So, it was a glorious fall day with crisp blue skies and cool breezes. Just the perfect setting to go to a pumpkin patch, take a few family pictures and sip warm apple cider. We loaded the kids in the car (dressed in coordinating clothes… which resulted in a few tears and a bit of frustration on my part I will admit– honestly… can’t a woman get her girls to look a bit more put together for once without complaints OR drama?!?)
Anyway, Kent set the GPS with the address of a recommended farm to visit and we were off. 45 minutes of driving beautiful country roads to the north of Huntington and all the while we were commenting that we were seeing new sights and adventuring in new lands (to us at least).
I should have trusted my gut when Kent turned north, and mentally I thought we should have been heading south… because when we “arrived at our destination” we looked about us at an old field with rusted out farm equipment about it. Not.an.orange.thing.in.sight.
(I should have taken a picture of that sight…)
A phone call later confirmed our suspicions. We were lost. AND it was due to the fact that Warsaw and Wabash are definitely 2 different towns which happen to be in opposite directions of Huntington.
Our little outing would have to be rescheduled for another day. *sigh*
At that point tensions were high: The kids were starting to grumble about being in the car so long, stomachs were beginning to remind us that it was coming upon the time to get some dinner, and I was maybe a bit grumpy and muttering in my head that all that struggles to get some nice family pictures were in vain. … (not a lovely combination!)
When Kent happened upon a nature preserve he passed by on our way home I will admit that I might have been a little bit hesitant to get out of the car. Mostly because of the before mentioned, and it just wasn’t the “creative backdrop” of what I had in mind when I was thinking family pictures…
But after walking through the leaf-laddened trails, relishing the quiet that only a remote woods can bring, and taking in the sights and smells of fall all around us, I quickly found that my funk was starting to lift, and a new and much-improved attitude was emerging.
We had a lovely time.
In the end we did pick up a few pumpkins on our way home from a little farm stand on the side of the road. AND we did take a few fun pictures of our family that are quite decent if I must admit it. But most importantly, I was reminded of the importance of being content and present in the midst of each and every moment, and to make the most of every opportunity with a good attitude.
Who knows, maybe next weekend we will head south and try again for that perfect photo opportunity. OR, maybe this year’s family picture will be with the backdrop of some woods, and I will look back on it each year as a good reminder of the life lessons learned on this little misadventure.
perfect shot, don't you think? (:
Your family is so precious! I know it’s been a lengthy separation and hopefully in 23 days that will all change.
I am a tad bit homesick (okay a slight understatement) and looking at your family pics and adventures made me smile! I listened to Kent’s chapel from the beginning of the year, and I closed my eyes and pictured myself sitting in the front row of the classroom. My how time has gone by, but yet I found myself sitting in the same place as I listened to the wealth of knowledge and soft spirited manner in which he presented Christ to students. What vessel’s of Christ you both are!!!! I have really learned a lot from you guys and would never had made it through my senior year without you! I wish we would have had more time to be able to do life together…and maybe in the future we will be able to, but I am grateful for the time we have and the times when I still feel apart of your life by keeping up with the blogs and pics! I miss you so so much!
I just have to say that I LOVE your family photo at the end! It made me burst out laughing! Awesome.