As the weather has changed this week from mild to much cooler we are reminded that autumn is in full swing, and winter is right around the corner. So, what do our MBU Timeline bloggers like most about this time of year?
Photo by Joshua DuBoise
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By ERIC PHILLIPS
For me, the greatest thing about fall is that the music is better.
Some may argue that music sounds the same year-round (I will bide my tongue about the scientific evidences that prove otherwise), but I would assert that music is best when experienced seasonally.
In my own music listening, for instance, “Everything In Transit,” by Jack’s Mannequin is a summer album, “Forget and Not Slow Down,” by Relient K is a spring album and “Sigh No More,” by Mumford and Sons is a winter album.
But I reserve fall for the kind of music that can be enjoyed around a bonfire at night, or while sipping on some French-pressed coffee in the morning; albums like “For Emma, Forever Ago,” by Bon Iver and “Ledges,” by Noah Gundersen.
On days when silence sounds better than a song I enjoy going outside into the cool, crisp air and reading a book or writing new lyrics in a notebook.
I feel that the cold air allows for a clearer mind, which enhances my creativity and makes me want to create whatever I can.
The changing colors of fall also make me want to get outside with my camera and shoot what I can of the leaves in their penultimate state before they fall to the ground.
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By SHANNON McANDREW
What I like most about fall is the great scents and that winter comes soon afterward.
I love how pumpkin and apple scents are everywhere.
There are candles from companies like Yankee Candle and Bed Bath & Beyond, there are Pumpkin Spice Lattes and apple cider and pumpkin pie and apple pie.
After Thanksgiving, Christmas is right around the corner.
Sweaters are taken out of the closets and fires are lit, giving me the perfect opportunity for reading a book while drinking hot chocolate.
How can I pick just one favorite thing because everything about fall is so great?
I love how families come together in fall for giving thanks and just being together while watching football and playing board games.
Next to Christmas, fall is my favorite time of year.
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By MICHAEL MAASEN
My favorite two things about the fall season are the colorful leaves and the cool, rainy weather.
Walking down the sidewalks at Missouri Baptist University is filled with color as different trees start to shed their leaves in rainbows of orange, red, yellow and purple.
Two wonderful things cannot coexist it would seem.
As soon as the rain comes, the leaves seem to all fall off of the trees.
That is OK however, because walking around in the light, chilly, rainy mists of fall is just as good as beholding all of the colorful leaves.
It is hard to have an unpleasant walk during the fall, you just might have to wear a jacket.
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By CHRISTIAN ROBINSON
Fall is my favorite season of the year.
Back home fall means that bonfires will be consuming every Friday and Saturday night.
This is just good quality time to spend with my friends, which I enjoy very much.
Another aspect of fall that I enjoy is getting to visit my Grandpa’s pumpkin patch in Redbud, Ill.
My family and I will go up there on a Saturday in October every year and pick pumpkins together and spend time with my Grandpa and his wife.
Since I have moved to St. Louis for school my view of fall has been very different because my weekends aren’t consumed with bonfires because we don’t have anywhere to have them.
Even though I haven’t been able to spend nights around bonfires the beautiful weather and leaves changing have helped keep the same fall feel.
It’s not a southern Illinois fall but I am still enjoying the season and am not ready for the winter to come.
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By KATIE GREEN
It’s here and gone with a quick cool breeze as temperatures drop and leaves fall to the ground.
Fall is definitely my favorite season of the year.
The temperatures are just right and it provides weather that is suitable for whatever wardrobe choices one feels.
The leaves begin to change and show off a vast array of colors.
Fall is always reminiscent of coming together with family and friends whether it be at a random bonfire or for Thanksgiving dinner as everyone gathers around a table.
Fall brings around exciting post-season runs for the different fall sports.
But it doesn’t last for long as the freezing temperatures of winter close in and the leaves turn brown as people retreat to their warm houses to hibernate until spring comes around.
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By MACY CHURCH
What I like most about the fall season is Thanksgiving!
It’s a great time to spend with family and friends, and enjoy amazing food.
In Canada, Thanksgiving is early October, when the weather is beautiful and the leaves are just beginning to change.
We eat outside most times, and enjoy the crisp air and each other’s company.
It’s always the best time to appreciate your family and be thankful for each other.
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By JULIA PROVINCE
My favorite thing about fall is the cozy atmosphere that comes along with it.
The air gets chilly seemingly out of nowhere and the leaves begin to change.
This signals that it’s time to throw on a warm sweater and enjoy the season.
Nothing is better than a cup of tea or hot chocolate accompanied by the beautiful fall scenery and the cold weather.
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By JOSHUA DuBOISE
What I like about fall is how the changing of seasons brings out good qualities of people.
The weather has a definite way of bringing people together in various ways.
For example, people are drawn together by having more coffee together, going to a pumpkin patch or an apple orchard with family and friends or just spending more time outside in good weather.
I like the newness that a fresh season brings to people.
It reminds us that life is changing but at the same time it can be very beautiful.
We can enjoy fall with our friends and families by having great fellowship in the great activities fall brings.
Triston Buckley 
Emily Retzer