It's fall. Finally.

And I know the long, hot summer is officially over because we went to Jackson's Orchard with the Boddeker crew, minus Holly, plus one... long story.

Anyway, it was a fun day filled with caramel apples, hayrides, and everyone yelling "ZJ! COME HERE!" at the top of his or her voice.

At the end of the day, my friend Natalie and I high-fived each other because a) it was over and b) no one died or was irreparably harmed.

The whole "no irreparable harm" thing?  Yeah, that was in question a few times.  One of those times came right after this photo was taken, when zj ran as hard as he could and leaped off the end of this hay bale, which was approximately five feet high.  After I determined he would live, I asked him why he did that.  His answer?  "Mama, I was at the end of the way."

Indeed.

There were also a few near misses on the slide from hell, but again, it was an overall good outcome.

Natalie and I both went home and collapsed.

She texted me later to ask if we had fun.  I told her the kids had a blast, and she confirmed that her kids had, as well.

I asked her if she ever felt like she was ever at a totally different place than her kids were, given the different perspectives they always have.

She replied that it is because everything we do is to make sure they have fun.

Well, of course.

Then we firmed up our plans for a trip in a few weeks that will involve no children.

At all.

Instead, it will involve culture, food, wine, shopping, adult conversation, and wine.

More to come on that.