Apple Days

Clarence and I kicked off the fall season with a weekend in Montana, complete with beef jerky, apple cider, and fall leaves. We left Wednesday night pretty late and were quickly surrounded by the complete darkness of the countryside. We made it to Clarence's house safe and sound though, and very exhausted.

The next morning we lazed around and recuperated from the drive. We went into town for Jo Jos and chicken strips and went to check out the cider situation. We were a bit worried after leaving Frost Top because they said with the late fall they hadn't even made any cider yet. We were told to come back Saturday afternoon to see if their batch was ready. That day Jo had to work so she got home later that evening, so Clarence and I went to Pizza Hut--the famed Pizza Hut, the best one in the country! Ed was also working, so we hoped to see him--he was nice enough to let us use his employee discount.

On Friday we spent some time with Jo since we hadn't seen her much. For breakfast we had bacon, eggs, and peaches and cream! I was in heaven. Later we went into town for some jerky and a bite to eat. Sadly, A Place to Ponder has closed down. I was pretty bummed because Clarence always talked about it as the best sandwich place he's ever been to, and I was really looking forward to it. We have plenty of other places we look forward to eating in Montana though so we made up for it. That night Katie invited us over to their house for dinner. I always love seeing her and Derek and all their kids. I hope our family will be as happy and beautiful as theirs is.

Driving up to Katie and Derek's. The colors are so pretty!

Katie and Derek's. I love their house--the inside is even cuter than the outside! 

View from their house. Peaceful.

The next day was Apple Days! We went over to the festival with Ed and Paul. The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and warm with a chill in the air. The festival was full of booths, people, and delicious food. Clarence and I split a flat bread with honey butter as we walked around with everyone. For lunch we decided to get Nap's instead of the food at the festival. As usual, it was amazing, if not more crowded than I've ever seen it. Definitely worth it though. After lunch we tensely drove to see if there was any cider available. To our relief there was!! We were able to get quite a few gallons as well, enough for ourselves and for others we had promised a gallon to.

I'm really bummed we didn't get a picture of the two of us at Apple Days. Here's a cute one of Clarence as we're walking to it though! Love the plaid.

The Frost Top apple orchard and cutest red barn!

 That night Selikah came over with the kids so we got to visit with them a while too. They're all getting so big! I love seeing all of Clarence's family up there. For dinner Jo made us fried chicken and mashed potatoes per Clarence's request for his birthday dinner. She also made us corn on the cob, jello, and butterscotch brownies. Ari and Inga came over during dinner and got to visit with us too--love those two girls! After dinner we played cards with Jo and Ed; Jo won of course, and felt guilty about it. While we were playing a storm started up outside, and it felt so cozy to be playing cards together while it rained outside.

This morning came way too fast. We woke up later than planned so had to hurry out the door. It's always sad saying goodbye and driving away. Along the way we saw some beautiful fall foliage and we were also able to catch up on some of the General Conference sessions that we had missed. We were happy to finally make it home, and  I was especially happy to have a letter from Derek! He flies out early tomorrow morning to Pittsburgh. Listening to conference made me think of him so much, and I'm so proud of him!

I'm hoping we'll have a long fall this year. I can't wait to have a fall camping trip with my family, or at least have a cookout in Spruces if the weather  turns out rainy this weekend. I missed them this Conference weekend. It's hard being married and balancing spending time with both of our families, especially when both are so amazing and we love them so much. I'm very much looking forward to this holiday season and being with those I love the most.