My favorite season is fall. And I’m not like any other girl who only loves it because of pumpkin spiced everything. I actually hate pumpkin, and I don’t understand why you would want that in everything.

But anyway, I spent the last twelve years where fall didn’t exist. We had summer that was almost year around, and a winter that barely even counted as cold. Lucky for me, I moved to a beautiful campus covered in trees who’s leaves have just begun to turn yellow. These are my favorite things about fall, none of which are pumpkin flavored.

1. FOOTBALL

Lucky for me, where I’m from, Friday night lights were among the most important events of the school year. Needless to say, the bigger college games were highly anticipated. There is no experience like losing your voice with a couple thousand of your closest friends, yelling at bad referees, and singing the fight song.

2. THE LEAVES

There is nothing more beautiful than the shades of yellow and red leaves become as the weather changes. The greens of spring and summer are one thing, but the rainbow of fall is something even better. I remember being little, raking the leaves into a big pile and jumping in. While I now realize that leaf piles are just itchy and make a big mess after they’ve been jumped in, I love being back in a place where it actually looks like fall. Driving up the canyon is entirely new, because nothing looks the same.

3. SWEATERS

Anyone who says sweaters aren’t the best clothing item is wrong. They keep you warm, without a jacket and they look cute (and have you seen a cute guy who wears a sweater really well? Because I just made my point).

4. COOL AIR

Being hot is the absolute worst. There is pretty much nothing you can do to cool yourself down when it’s 100 degrees outside, but all you have to do is put on a light coat if it gets a little cool. And if you don’t need the coat anymore, you just take it off and stay warm in that really cute sweater you’re wearing because it’s fall. You can always put on more layers in the cold, but you can’t keep taking layers off in the heat.

5. SNOW ON THE MOUNTAINS

So this isn’t a part of fall everywhere in the country, but it definitely happens here. It’s one thing to get to see the whole mountain covered in white, with the clean powder as far as the eye can see. But when just the tips of the mountains have been coated, you really see two different worlds. You can enjoy the beauty of the snow and winter without the discomfort of freezing.

6. ALL THE BUGS DIE

Everyone can agree with me, that life is better when there aren’t any bugs around. Yes, I know bugs are essential to plant growth, and we need to save the bees and what not but really, I won’t be missing them all that much.