I ended after a very long, stressful, irritating, exhausting flight asking the question, “Isthis what vacation is like from now on?”
“This” being not really having a moment alone, a moment to relax, a moment to feel rested, a moment that feels like an actual vacation. You know, like you had pre baby. Well, the short answer is, yes. Yes, this is how vacations will be from now on, which sounds awful. But the long answer isn’t a simple yes or no, and it really isn’t as dreadful sounding.
Halloween is a big deal in my family. It just is. And with us being away on Halloween, I felt the need to find some sort of Halloween activity to get Ellie involved in. Even if it was Japan, there had to be something we could take her to. And while we were out one day at the local mall, I found just the thing. A Halloween Parade!
We had no idea what to expect with it being in Japan, but it would be another excuse to get Ellie in her costume. But what would a Japanese Halloween Parade be like?
It’s time for fall, my favorite time of year! And one of my favorite things to do is go to the Cider Mill. Last year on our trip to the Cider Mill, Ellie was just crawling and couldn’t eat donuts. But this year, it was a whole other story. We planned a trip with our friends Kelly and Evelyn to enjoy the apples, cider, and donuts.  I’ve only been to this place on the busy crowded weekends, so I was looking forward to going on a sleepy weekday morning.
I’m a little disappointed with my garden harvest this year. Usually we have bags and bags of tomatoes. I’m usually trying to get rid of my over abundance of eggplants and green peppers. And right about this time of year, I’m usually so sick of zucchini that I can barely stand to look at it. But not this year. This year has been a very small harvest. Some blame the weather, but I know the real culprit. The butternut squash.
Aya’s longtime childhood friend, Ksenija, is a professional photographer. And by longtime friend, I mean since the first grade. Aya had moved to Japan and back and they still remained friends. So when we decided we wanted a family portrait session, of course we wanted Ksenija for the job. She photographed our wedding, our baby shower, and even Ellie when she was only a couple of weeks old. She was a close friend, and we loved her work. Her pictures are more than photographs, they are art. We had set up a session with her in the fall, our favorite time of year. Continue reading “PICTURE PERFECT?”
