You. Outside. Right now.

It has recently come to my attention that I spend entirely too much time indoors. And I became aware of this because of an image on Pinterest that I've already misplaced, which said something to the effect of: in America, we spend our leisure time indoors; in Europe, they spend theirs outdoors.

And I thought, by golly ol' chap, you are correct! (Read that in a British accent.) Because what do I do with my spare time? Watch TV. Blog. Surf the web. Read. None of which is all that conducive for being outdoors.

So the other day, I hauled one of our kitchen chairs onto the back patio to read. Elliott wanted to come too, but she wouldn't stop eating the plants so she had to go back inside. It was one of the four days per year that Texas is blessed with perfect weather, and it was so nice to feel the warmth and the breeze as I sat and read about lighthouses. (I was reading "The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman. There's a link to it in the sidebar.)

I was inspired to come up with more ideas to make sure we spend some time outside this fall, so I made a list of things we could do, and hopefully this will inspire you to go outside more too.

One of our engagement photos from 2010. Do you know how hard it was to find a picture of us in winter clothes??

• Read outside. (Duh.)
• Sip coffee on a patio.
• Rake leaves into a giant pile. (Jump into the pile afterward.)
• Go hiking.
• Go camping.
• Build a bonfire.
• Toast marshmallows.
• Have a cul-de-sac party for Halloween. (Save the kids the trouble of walking from house to house and have all the neighbors sit in the cul-de-sac and hand out candy from there. Folding chairs are good. Beer is better. Adults only!)
• Go stargazing.
• Go to a playground or park.
• Go apple picking. (Find an orchard.)
• Go to a pumpkin patch.
• Have a picnic, or otherwise eat outside.
• Go for a walk.
• Go exploring.
• Drink apple cider on a backyard swing. (Find a backyard swing.)

What would you add to this list? What are your favorite fall activities?