Fall Getaway

This past weekend the kids had Thursday and Friday off for "Fall break". My husband took off Friday and we headed for cooler weather in search of the true "Fall". We spent our first night in Camp Verde but traveled up to Flagstaff Friday afternoon. We went to Locket Meadow, an absolutely beautiful area on the north side of Humphrey's Peak. The ride there was all dirt road and a bit on the edge with lots of bumps along the way. It was one of those trails for one vehicle, we were in our big truck so when we encountered another vehicle it was always interesting. We made it up and then down safely and enjoyed the adventure. We saw beautiful aspens that were yellow and with their white bark it was awesome. There was a little pond with an awesome view above it. I could picture our log cabin there with the smoke coming out of the chimney.... :) We made it down just before night fall. On Saturday morning we had tickets for the Verde Canyon railroad. That was a 4 hour train ride through some really pretty picturesque landscape. After we got off the train we headed up to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, in search of more fall leaves. Sedona is always beautiful, haven't ever been there when it wasn't. Oak Creek canyon is so awesome and there were so many tent campers. We headed back up to Flagstaff after going through Oak Creek Canyon. We spent the night at the same hotel we usually stay at, Innsuites. They have a wonderful breakfast, for a family of 4 it's a great deal. I was sad that the hotel hadn't progressed much with it's renovations though. Our room was pretty dated, but it was comfy and quiet, since the railroad isn't far away. Saturday night it got down to 19 degrees! After our yummy breakfast in the morning, they serve a wide variety, scrambled eggs, biscuits & gravy, Belgium waffles, yogurt, fruit, cereal... we headed back to Locket Meadow. Different time of day, different lighting and to our surprise different colors. The yellow leaves had already turned orange. The kids loved the adventure ride up again. They played near the pond and threw rocks at it, it was ice mostly. It was so nice to be in the fresh air and hear absolutely no sounds but the great outdoors! After visiting our new favorite spot in Flag, we went to Sunset Crater. We had taken our daughter there about almost 6 years ago just before our son was born. Our son had never been there, and our daughter was only 7 at the time and didn't remember being there. There hasn't been any volcanic activity in the area in 800-1000 years. It was amazing to see the life that was growing in all the black areas, it looked as if there it was the site of a great tragedy and new life rose through it all (I know that's pretty dramatic, it's been 800-1000 years after all) Once we left Sunset Crater, it was time to head back home. We got in early evening and it was good to once again be home. It's always a bonding experience to take a road trip with the family, to get away from all that pulls everyone in different directions and regroup and spend time together.

Schnepf Farms Pumpkin & Chili Fest

Yesterday we went to a local farm that has a yearly Pumpkin & Chili Fest. Normally the cost is $14 per person. They have some discount tickets available through Fry's grocery store which makes it $12. I found a better deal yet, I went to their website and for yesterday only they had a deal for half off, $7!! Huge savings, love it! They had rides for the kids, younger and older :) My husband and I went on the roller coaster with our son. Our daughter brought a friend a long and they would spend some time with us and then go on some rides alone together. They also had a couple of areas where you could toast marshmallows. My son especially got a kick out of that. He did several for me, yummy. I'm sad to say while we were around the fire, a little boy around 2 or 3 years old was also there with his large family. I took notice that he was getting closer to the fire than I would have allowed my child even at almost 6 now. After the fact now, I feel like I was prompted to pray for his safety but didn't clue into it quick enough. His family was with him, I just assumed he'd be ok, not thinking that I noticed him for good reason. I remember commenting in my head how grown up my son looked roasting marsh mellows and how he didn't seem afraid at all handling the marsh mellow the was on fire, only a little. Next thing I knew the little boy must have burned himself, he was screaming. Anytime the spirit prompts us to pray, brings something to our attention like that, just a reminder we need to follow that. Afterwards my son was concerned for him, he mentioned to me Mommy we need to pray for him. Right after it happened I was upset that his family hadn't watched him closer, then It all turned and I was upset with myself for being judgemental and prayed for him.
We ended up staying til around 9:30. The weather was totally awesome, it was our first cool down. It was beautiful outside and finally started to feel a little like fall.

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