Happy Labor Day everyone! The day is just winding down here in chilly Michigan. After an epic weekend heat wave with temps stretching to almost 100 degrees, we were subsequently slammed with a cold front that brought a high today of about 65.
That's Michigan for ya.
And actually, I was happy to greet the cooler air. Pregnancy hormones got the best of me with the heat, so I was totally ready for a breath of (literally) fresh air.
The temperature shift also brings along with it one of my favorite fall activities: visiting the apple orchard.
Side note: If you're not from the Mitten, you may not know the glory of visiting the apple orchards - fresh-pressed cider, warm cinnamon donuts, you-pick apples, hay rides. It's glorious. If you've never been, come visit me, and I'll take you on an apple orchard date.
Megan invited me and Kevin out to the orchards today along with her family (affectionately known as RunnerBro, RunnerSis, and RunnerBaby on Megan's blog) and another blog friend, Erika and her daughter, Julia.
Besides snagging donuts and cider, the adults kids spent some time playing in the orchard's kid friendly area complete with animal cutouts and petting zoo.
Megan and her RunnerFamily.
Me and Kevin (LBA was totally camera shy).
Ryan says he's an "accountant" but I totally knew he was a scarecrow all this time.
The main event, however, involved shopping inside the orchard's tasty little market. Rows upon rows of fresh Michigan apples waved hello as we perused the goods.
And gallons of cider taunted me from behind their glass cases (pregnant women can't drink unpasteurized beverages). However, the friendly and super-knowledgeable Cider Lady behind the counter told me that all I have to do is boil it, and then I can drink it. Super Smart Cider Lady just saved the fall season for me.
However, as there was no readily available boiling apparatus, I sat in envy as Kevin poured and drank his first chilled cider of the season.
And we all indulged in massive quantities of donuts, including Ryan, who was rewarding himself for his first-ever double digit run (a 10-miler)!
I wanted to eat like 107 donuts, but somehow I stopped at one. There will be more tonight, though. In fact, I can hear the bag calling my name from the kitchen counter.
You want one now, don't you?
This is where the magic happens. I don't know how this lady is not just straight up diving into that tray of warm goodness right now. I would. And I'd roll around in the deliciousness and live there forever.
Since we're totally not camera shy, we made the fellows take a few photos of the blogger ladies before we left.
Little Julia is totally a blogger/runner in training.
And with that, summer is officially ending, and I'm writing this "Oh, crap, it's almost 8 p.m. and I have to actually worry about bedtimes because I have to work tomorrow" post.
Yep, tomorrow at 7:45 a.m., the bell will ring, and I'll once again put on my Teacher Face for 186 days. Ok, so I'll be on maternity leave for 12 weeks starting in January, but that doesn't change the fact that I have to work tomorrow.
Hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend! Happy Fall!
What are you looking forward to most this fall?