually (one of my favorite movies EVER), Christmas movies have become their own category, and I could not be more thrilled about it!


6. Mad discounts at almost every store. While my wallet doesn't appreciate it, this is undoubtedly one of the best parts of the holiday season. Even though I knowww I don't need 5 new shirts for the price of 3, I'm going to buy them anyways. YOLO.


7. Last but not least, Christmas Music (it should have been obvious that this would be on this list from how I started this post!). Whether it's holiday classics like The First Noel or The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, or new songs like All I Want for Christmas is You, CHRISTMAS MUSIC IS THE BEST MUSIC TO EVER EXIST ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but all the songs are so happy and they just put everyone in a good mood! (Perhaps that's a partial cause to #1 on this list...?)

So, next time you're sad about the summer flying by, just think of the Holiday Season that's yet to come. Oh boy, I am so excited to spend it in NYC!!!

<3, Charlotte