Yesterday, we took advantage of the chance to recreate some memories of times when the kids were younger. We took the day off and headed to a farm for some old-fashioned apple and pumpkin picking. It’s something we hadn’t done as a family for years.

Our eldest daughter had come to visit us from far-away British Columbia for a week. The week was rapidly drawing to an end and we wanted to do something special. It was a perfect fall day. The air was crisp and cool. Being a Friday, there weren’t many people at the farm partaking of all the activities and goodies. We had some great photo ops and I want to share a few with you.

We arrived home with our bounty and the girls immediately started cooking vegetables, and making pies and apple crisp.  I put on a pot of chili and my husband sent out a last-minute invitation to anyone wanting to drop by, grab a bite, and visit. All-in-all it was a great day.

But, as the title of my blog implies, it was bittersweet, in a couple of ways. First of all, Rachel added a little too much nutmeg to the pumpkin pie, but everyone bravely ate it and found something good to say about it.

Secondly, we are starting to say our goodbyes today. We will be driving her to Montreal tonight to catch a flight to Vancouver tomorrow morning. My heart is definitely heavy knowing it will be January, at the earliest, before I see her again. Visits are wonderful, but they end much too soon.

Autumn is my favorite season of the year. I love the coolness of the weather and the color of the leaves. This year it was even more special because of the week we had as a complete family. The sound of the girls giggling together and having fun was a balm for my heart. Hopefully, the balm will be strong enough to last until we are together again.