Singing September's Praises

Happy September!

September is my absolute favorite month of the whole year. The weather is usually perfect... the summer lingers until about mid-month, and then the cooler fall weather gusts in. Shorts and tanks get boxed up and stowed away, and fleeces, Uggs, jeans, and hoodies take up residence in the just-emptied closets and drawers.

Apples begin ripening, thoughts of roasted squash run rampant, and the slow cooker calls out to be lowered from the top shelf for easy, frequent use.

I have so much planned for this month and so much to be excited about!

September 4-6 -- Labor Day Weekend
We don't have definite plans yet, but we may try to take a day trip to New Hampshire, or we might just stick around here and have a lazy weekend. Sometimes you need that.

Also, the first work week in September will be a short one, and that's always something to celebrate!

September 8 -- Boston Gets "Back to Nature"
Back to Nature is hosting an all-day event at Government Center where attendees can connect with nature in the midst of the city environment and sample Back to Nature products. I'm going to stop by after work, and I can't wait to see the sunflowers, lemon trees, and even a waterfall that will be set up in Government Center. It should be the perfect way to relax after a long day at the office. And no one has to tell me about fudge mint cookies twice!

September 9 -- Top Shelf Event
We're going to L'Espalier for the Rat Pack and Mad Men II Top Shelf Event. It's bound to be full of fun music, delicious appetizers, great cocktails, and wonderful companions. If it's anything like Cheese Tuesday, I know I'll have a fabulous evening.

September 10 -- Rosh Hashanah Dinner
We're heading to Jeff's parents' house for dinner with his family, and I know I'll be making a dessert or two, so stay tuned for recipes.

September 12 -- Life is good Festival and...
The Life is good Festival -- "a two-day celebration of music and optimism" -- will be at Blue Hills in Canton, Mass., on Sept 11-12. Jason Mraz is performing on Sunday, so we're going! And it's for a good cause: The festival donates 100% of the proceeds to the Life is good Kids Foundation.

We're also having our first open house today. We're hoping to sell Jeff's condo and buy a place together some time this fall!

September 13 -- Movie Night: Eat, Pray, Love
I'm finally going to see Eat, Pray, Love with a couple of good friends. I loved this book (well, most of it), and I'm very excited to see how it translates on the big screen and how Julia Roberts does as the lead. She's one of my favorite actresses.

September 14 -- Parenthood
The new season of Parenthood starts tonight. Somehow it stole the top spot from Brothers & Sisters as my favorite drama last season. I can't wait to watch this season! (And Jeff will be at the Rush concert, so I don't even have to compete with his shows for the big TV! Does anyone else immediately think of I Love You, Man when they hear something about Rush now?)

Today is also my little brother's 15th birthday. I'm sure I'll start hearing the requests for some new gaming system soon or maybe an iPad.

September 15 -- My Birthday and Top Chef Just Desserts
I'm turning 29 this year, and I can't wait to see all that the last year of my 20s has to offer!

As far as the birthday festivities, in past years I've done things like trek to The Big E (to see Daughtry and eat fried anything!) or have friends over for fondue, but I haven't quite decided what I want to do this year.

Also, Top Chef Just Desserts premieres tonight. It doesn't start until 11 (boo), but at least I have the evening to do something fun for my birthday if I want! One possibility: Bravo and Open Table have paired up to offer a free dessert at select restaurants with the purchase of two dinners to celebrate the premiere of the show.

September 18-19 -- A Baking Field Trip
I'm not going to give away too many details yet, but I have a feeling this trip will be the highlight of my month. I can't wait to share it with you!

September 26 -- Brunch
It might seem silly to you that I'm excited about brunch, but up until the end of August I didn't have Sundays off, so a real brunch outing has been a long time coming. I'm going with a great group of people who love food and brunch as much as I do, so that's going to make it even more fun.

I'm sure as the month goes on, it will be packed with a lot more stuff, but I'm so happy I've got so many exciting (and food-related) events in the works. And October is already filling up too!

What are your big plans in September?