Is it football season yet? How about now?

It's that time of year when I start to get bouncy.

In less than one month, NFL preaseason starts. Patriots Training Camp starts next week.

The fall is by far my favorite time of year. The leaves are turning in the trees. The apples are getting picked and that means that it's time for pie, cider, crisps and September's Yankee Candle of the Month - Macintosh. School's starting again for kids of all ages.

And most importantly - football starts.

It's that time of year when I debate whether or not I'll go to a hometown football game at my high school alma mater for a cheap Friday night, sitting behind the band eating a bad hot dog and drinking too-hot Swiss Miss hot chocolate. It's the time when I start stalking ESPN to find out about any last minute free agency pick-ups and disposals. It's that time when I debate whether or not the preseason games are worth watching. It's the time of year when I reminisce about my freshman year in high school when the coach saw me in gym class and wanted me to try out for the freshman football squad, only to have my parents tell me "no". It's that time of year when I remember that one of the reasons I agreed to march in the MHS Marching Band Color Guard was so I could get into the football games for free. The time of year when I want to spend my Saturday afternoons rallying some troops to play a game of Nerf touch football (I've been unsuccessful in recent years, so if you'd be interested... comment please!!!).

Football season is on the horizon.

I'm looking forward to getting together with friends, all donning our favorite Pats jerseys and yelling at our respective TVs in either joy or misery. I'm looking forward to getting chili or pulled pork or other various football foods ready in the Crock Pot before church so that my house smells like football time when I get home. I'm looking forward to waiting in anticipation for each game, hoping like every other Pats fan that maybe this year will be number 4 for Brady's Boys... and if it isn't, that at least it'll be another darn good season.

It's so close I can taste the barbeque sauce.

When Steve and I started dating, one of the first things I told him in the "getting to know each other period" was this:
"Listen... I like football. I'm a big Pats fan. Every Sunday, I watch football. A lot of times I watch multiple games in one Sunday, from 1:00 PM until well after 8:00 PM. So... I don't know if you like football or not. You can either come with me... or count me as lost for the day from September to late January."

Those of you who know us know he chose the former. When we were first dating, he wasn't a big football fan. Over the last 5 seasons, he's come to see the light of the goodness that is football. It is definitely one of the things we thoroughly enjoy doing together.

Steve & I in Disney World sporting our Pats Pride

I'm like a 5-year old at Thanksgiving who knows that in just one short month Santa will be coming. Only for me, Santa Claus isn't any taller than me and wears a blue shirt with a white collar and a pink tie every game... and his head elf wears a raggedy old hoodie with the sleeves cut off.

It's coming...