It must be fall

This summer's weather has made it hard to tell if there's been a change in the seasons, but weather isn't the only tell-tale sign that the greatest season of the year is upon us.

Fall is hard to miss. You've got schools back in session, later sunrises, earlier sunsets, football season and eventually leaves changing color.

Fall is by far my favorite season of the year, for many reasons. The weather is nearly perfect, but again, there's more than weather that makes me love this season. My daughter is in first grade and it's a lot of fun to watch her learn new things. Football season is always fun, for the games and for Fantasy Football leagues. Where we live now, the lake is really quiet in the fall because many families have moved away from their summer homes.

This year I've got something new to look forward to. I'm going to be a Small Group Leader in the Sr. High Ministry at Nappanee Missionary Church. I'm going to work with freshmen guys and I cannot wait to get started. After spending a week at camp this summer, I have a renewed sense of anticipation, hope and urgency for these young people. There's so much potential and I'm blessed to be part of their development.

For some reason I still can't quite explain, I became a fan of the Green Bay Packers last season. I'm really excited for the NFL season, but especially for the Packers. It's fun to have a team to root for each week. I still won't live and die with every Packers game, but I may be slightly more giddy if the Packers win.

Fantasy Football season has become one of my most anticipated activities of the year. It's so much fun to try to figure out which players are going to have a good season. The camaraderie with friends is as much, if not more, important than winning and losing. This year I'm in three leagues, which is probably the maximum I should allow. Two drafts are done and I've got one more tonight.

Something else I'm excited about this fall is the revival of disc golf among my friends and me. We've been playing a lot lately and this Saturday we're doing a 5-course tour that I'm thrilled about.

So, there's plenty about Fall to get me excited. And I can't wait for it all to kick off!