Erin Murtaugh is a nursing student at Rasmussen College in Mankato. She can be reached at murtaugh.erin@gmail.com.

Happy first day of fall! I thought I’d share my favorite things about this wonderful season.

1. Pumpkins

I love the vivid orange color that pumpkins are. It is such a pretty color. I also love anything and everything pumpkin flavored. Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin shakes are just a few of my favorites.

2. Leaves changing ­

The leaves turn to the most gorgeous of colors this time of year. The photographer in me goes crazy over the beautiful scenes that pop up during autumn.

The unfortunate part is if there is a cold spell, the colors go away faster, but so far they’ve lasted pretty well this year.

3. Cooler weather ­

I don’t like the cold, but fall has some of the most perfect days for weather. Not too hot, and not too cold. Sometimes you need a jacket in the morning, but by lunchtime it’s comfortable out. You can still go out and enjoy things like taking a walk or going to the park without getting too cold. This is the ideal weather to me.

4. Halloween ­

I love this holiday. It’s a holiday for all ages to enjoy. Small children can get dressed up in adorable costumes and go trick-­or-­treating. There are usually an abundance of parties for all ages. People who don’t go out can enjoy passing out candy to the trick­-or-treaters in their neighborhood.

5. Fall fashion ­

This one might seem a little odd, but I love the variety of things you can wear in the fall. One of my favorite things to do with outfits is layer. Fall is a great time to do this because of the ranging temperatures throughout the day. It’s the perfect time to break out your favorite pair of boots (I happen to have three favorite pairs) with a cute long sleeve shirt and a scarf to top things off. The outfits for cooler weather are endless. Be sure to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather before good old winter comes!