As I write this, I’m staring at the already-changing leaves in some of the trees around our Yardley, Pennsylvania, headquarters and finding immense comfort in the softness and warmth of the sweater I’m wearing this morning.

You may say, “Yasser, it’s only 65 degrees outside,” and while I know we’re in that fake fall (as New Yorkers like to call it) transitional stage of summer, more hot days are coming. Nonetheless, the somewhat rainy and gray morning added to my longing for autumn.

This summer, however, has been filled with new core memories, a regained full sense of normalcy and lots of fun. Last month I joined my boyfriend and his family for their annual trip to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and it felt good to go back to that summer tradition. We last made it down with them in 2019, so I was very much looking forward to it. I typically don’t dwell in the past and always focus on what’s ahead, but I would be lying if I said there’s no comfort in those moments of déjà vu.

We were there for a week, and during that time we enjoyed each other’s company, spent time under the sun, enjoyed delicious homemade meals, went on bike rides to the Wright Brothers National Memorial and even saw a few dolphins. As I mentioned in my last two blogs, the summer has been busy, so this step back to just unplug and be present was needed. Life by the beach truly is bliss. On the way back, we stopped by Cape Charles, Virginia, and checked out a local restaurant for dinner, which served as a great break from driving.

While some are still planning to soak up the last few days of the season, we’re already planning all of our Halloween-related activities, which we will kickstart this month with a Hocus Pocus II watch party. I may or may not have already ordered my costume, and needless to say, the decorating starts next week. We do have a special event at the end of this month, which will culminate a beautiful season in the best way possible; for now, we’ll continue to work on making the list of spookivities longer and put our summer clothes away — my least favorite aspect of actually having four seasons.

— Yasser Ogando, advertising & production manager