Year after year we plan on taking the kids to go apple picking, but the season always seems to get away from us and we never go.  There's something about the snap off a tree surrounded by the sweetness in the air that brings the season of Fall into full bloom.      Raising our kids in North Carolina, apple picking is a hard thing to do.  I grew up in the north, where apple trees were a given.  We had them in our own backyard, but in North Carolina they're a little more difficult to find.
      Today, we finally made a day of it though and found a perfect spot for an afternoon of fun.
       We hope you enjoy this time of year, whether it's through picking apples, pumpkins or picking the best of times with family and friends.  Sometimes it's the simple things that create the most wonderful memories that last a lifetime.   

    As the kids get older, I know the days of running a thousand miles per hour will come to an end.  Today we experienced one of the first of the lasts though - and it hit as bitter sweet. 
   This morning was the very last time we'd have an elementary school class field trip.  On any given day, you'd see me raise my hands in a Hallelujah and to be honest, between the four kids it feels like we've taken this same fifth grade trip to Old Winston Salem in North Carolina  a hundred times.  It wasn't until I saw Lauren Elizabeth walking with Adam when I realized...this was it.
      Just like her brothers, middle school will be here all too soon, then high school and  so on.  They're all growing and it's wonderful, but it pulls my heart straight out of my chest at the same time.
     For today though, she had the best time with her friends.  They walked through streets blanketed in Autumn and learned from stop to stop about the Moravian community of the 1700's, even enjoying freshly made goodness from the town's bakery.
     It was a beautiful day all around for a field trip we won't soon forget as the chapter of the elementary years comes to a quickly approaching end.  
​    Now if you'll excuse me while I eat a Moravian  ginger cookie.  Here is the recipe.  You're welcome.    
https://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/MoravianCookie.htm