Happenin's

The last few weeks have been peppered with a few little fun things and a few little not-so-fun things. But, I'm going to tell you about the fun stuff because that will make you happy!

We(well, mostly me) enjoy visiting orchards, pumpkin farms, and farm stands. I would much rather do that than be stuck in a movie theater, shopping mall, or the like. I'm an outdoorsy kinda chick. It's really where it's at, you know what I mean? I hope you do!

We headed up to close up the family cottage up north a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful warm fall day and the lake was gorgeous. The fall colors were surrounding the lake and reflecting on the water. We even saw an eagle fly over. Norman Rockwell, eat your heart out! And the peace and quiet...just can't beat it!

The apple trees were just loaded this year. We set to work picking all of those apples, and I've gotta tell you, I don't think I've had that much fun in way too long. My parents met us up there, so it was the 6 of us, shaking trees, laughing over getting hit in the head with apples, and some of us climbing the trees to reach the unreachable ones! We filled baskets, boxes, huge bags, shopping bags, sweatshirt pockets! In other words, we have enough apples to feed us and the deer for a long time! I have to say, the best apple sauce I ever made came from one of the lakeside trees. It is just luscious!

Natalie said something about the day we spent up north and it warmed the very cockles of my fall-loving heart. "Mom, that was the best day I've ever had. I felt like a kid. I climbed trees all day and had so much fun. i didn't have to think about anything."

"I felt like a kid". Where did that come from, I wondered. And then I remembered being 13. I was halfway between being a kid and an adult. I knew it was time to choose one or the other. Who wants to grow up? I still don't sometimes! It warmed and cracked my heart a bit, knowing my little girl is becoming a young woman right before my eyes. I hope she has many more "tree-climbing" days ahead!

We made a trip to Frankenmuth the weekend after that. It's one of our favorite places to go as a family. We went with the intention of just enjoying the atmosphere, not spending a bunch of money. It's amazing how making that intentional statement changes the outcome of the day. The girls don't normally ask us for stuff anyway, but the expectations were set. They knew we weren't going for the $100 chicken dinner this time. We were going for a yummy cookie, an inch of fudge, and a nice walk around a fun place. I am proud that the girls know how to just enjoy a beautiful day in a beautiful place. Simple as that.

Last weekend we picked our own apples from our "vintage" apple trees. I call them that because they are soooo old that we can't even identify the apples. This time I got clubbed in the head and the back with super hard apples! It was still a blast, spending time with my family, doing something simple. We are so blessed to have built a home so close to all of these apple trees. God must have planned that, knowing how much I love orchards! I like to think that anyway.

We took the girls to probably our last trip to Uncle John's Cider Mill. I enjoy it, but the girls have outgrown all the fun kiddy stuff they have. We took a hayride, a carriage ride, watched the cider press, listened to the band, ate cider and donuts, and that was that. The girls were kind of bored. So much for enjoying beauty on a pretty day. As they grow up, we are finding it harder to find things they enjoy. We just have to work a bit harder to incorporate the things they like to do. It's a challenge we knew would come one day. I for one, am not giving up on pumpkin farms. i still love them and I'm old!! (sort of old)

Last night we attended Natalie's volleyball tournament. It was a nail-biting, heart-pounding, pant-peeing game!! Those girls just blew us away. They started out a bit rattled and lost the first one, but then came back and amazed us. And yes, my dear Natalie got to play, and she served like a champ! She has really worked hard to earn her play time and we are so proud of her! Basketball practice starts today...no breaks for the wicked!! I can't wait for more games. Guess I'd better take my heart medication and maybe wear a diaper. I'm too young for Depends. :)