Autumn is the time of year where I am truly the happiest. The fall aura is raw and strong, and a quiet content for this time of year brightens in my heart. Cardigans, sweaters, and cozy scarves are freed from the prisons for boxes stashed away in closets during the spring and summer. The fresh aroma of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin decorate the air; the delicious scents welcome you like an old friend you haven’t seen in years. The leaves change, the skies shield the sun, and the sounds of the state fair echo in the distance around fall at UCO.
Many say that autumn only reminds them of death and the bleak reality it demonstrates through nature. How inevitable it is and there’s nothing you can really do but not think about it and to live your best life possible. Mother Nature recognizes this, and every spring she’s reborn. I don’t view autumn as the natural reminder of death; I view autumn as beauty coming alive. Thinking about these things is not intended to scare anybody; it’s simply the truth. You cannot think about that concept when welcoming autumn into your life every year. Autumn exuberates great passion and fun; everything in the world almost slows down in time.
Every fall on the UCO campus morphs me into this universal, almost annoyingly, happy person. The University of Central Oklahoma is a stunning campus, and Mother Nature blesses it every season with exquisite awe. I could write a novel about every single reason that proves why the fall on the UCO campus will make people fall in love, but for now, I will explain the most prominent ones.
Many trees bless the UCO campus. The trees are gentle giants of the forest in an urban environment, providing a home with warmth and safety to many animals. The trees keep to themselves and adorn their delicate branches with beautiful flower buds and a bouquet of crisp leaves. The leaves disembark from the branches when the autumn season arrives, leaving the trees barren yet enchanting like Tim Burton artwork. The trees provide a ravishing background to the autumn spirit the season brings every year. UCO students are deeply inspired by this and incorporate the elements of the trees through creative ways such as social media, novels, short stories, poems, photography, and carefully crafted visuals.
This section is primarily for my beautiful ladies and fashionable gentlemen. These people of the University of Central Oklahoma are bona-fide stylists when it comes down to dressing up for fall. Strolling across the campus during the school week in September and October is like coming face-to-face with a “Fall Fashion Inspiration” Pinterest board. Seeing what other students are wearing will push you to dress yourself up in those scarves, cardigans, sweaters, and boots.
One of my favorite events during the fall at UCO is how my school shows remembrance for the fallen on September 11th. People around the world have been deeply affected by this tragedy and it’s important to keep those in pain around that time in our thoughts and prayers. What UCO does in support of these strong individuals is decorate the campus around the Nigh University Center and Broncho Lake with hundreds upon thousands of flags stabbed into the earth. It’s a small gesture that provides a big impact.
Halloween is my favorite time of the year. Dressing up, the candy, the fear implanted in you coming out in screams and terror. When Halloween falls on a weekday, thousands of UCO students dress up in elaborate costumes in recognition of the delightful holiday. Some professors and UCO staff will dress up as well, depending on who you run into to.
With the coming of fall comes the arrival of football. My fiancé and I are avid fans of the Green Bay Packers and that’s how we spend our Sundays during this time of year. UCO Broncho games are a sweet treat for students to experience because they’re not only supporting their great team, they’re supporting the great message UCO provides for students: to love, encourage, and support one another.
Even though I’ve personally never lived on campus, I would sometimes visit friends who did or still live in the dorms during Halloween and each hallway haunts you in this enchanting sort of way. Each hallway is decorated with a specific theme in mind that will either make you laugh or scare the shit out of you. Some students go above and beyond to decorate the hallways they live in in the dorms, and many succeed.
To be honest, I’m not a fan of Starbucks. I personally think there is too much hype built up around them and their drinks are too expensive for the quality they provide to their consumers. I don’t hate the brand or anything, I just prefer to support local coffee shops or get a cappuccino at the 7-11 around the corner for a fraction of the price.
To be honest about something else, when it comes to Pumpkin Spice, I am as basic white girl as you can get. When I get that cappuccino from 7-11, it’s always Pumpkin Spice. I love the pound cakes, the cookies, the coffee drinks, my fat ass can’t get enough of the stuff. For God’s sake, one of my cat’s names is Pumpkin Spice Latte. If I’m on campus and don’t want to walk to the 7-11 on the corner and it’s that time of year, I will shell out four or five bucks for a PSL at Starbucks.
Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is not my favorite thing in the world, but it’s fairly decent. It has a strong, bold flavor with plenty of spice, but is a bit too strong for my taste. On the rare occasion where I do grab a Starbucks Latte and have time to kill, I’ll relax and jot down any notes I have to take for my classes in the seating area of the Nigh. It gives me energy to do what I need to do and I get to people watch when taking a break. It always relaxes me and brings me back to reality from having my nose dug into a text and my hand getting a cramp from writing.
The UCO Homecoming Parade is a prime event welcoming each new school year with stunningly crafted floats and a sense of pride. The Homecoming Parade is like a warm welcome for freshmen to the campus. Dozens of groups join together to walk through downtown Edmond on these floats, occasionally dressed up in elaborate costumes with the band declaring their arrival.
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