Getting Lost on Purpose

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel stressed about starting family traditions?  Maybe I'm overthinking it all, but with all the traditions we had as children, plus all the cool traditions we hear about, PLUS all the traditions we think up on our own, I feel overwhelmed with deciding which to keep and which to kick!  I think I need to just calm down, actually, but anways...

 

One tradition we do love, is trippin' to the local pumpkin patch.  Luis took me there for my first birthday here in California to make it extra special since I was missing my family so much.  It was one of my favorite birthday memories (other than standing in line at my sisters wedding greeting all sorts of people I didn't know...hee haw, just kidding Charisee!) and we've gone back every year.

 

It has been 147 degrees here for the past 99 days but finally, FINALLY we got a bit of a break and saw some cooler temps and rainshowers.  We went to the pumpkin patch the next day, so it was a bit soggy, very fall-ish, and purely wonderful!  We had the best time ever!  I mean ever!!!  In fact, think about all of your best times, and then multiply that by 17 1/2.  Yeah, we pretty much blew your best times out the front door.

 

Okay, so maybe it wasn't that good, but it was still pretty spectacular.

 

We started out with a picnic and photo op.

Then this year for the first time, we tried their corn maze.  It was different than any corn maze I've tried before.  First, you wander around getting lost...

 

...then you have to find these four posts with numbers on them to get a code...

...the code is your key to get out of maze part 1...

...and then you repeat the process until you complete part 2 and end the maze.  We found out from the corn maze staff that the record time was 22 min.  Our time was better than that by 12 minutes (plus or minus one hour).

 

After the corn maze, we picked this cute little pink pumpkin found in the patch.  Have you ever seen such a cute pumpkin?  Not I.

 

Finally, on our way out the door, we noticed our new-only-been-used-once picnic tablecloth spread out on our previously used picnic table.  I had to sheepishly pull it out from behind a nursing mother and her three wee ones, but at least we got it back.

 

(Have I mentioned that every year Luis and I accidentally throw away our car registration after putting the stickers on the car?  Sometimes we're not very "mart.")

 

After this experience, I realized that my missy needs a winter hat.  Mother dear guilted me into making one so I produced the following cap.  She laughs at herself in the mirror everytime I put it on her head.  So either she likes it or she doesn't like it.  One of the two.

 

 

((Just in case you're wondering, YES, my older sister really did get married on my birthday and YES I really did have to stand in line all night and YES I did grumble and complain about it and YES I cried when my mom brought in our store-bought birthday cake instead of the usual home-made one and YES I should've been more happy to spend my birthday on temple grounds and YES I've given Charisse a hard time about getting hitched on my birthday for years now and YES I probably always will.  I love you Charisse))