With Blink-182 announcing a reunion tour, I can’t help but take inspiration from them for the title of this blog. No place does Fall better than the Mid-West, and we have taken full advantage of all the fall things this season.
Apple Picking
We kicked off autumn with a visit to an apple orchard for some apple picking. It was a big family event, and since we went in September, the weather was just right. Approximately a one hour drive from our place in the city, Edwards Apple Orchard was the perfect place for us. Upon entry was live country music and a play area for kids. You could then venture off to pick apples or pick pumpkins. They also offered a shop to buy all the fall and apple things.
One bushel of apples was $42. We paid at the entrance and large horse drawn carts took us across the farm to various lanes of apple trees. It was a very well run and well organized operation.
Tilly had a blast and we got some great photos along the way! And in some ways, Tony almost had more fun. He was always the first down the lane of trees, very carefully inspecting each apple he picked. We ended up with so many apples, I was worried we wouldn’t get through them all…
Swiss Fondue
As the weather turns chillier, it’s time to bring out the cheese. Melted cheese, that is! One of the best parts of living in Switzerland was access to all the cheese and chocolate. We made sure our treasured fondue set came back to Chicago with us, and we hosted a small melted cheese feast. It turned out delicious, if I may say so! And nothing warms you up quite like a pot of melted cheese.
Pumpkin Patch
There’s something about picking fruit and vegetables that go so well with this time of year. After picking apples, it was time to pick pumpkins. However, we did it in style. We once again hit up Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-up for pumpkins, beer, axe throwing and a corn maze.
Aside from a gorgeous view of the Chicago sky-line, there is instagram-worthy fixtures every where. Tilly got in on the fun asking me to take her picture every 5 minutes! I also finally got to try my hand at axe-throwing (I’m pretty good), and Tilly insisted on multiple trips through the corn maze.
Pumpkin Carving
After picking the pumpkins we of course had to carve and decorate them. That’s what Papa is for! Lay out a few table cloths and let the kids get nice and gooey when scooping out all the pumpkin guts.
Salem, Massachusetts
This fall, we were extra lucky to have planned a visit out east. Not only did we get to see the gorgeous foliage, but we got to celebrate time with close friends and head over to Salem! No surprise, the east coast knows how to do Halloween right.
We ventured through a pumpkin paradise on a hill, and Tilly and her friend donned the most magical witch costumes to waltz through Salem. They were the hit of the town, especially as they kept referring to each other as “sistas” like from Hocus Pocus.
Spooky 5K
Running another 5K is an item on my 40 things list. The timing worked out for me to participate in the 5k Crypt run at Rosehill Cemetery. It was extremely dark and spooky, but so cool. So many of the amazing monuments within the cemetery were lit up in various Halloween colors, lighting the way on the path. It was also a physical accomplish for me that I was very proud of myself for!
Halloween
Last but not least is of course, celebrating Halloween itself. With Tilly’s new witch costume, she had a few options to choose from this Halloween. We spent the Saturday before at a Trunk or Treat near my sister’s house in Barrington. A variety of cars were decked out with people filling the kids’ bags with loads of candy.
On the day itself, we carefully applied the world’s coolest face tattoo to make Tilly look like an authentic member crossing over during Day of the Dead. She was the star of her school, and everyone was convinced I had mad artistic skills in terms of her “face paint” (thanks, Amazon!).
Tony and I were reflecting about how much we have enjoyed being back in Chicago. This fall season perfectly represents many of the reasons why. There are so many ways to spend time with friends and family during this awesome time of year.
Looking forward to wrapping up November with a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and horseback riding!
Leave a Reply