Traditions and Uncle Stevie

Last night our family was invited to some friend's house for a very enjoyable dinner. We were talking about how their church has a monthly get together for families. I've heard a lot about it from others I know who attend the same church and for the most part it seems to be met with a lot of grumbling. However, last night, my friend said what she really likes about it is that it sort of forces them to talk about things as a family that they otherwise would not.

The example she gave was that they asked them each to write down what their favorite family tradition was. She loved hearing what her kids had to say because she was surprised at their answers.

One of my favorite traditions for our family is to go to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. The last couple of years we have been going to Barthel's Fruit Farm out in the country. It's a really great drive that takes us through a quaint little town with a beautiful old church/cemetary, hardware store, and two taverns. You drive your car right out to the orchard and pick your apples. Then you drive to the pumpkin patch and spend time finding just the right ones to bring home and display in the yard.

What's funny about pumpkins is that there always seems to be one that fits your personality. This year, we found a great one for Uncle Stevie...the king of the moon.


We've returned home, left the muddy shoes on the back porch, and are settling in for an afternoon of football and lounging. Later I will make one of my mother-in-law's apple bake recipes to have for dessert. The perfect finish to the perfect fall day.