down on the farm.

saturdays in the fall are priceless. they seem extra beautiful here. mountains around us. trees everywhere. much more rural than anywhere i have ever lived and i really love it. this saturday we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and headed to a little farm just ten minutes from our house. it was even better because our good friend coleman and leslie were in town. they recently got engaged! we love weddings and marriage. we are seriously thrilled to be apart of not only their wedding next year but even more excited for the many more years to come.

we love fall. pumpkins. hayrides. being outside. petting farms. cow rides and letting ava around.

 

 

 

 

 

ava wanted to first read the sign before deciding if she wanted to ride.

justin seemed a little nervous for the ride.

this "cow ride" was a little make shift and too small for most adults. but ava seemed to love it for the most part. she was cracking up laughing when they got off.

 

ava was ready after her second time around to get off the ride and so was justin.

 

tha pretty much sums it up. she loved it. i think i loved it almost as much. seriously the idea of going to one place and being able to see a pig race, pet animals, go on a hayride, ride carousel, pick your own pumpkin, a really fancy "cow ride", corn maze, food, games...i loved it. i want to go back. we might.

after the farm we headed to pennybackers my new favorite place to eat in harrisonburg. talked about marriage. what they are excited about and what they hope to learn and how not to waste their engagement. after a restful afternoon of just hanging around and putting ava to bed early. we shared what little we know about marriage. how important it is to communicate. really communicate. how it is good to discuss roles and expectations before getting married. who will pay the bills, take out the trash, do the laundry, cook...etc. you can not possibly figure it all out as most of what happens in marriage is about evolving and growing and making sure that as you change and grow you remain one. you may change. justin and i sure have. we were married young so we knew when we got married that we would change. a lot. who you are in your early twenties is not the same as your mid to late twenties and so on. you never know what will come your way once you are married. but that is what you sign up for. the good and the bad. the fun and the hard. the joy and the sorrow. pain. depression. job loss. illness. you sign up for ALL of it. be sure to choose someone you love enough that you would not want to experience joy or sorrow with anyone else but them. it changes everything. i know it has for us.

justin's mom is in town this week and roma and ava have already been on a few walks, played outside, and did some finger painting. roma has a lot planned this week for ava. we are excited.

enjoy your monday.

don't waste the fall and the joy that the weekend can bring. 

***last week justin's family experienced a devastating loss. please pray as we continue in this time of grief and mourning.*** we love you tracy and alan. we are praying for you and mourning alongside you. even at a distance.