Although rainy and gloomy, this month started on all the right notes for me. I love the early stages of fall when the leaves are turning, the air is crisp, and my apartment smells like pumpkin spice and everything nice.

This past weekend, my boyfriend, Nathan, and I joined his family at Color Me Mine for a Hocus Pocus-themed paint night. Having picked up some pumpkins, staked our scarecrows and covered the bushes by our front door with fluorescent spider webs, we were ready for some spooky creativity. We picked out our ceramics and got to the D.I.Y.-ing. I went with a witch candy bowl, and Nathan picked a Día de Los Muertos doll. While we don’t know what the final products look like just yet, I’d like to believe we did a pretty good job. Would you say so, looking at this picture?

A Hocus Pocus 2 mini watch party followed the arts amd crafts; we dimmed the lights, lit the candles and ordered some pizza to top off a Friday night in.

On Saturday we took a short road trip to Bear Creek Township to join my friend’s yearly pumpkin party at her parents’ lake house. Even though we didn’t take the scenic route, we saw some beautiful autumn foliage and appreciated the broody mystique the rain gave the day. We sang our favorite tunes and turned up our seat warmers for a cozy ride.

The party took place in the backyard, which overlooked Meadow Lake. We painted some pumpkins — which Nate killed by the way; mine was okay — listened to some music and caught up while sharing some wine, good food and a beautiful sunset. This moment reminded me of one of my favorite things about this season: togetherness. Yes, we spend time with our loved ones all year ’round, but there’s just something special about the end-of-year season. Whether you’re simply painting pumpkins or a vase, decorating for Halloween or apple picking, doing it with family and creating those core memories makes it 10 times more enjoyable. On Sunday we grabbed brunch at Langhorne Coffee House and had a relaxed day as we continued decorating our apartment.

This week the fun continues with front-row seats to Paranormal Cirque. As a highly sensitive person, I am both excited and nervous for this experience. I’ll check in soon to tell you about it.

— Yasser Ogando, advertising and production manager