Crazy Corn Maze

Sean and I have been planning to go to a corn maze for quite a while and we finally had a chance to go last night (we made a little detour to the pumpkin patch that is close by).  I have been going to this corn maze for many years now (once my friend Tony and I had to pay an attendant $5.00 to get us out of it) but this year it didn't seem as much fun.  The maze was really easy.  In fact, Sean and I made it through in about 20 minutes.  There were lots of little kids and strollers (the bane of my existence) and there seemed to be a lot of side activities geared more to small children.  Sean is such a good sport but we've decided that we want to find a different maze that is more complicated next year.  It was still really fun to spend time with him and I did get to cross off another item from my fall bucket list!

Pumpkin Patch

Sean has decided that we will be carving pumpkins next Sunday (we usually carve them on the Sunday before Halloween except for that one time).  He had his Mom buy a bunch of kits so we just needed the pumpkins.  Last night he and I went to Schmidt's Pumpkin Patch which is near my old house.  There were tons and tons of people there but we found a relatively empty area.  Sean meticulously picked pumpkins for himself, me, Tashena, and Marilyn (he picked a 20 pound pumpkin for Marilyn because she loves carving them).

I'm really glad that Sean still loves all of our holiday traditions!

Dutch Oven Cook Out

I really love cooking outdoors in Dutch ovens but I haven't done it for a long time.  I thought fall would be the perfect time to make a fruit cobbler.  I went to one of my favorite picnic sites in Millcreek Canyon Friday afternoon and made some.  The recipe is so easy!  In a 10-inch Dutch oven, pour a can of pie filling in the bottom (you can use any fruit that you like but I used cherry in this cobbler), then sprinkle a yellow cake mix over the fruit, and pour a 12 oz can of lemon lime soda over that.  Place the Dutch oven on some charcoal briquettes and then place 10-12 briquettes on top of the lid.  Let it cook for about 45 minutes or until it is bubbly.  I packed a lunch and read my book while it cooked and it was so nice to be in the canyon.  The temperature was brisk but not too cold (there were a lot of people hiking in the canyon) and I loved walking through all of the leaves on the ground.

It was such a nice afternoon.  The cobbler was absolutely delicious and I got to check off another item on my fall bucket list!

Fall Drive

Thursday morning I happened to be in American Fork getting my car serviced so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to drive the Alpine Loop between American Fork Canyon and Provo Canyon.  It is one of my very favorite fall drives and it was just beautiful.  The temperature was brisk but not too cold and the smell of decomposing leaves was intoxicating.  I had a lovely time driving the switchbacks with the window rolled down and I got to check another item off my fall bucket list!

Fall Camping Trip

Since I had Friday off as compensation for parent teacher conferences earlier in the week, I decided to take a trip down south to my very favorite KOA.  This little camping trip was very much needed and it was so relaxing!

I always love coming to the Fillmore KOA because it is far enough from home so I feel like I've gone somewhere and close enough to get there in less than two hours.  The facility is outstanding and the people who run it are some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

I stayed in this cabin Friday and Saturday nights.  It was in a very secluded area and I really enjoyed the solitude.

I spent most of my time sitting on the porch of the cabin reading.  Having time to read without distractions is pretty much my idea of heaven!  I loved listening to the breeze blow through the trees!  In the evening I settled into my cabin and watched movies!

On Saturday night I built a fire and sat next to it until it got really dark.  It was so relaxing!

This little camping trip was exactly what I needed!

Note:  This trip was the first item to be crossed off my fall bucket list!

Fall Bucket List

Fall is my very favorite season and I am determined to enjoy it to the fullest this year!  Here is a list of things I want to do during the month of October!

• Go on a fall camping trip.  I can already cross this off my list because I am currently sitting on the porch of my KOA cabin.
• Go on a fall drive.  Go here for five of my favorite fall drives near SLC.
• Make a fruit cobbler in a dutch oven.  I haven't done this for a really long time and I'm thinking that it needs to happen this year.
• Go to a corn maze.  Sean might think he's too cool to go with me this year.
• Carve a Jack-O-Lantern.  Marilyn and I do this with Sean and Tashena every year except the year we procrastinated buying pumpkins until the day of Halloween and then couldn't find them anywhere.
• Watch the movie Young Frankenstein with donuts and apple cider.  This has been a tradition ever since I moved out on my own and I look forward to it every year.
• Watch a horror movie in the theater.  I'm thinking of seeing the new Halloween movie.
• Eat a caramel apple.  This was the number one thing I wanted to do after I got my braces off!
• Eat chili in a pumpkin bread bowl. My Mom has made chili on Halloween since I was a little girl.  It is one of my favorite traditions.
• Attend ODT's Thriller.  I have been attending this Halloween dance extravaganza for the past 20 years.  It just wouldn't be Halloween without it!
• Make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  We'll see if this actually happens!

There you have it!  I'm so excited for all of it!  Do you have any fall traditions?

An Awesome Sack

All of a sudden it feels like fall in the Salt Lake valley.  One day I had my air conditioning on and literally the next day my furnace came on!  I am incredibly happy about this change in the weather because I absolutely love fall.  I love the cooler temperatures, the smell of decomposing leaves, wearing sweaters, everything pumpkin flavored, Halloween, and watching football.  Yesterday was the perfect day for football because the sky was a crystal blue, the temperature required a hoodie, and I started to notice some of the leaves changing!  Sean's team is struggling this season but I sure do love watching him play.  Even though the Braves lost to the Kearns Cougars, Sean played very well and got an awesome sack (he told us later that he could hear us cheer on the field).

Note:  His Dad gives him $5.00 for every sack so he was pretty excited!