It's that time of year again! Cooler weather, September air, PSL is back! Everyone is thinking the same things...

"I can't wait for the pumpkin patch!"

"Ooh and wearing big sweaters!"

"AND RIDING BOOTS!"

Don't forget the leggings, ladies.

The excitement of Fall is in full swing. Cute outfits that are actually exceptionally comfortable, pumpkin overload, and the array of movies that ABCFamily Freeform is going to put on to get us in the right spirit will take over your life. For real, though, this is the most wonderful time of the year! Get ready for the Instagram flood of all the same pictures and typical "🍁insert clever fall themed caption here🍂" captions.

As you wake up in the morning your scent diffuser will smell of apple crisp and homemade cider. Make yourself a cup of coffee and throw in some pumpkin spice creamer. Go outside to get that fresh cool air and surprise! It's actually 90 degrees outside and your dreams are shattered.

This is New Mexico desert life.

Let's be real, it doesn't get cold until October 31st. You basically have another month and a half of bipolar weather where it's a beautiful 70 degrees in the morning and at noon it gets hotter than young love. You put on a sweater with leggings and boots and call it a day and a couple hours later you're sweating more than you did on your first date and can't turn back now. This time of year is just a tease. It's all fake here in the Southwest! The Pinterest posts of autumn outfits, recipes, holiday crafts, Hobby Lobby decorations! Oh HobLob, you kill me. (On a side note, we literally went from Fourth of July to Christmas. Slow your roll there HobLob, this is getting out of hand.)

Honestly, I've never known a *real* fall season. I've always dreamt of the magic that comes with the leaves falling, walking down cobblestone streets and the sweet smell of espresso outside of my flat. Yes, I'm in Europe in my head. That's the goal! The most Autumn-like in Las Cruces that I have ever experienced is the trees on NMSU campus changing colors. It's a beautiful sight but there's nothing much more. It gets a bit cooler but it's not up to my expectations- it still is hot in the middle of the day. Every year it's like we went straight from Summer to Winter to Summer again.

New Mexico is weird in all honesty, the weather is strange, some people are too, but the food is delicious (nothing weird about that!) And although I've never experienced the true Fall season, I don't hate where I live or wish I grew up somewhere else and I've never complained about the tamales. One thing that will always make me feel #blessed is the chile roasting outside of Albertsons and Wal-Mart. Sweet baby Jesus that is probably one of the best scents in the world. Get me some chile right now, please.

So, as I wake up in the morning, I am not deceived by my apple crisp and homemade cider scent. I make a cup of coffee (or 3) with my homemade non-dairy pumpkin spice creamer, go outside with my pups and play ball in the beautiful Las Cruces sun with some shorts and a tank top. We, in New Mexico, are living the life. Some people are freezing by now! But not us. To some, we are in paradise, but to us, we are home.